Self-tuning predictive control of a hydraulic test rig

Despite a number of convincing application studies the industrial take up of the more advanced algorithms has been slow. One of the major reasons for this with respect to hydraulic systems is that the cost of getting the tuning wrong can be highly destructive and expensive. As a result a conservative approach is used and there is a reluctance to relinquish responsibility for tuning to an adaptive algorithm. In this paper an approach which enables accurate prediction of the response prior to implementation is presented. This enables the commissioning engineer to gain confidence in the algorithm and to be responsible for the decision to implement the controller and its parameters.