Abstract
An operating control system for a class of combined batch/semi-continuous processes based on on-line scheduling is proposed. The class of controlled plants is characterized by a series of units with limited intermediate storage and statistical variabilities in processing time. The proposed system consists of a dynamical plant simulator and an automatic scheduler. The simulator predicts the future state of the plant using the past plant record, the present internal state of the plant and the temporal operating conditions. To make operation of the plant efficient and smooth, the scheduler revises the operating conditions on the basis of the predicted state. A series of simulation experiments has shown that the system is effective in plant operation with uncertainties.
