Master's Thesis: Stepwise introduction of Model Predictive Control – an MPC/PID hybrid

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Master’s Thesis at ABB Automation

This role sits within ABB’s Automation business area, where one of the world's leading industrial automation systems is developed.

Thesis Description

ABB Ability System 800xA is one of the world's leading industrial automation systems, and it integrates AC 800M, a controller family for process control. Control applications for the AC 800M controllers are developed using our own development tools, and these applications control the production processes in the factories through the plant equipment such as pumps and valves.

In a factory, most of the control loops are controlled by PID controllers. However, for some control loops it's not possible to get acceptable control performance with PID control alone and then more advanced controllers are desirable. One commonly used advanced controller is the Model Predictive Controller (MPC). It calculates the control signal with optimization using a plant model and, unlike the PID, it can handle advanced constraints. MPC is often used to control PID controller setpoints, but it can also be used to directly control the plant equipment. In both cases, MPC makes great use of today’s better models that are obtained with machine learning.

It is common to start with PID control and if that doesn’t give acceptable performance, then more advanced controllers are considered. One obstacle is then that replacing a PID controller causes interruptions in the production. In a recent approach, MPC control is introduced stepwise by connecting the MPC control signal as feedforward to the existing PID controller. In this hybrid approach, you keep the familiar PID controller for setpoint control and at the same time you can have advanced constraint handling from the MPC controller.

For MPC controllers with direct impact on plant equipment, like the recent hybrid MPC/PID, you want to execute the MPC controller in the AC 800M controller. Unlike PID controllers, MPC controllers use great amounts of CPU and RAM to execute. Historically, due to hardware limitations, most MPC controllers have not been possible to execute in our current AC 800M controllers. Instead, they have been executed in stand-alone servers. However, with our latest AC 800M controller architecture and hardware, it is possible to execute all MPC controllers in the AC 800M controller itself.

The goal of this Master Thesis is to continue implementation of the MPC/PID hybrid in our latest AC 800M controller architecture. The focus will be on addressing interesting and challenging academic questions for the implementation.

Qualifications

We are looking for two candidates that can collaborate on the described Master’s thesis topics and may complement each other in the following areas:

·         Automatic control, including a basic understanding of MPC control

·         Programming skills, including basic C/C++ knowledge

·         Mathematical optimization, in particular quadratic programming

Furthermore, we value personal skills such as openness and ability to collaborate - being able to present findings, discuss different approaches and take self-leadership on focus and direction of the work.

Proficiency in English is required.

Details

• Period: 1H 2027
• Number of credits: Master thesis - 30 ECTS/högskolepoäng (hp)
• Number of students for this thesis work: One or Two
• Location: You will be offered a desk at our office at Boplatsgatan 6, 213 76  Malmö. It will also be possible to spend large amount of the time remotely, although we prefer someone who is based within commuting distance from Malmö.

More about us

At ABB, we have the clear goal of driving diversity and inclusion across all dimensions: gender, LGBTQ+, abilities, ethnicity and generations. Together, we are embarking on a journey where each and every one of us, individually and collectively, welcomes and celebrates individual differences.

You will be part of Process Control Platform (PCP), which is a unit within ABB business area Automation. PCP develops automation products - hardware and software - for monitoring, process control and optimization. We have automation products for all kinds of industries all over the world.

You will be sitting at our R&D department office in Malmö with access to our R&D experts and engineers and will get a general feeling of how it is to work on large-scale development projects.

Contact

Recruiting Manager Oliver Ehlorsson Lindberg, +46 730 67 69 23, will answer your questions. Positions are filled continuously. Please apply with your CV, academic transcripts, and a cover letter in English.

We look forward to receiving your application!

A future opportunity

This role is part of our talent pipeline, which means it’s not currently open, but we’re always looking for curious minds, bold thinkers, and people who want to make an impact.

Click Apply to express your interest and be considered for future opportunities that match your experience and aspirations.

At ABB, we welcome people from all backgrounds and believe that diverse perspectives help us build a cleaner, smarter future.

Apply today or visithttps://www.abb.com to learn more about how we help run what runs the world.