On-line quality control of non-linear batch systems: Application to the thermal processing of canned foods

The recently developed Q-PI approach for quality control of linear continuous systems is extended to non-linear batch systems. The new control law contains proportional and integral terms with which the operators are intimately familiar. It is shown that control quality may be improved or costs reduced, constktent with the process specifications, by adjusting the tuning constants of the controller. The performance of the control law is demonstrated on a simulated batch retort, and the results indicate the excellent capability of the proposed approach for quality control of (nonlinear) batch processes.