Development of PID-BASED Temperature Controller in an Aluminium Extrusion Aging Furnace

Traditional On-Off control proved inadequate for aluminum extrusion ageing furnace due to temperature oscillations and poor adaptability, necessitating a more robust solution.Hence, this study presents the development of a PID-based temperature controller, aimed at enhancing temperature regulation and energy efficiency.The PID controller was chosen for its ability to deliver continuous, precise regulation, improving system stability and response.The furnace was modeled as a First-Order Plus Dead-Time (FOPDT) system, and multiple PID tuning techniques were explored.Three tuning methods, Ziegler-Nichols, Cohen-Coon, and Quarter Amplitude Damping Ratio (QADR), were implemented and compared.Ziegler-Nichols produced a fast but oscillatory response; Cohen-Coon offered a more balanced performance, while QADR achieved a critically damped response with minimal overshoot and ensured stability. Simulations and experimental validation were conducted in MATLAB using key performance indices, including Integral Absolute Error (IAE), Integral Squared Error (ISE), Integral Time Absolute Error (ITAE), and Integral Time Squared Error (ITSE). Resultsshowed that QADR outperformed the others, delivering the lowest error metrics, reduced overshoot of 109.3399C, rise time of 0.0363min, and improved settling time of 1.3860min.However, Ziegler-Nichols delivered fastest rise time of 0.0280min, with excessive overshoot of 127.3424C, posing high risk to furnace temperature sensitivity.Cohen-Coon offered compromise values between speed and damping.Findings support PID control, particularly QADR tuning, as a highly effective solution for industrial furnace regulation, improving stability, energy efficiency, and product quality.The validated model and optimized PID controller provide a reliable solution; future work could explore adaptive tuning techniques, such as machine learningbased optimization.