Modeling and control of linear supply chain systems , experimental results

There is a supply chain modeling approach based on traffic flow theory which considers inventory levels and material flows. The resulting models are linear, although they are subject to constraints such as maximum production rates, as well as non negative inventory and flow values. In previous works of the authors a bounded PI control for inventory regulation was introduced. The closed loop system was therefore a non liner one, due to the control boundaries. It was proven that the closed loop system was asymptotically stable and numerical simulations on a petrochemical plant were provided. In this work a testbed platform form by water tanks is developed, such that the experimental results agree with the simulated ones.