Multiobjective economic model predictive control of mechanical pulping processes

We present a multiobjective economic model predictive control (m-econ MPC) strategy to mitigate high electrical energy demands of a two-stage mechanical pulping (MP) process. The nonlinear MP process considered in this paper consists of a primary and a secondary refiner. In the proposed m-econ MPC technique, economic performance is optimized during dynamic transitions while a stabilizing constraint is used to ensure convergence to steady-state operating points. Through simulations, we demonstrate that the m-econ MPC can reduce the energy consumed by mechanical pulping processes by up to 27%.