Tuning of PID Controller Using GA, SA and QFT for Three Interacting Tank Process

This paper work deals with the study of interaction of three interacting cylindrical tank system and controlling the level of the fluid inside the tanks. Initially, the modeling is done by converting the differential equations to State Space model. Then the state space is converted into Transfer Function matrix. The level control is obtained by tuning of PID controller to the Transfer Function matrix of the model. The methods used for tuning the Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) Controller are Genetic Algorithm (GA), Simulated Annealing (SA) and Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT). The time domain specifications for the three controller tuning methods are compared and best controller for the three interacting cylindrical tank process is obtained.