ABSTRACT
This chapter presents several design approaches and compares their performances with respect to the open-loop behaviour and with each other with respect to reference tracking, disturbance rejection and control effort. It also presents the methods that were showcased for single-stage continuous fluidised bed drying but can be readily extended to multi-stage operation, if each stage has individual inputs, as it is the case, for instance, in horizontal fluidised beds. Fluidised beds can be operated as single-stage apparatuses or as multi-stage apparatuses, for instance by interconnection of several single-stage apparatuses. Process models for fluidised bed drying are usually designed with the aim of increasing process understanding. From a control point of view, models are usually very detailed and possess complexity that make feedback controller design and interpretation a challenging task. Controller design therefore often starts with a reduction step, decreasing complexity but conserving the significant process behaviour and interactions.
