Hybrid Posi cast - based PID - PDA Control Using System Identification for Continuous Tunnel Kilns

This paper proposes a hybrid Posicast-based proportional-integral-derivative with proportional-derivative-acceleration (PID-PDA) controller for temperature regulation in delay-dominant continuous tunnel kilns. The controller is developed based on a system-identified second-order-plus-dead-time (SOPDT) model derived from industrial data and implemented in discrete time for programmable logic controllers (PLCs). A unified framework enables comparison with a standard PLC-based proportional-integral (PI) controller, an internal model control (IMC)-tuned PI controller, and a Smith Predictor-PI controller under identical conditions. Simulation results demonstrate faster response, negligible overshoot, and reduced tracking error, with improved settling time and lower, integral of absolute error (IAE), integral of squared error (ISE), and integral of time-weighted absolute error (ITAE), while maintaining comparable control effort. Robustness analysis confirms stable performance under plant perturbations, with IAE variations within approximately ± 10 (servo) and ± 1 (disturbance). The controller is validated on an Allen-Bradley PLC in a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR)-based heating system. Experimental results show improved steady-state performance, including reduced bias, lower mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean squared error (RMSE), reduced oscillation amplitude, and compliance within the ± 1 temperature band. The proposed approach provides a practical, robust, and high-performance solution for upgrading existing PLC-based systems without hardware modifications.