Self‐tuning control with decoupling

A new method to design adaptive, self‐tuning controllers is presented that incorporates decoupling for multivariable control problems. The algorithm is shown to result from two very different derivations. The first approach employs multiple single‐input/single‐output self‐tuning controllers but with a classical decoupling scheme incorporated; the second approach utilizes a novel selection of design parameters in an existing multivariable self‐tuning control method. The decoupling self‐tuning controller is capable of handling unknown or time‐varying time delays. Simulation studies utilizing two distillation column models show that the controller can provide excellent control even for highly nonlinear and highly interacting processes.