Predictive control of hot rolling processes

One of the main objectives in hot strip rolling is to produce strip which has a good flatness and shape profile. Control of the flatness profile involves use of actuators throughout the hot mill. There are also significant transport delays between stands. Predictive control may be used at all levels of the control hierarchy but it is particularly effective at the supervisory control levels where constraints are important and the complexity of the total system is apparent. In this paper, the generalised predictive control method is discussed. The physical system and its model are described. Finally, simulation results from case studies are presented.