Modelling for Control of Biodiesel Microreactors

Abstract The modelling of biodiesel production through transesterification in chemical reactors has largely been studied, but the control of this process in microreactors is not straightforward without a suitable process model. In this paper, a useful mathematical model for control is proposed. The model suitably represents the dynamics of biodiesel properties in a microreactor. By analysing the physical influences of convection, diffusion and chemical kinetics on biodiesel yield, an explicit relationship between feed flows and mixing ratios with biodiesel output concentration is captured for control. The model responses are analysed and compared against a variety of experimental results in existing literature at similar operating conditions. The proposed model shows appropriate responses and opens the possibilities of more accurate model-based control applications such as Model Predictive Control and Internal Model Control.