The Excess Weight Controller

Abstract

An idea for improved control of plants with a transport delay arose from simulation studies of a sinter plant feed system. The idea was initially developed and explained in terms of the concept of Excess Weight in Transport. On this basis an ‘excess Weight Controller’ was developed and installed very successfully on one of the British Steel Corporation's sinter plants where it has been operating successfully for over two years. Further study of the theory of the Controller has shown that it can be considered as an extension of the Smith Predictor developed by Prof Otto Smith in California. This consolidation of the theory will make it easier to apply the concepts to a wider range of problems.