Control of a continuous fabric preparation process by MPC controller

Abstract

Textile manufacturing is comprised of preparing of fibers, transforming fibers into yarn, converting the yarn into fabric or related products, dyeing or printing and finishing these materials at various stages of production. Most fabric that is dyed, or printed must first be prepared. Typical preparation includes desizing, scouring and bleaching steps; performance of this step depends upon the chemical concentration as well as temperature. In this research, the single-step of fabric preparation is implemented to accommodate the steps is studied. Rinsing step is counter flow of the fabric and fresh water. The mathematical model of this system is developed based on material and energy balances. A model predictive control (MPC) coupled with Kalman filter is implemented to control the temperature in preparation process at a desired set point. The control results of the MPC coupled with Kalman filter have been found good performance and robust characteristics with respect in process parameters mismatch.