A fuzzy sliding mode control approach for nonlinear chemical processes

Fuzzy sliding mode control (FSMC) as a robust and intelligent nonlinear control technique is proposed to control processes with severe nonlinearity and unknown models. The performance of the proposed method has been evaluated for both single input single output (SISO) and MIMO nonlinear systems through its application in three severely nonlinear processes that are frequently used as benchmarks of nonlinear process control strategies. The evaluation shows that, despite its lack of dependence on the process model, the proposed method performs almost the same as conventional sliding mode control alternatives that utilize all the information that exists in the mathematical model of the process. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.