Optimized fractional-order PID controller for temperature control of CSTH: a comparative study with PID cascade controller

Controlling the temperature in chemical reactors, heating furnaces, distillation columns, and reboilers for circulating heatin g fluids is crucial across all industries. This project is a simulation-based study where both PID-cascade and fractional order PID (FO-PID) controllers were used to control the temperature of water in the continuously stirred tank heater system. The simulation was designed by using SIMULINK. Initially, the work reproduces results from a previous study that evaluated the performance of PID cascade controller applied for controlling the temperature of continuous stirred tank heater. Building on this foundat ion, a novel fractional-order PID (FO-PID) controller was designed and its parameters were optimized using the Whale Optimizer Algorithm (WOA). Results showed that the FO-PID outperforms the PID-cascade controller in terms of settling time and percentage overshoot. This study demonstrates significant advancements in process innovation and optimization, supporting sustainable industrial systems. The FO-PID controller in comparison to the Cascade PID controller reduced the percentage overshoot by approximately 97%, reduced settling time by 87% and maintained comparable steady-state error.