Faculty - Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Doug Cooper Professor, University Teaching Fellow Ph.D. University of Colorado Email: doug.cooper@uconn.edu Web: http://www.engr.uconn.edu/control/

Research Interest: Process Control Analysis, Tuning and Training

Research efforts focus on new methods and procedures for process control system analysis, tuning and training. Current research efforts include such important areas as:

• whole-plant modeling, simulation and control
• automated controller design and tuning
• dynamic matrix control (DMC) design and tuning
• multivariable process identification and control

Research Interest: Adaptive Process Control

Adaptive controllers maintain performance by automatically adjusting their design as process conditions change. For adaptive controllers to make a major impact on industrial practice, however, they must be made easy for nonexperts to use and they must be made stable and robust over a broad range of applications. Lab research focuses on methods for automating the design, validation and implementation of adaptive controllers. Also under study are methods for automatically supervising controller performance after implementation to ensure the controller remains stable and robust while it is online.

Research Interest: Pattern-Based Control

The patterns exhibited in the recent history of certain process variables indicate the effectiveness of a controller in maintaining desired performance. This research explores how pattern analysis tools can be used for the online evaluation of controller performance. The pattern analysis results are then used to adjust the controller design or tuning to restore desired performance if it has degraded.