Nonlinear CSTR control system design using an artificial bee colony algorithm

This paper proposes a novel controller design method based on using artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithms for an unstable nonlinear continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) chemical system. Such CSTR process is highly nonlinear and its dynamic is significantly dominated by system parameters. It is a good challenge to access the controller design performance when the controller is applied in the CSTR control system. The commonly used proportional–integral-derivative (PID) controller is taken into account in this study, and tuning three PID control gains is carried out by the artificial bee colony algorithm. With the use of the optimal ABC algorithm, PID controller gains can be derived suitably by means of minimizing the cost function given in advance. Finally, several control operations are provided to confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. We also discuss the influence of algorithm initial conditions on the control performance with many different tests. 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.