Optimal Control Computation and Analysis of Switched Systems with State and Control Constraints. DC/DC converters are widely used in power supply systems and hybrid power systems generate cleaner energy. Achieving optimum performance in these applications has high commercial and environmental impacts. New optimal control problems for such practical problems will be formulated and new unified optimization theory and methods for these optimal control problems will be obtained. The outcomes will en ....Optimal Control Computation and Analysis of Switched Systems with State and Control Constraints. DC/DC converters are widely used in power supply systems and hybrid power systems generate cleaner energy. Achieving optimum performance in these applications has high commercial and environmental impacts. New optimal control problems for such practical problems will be formulated and new unified optimization theory and methods for these optimal control problems will be obtained. The outcomes will enhance Australia's reputation in this cutting edge research, and contribute to achieving optimal performance of high commercial and environmental value applications. It will also facilitate international collaboration, and provide an excellent opportunity for research training.Read moreRead less
A Study of Stabilisation and Optimal Control Computation of Impulsive Control Systems. Impulsive systems exhibit the phenomenon of jumps occurring at various time points along their trajectories. They arise from many applications, such as determining appropriate levels of drug administration in cancer and diabetes treatment, optimizing investment strategies in capacity expansion, and sustainable optimal forest management. This project will result in fundamental theory on stability and efficient ....A Study of Stabilisation and Optimal Control Computation of Impulsive Control Systems. Impulsive systems exhibit the phenomenon of jumps occurring at various time points along their trajectories. They arise from many applications, such as determining appropriate levels of drug administration in cancer and diabetes treatment, optimizing investment strategies in capacity expansion, and sustainable optimal forest management. This project will result in fundamental theory on stability and efficient computational algorithms and software packages for stabilizing controls and optimal controls of impulsive control problems. The outcomes will enhance Australia's reputation for leading edge research and facilitate opportunity for international collaboration. It will also provide an excellent opportunity for research training.Read moreRead less
Optimal control of nonlinear delay systems: theory, algorithms, and applications. Time delays are present in many engineering systems, including robots, irrigation canals, and chemical reactors. This project aims to develop state-of-the-art techniques for controlling systems with time delays in an optimal manner.
Real-time global optimisation for distributed parameter control systems. This project aims to develop real-time optimal control algorithms for distributed parameter systems involving both time and spatial variables and multiple time-delays, with a focus on mining and energy applications. Current optimal control algorithms for such systems are too slow for real-time use and often get trapped at local optima, which can be vastly inferior to the global solution. This project will result in a new op ....Real-time global optimisation for distributed parameter control systems. This project aims to develop real-time optimal control algorithms for distributed parameter systems involving both time and spatial variables and multiple time-delays, with a focus on mining and energy applications. Current optimal control algorithms for such systems are too slow for real-time use and often get trapped at local optima, which can be vastly inferior to the global solution. This project will result in a new optimal control framework, underpinned by recent advances in constraint propagation, switching surface optimisation, and input regularisation. It will result in cutting-edge mathematical tools to complement and exploit new technologies and optimise key processes in natural gas liquefaction and zinc and alumina production, increasing efficiency and reducing the ecological footprint. This project will lead to new cutting-edge control algorithms for replacing the inefficient manual operations endemic in Australia’s natural gas and mineral processing plants.Read moreRead less
Optimal discrete-valued control strategies: A new direction in nonlinear optimal control. The field of optimal control is concerned with finding ways to manipulate systems in the best possible manner. The latest research in optimal control focuses primarily on systems in which the input variables are continuous-valued, yet many real-world systems are controlled via discrete input variables that assume values from a finite set - such as "On/Off", "Open/Closed", "Gear 1/2/3". This project will rev ....Optimal discrete-valued control strategies: A new direction in nonlinear optimal control. The field of optimal control is concerned with finding ways to manipulate systems in the best possible manner. The latest research in optimal control focuses primarily on systems in which the input variables are continuous-valued, yet many real-world systems are controlled via discrete input variables that assume values from a finite set - such as "On/Off", "Open/Closed", "Gear 1/2/3". This project will revolutionise the field of optimal control through the development of new theory and computational tools for optimising discrete input variables in constrained nonlinear systems. The new results will be applied to solve critical problems in the areas of shale-gas extraction, chromatography, pipeline transportation, and micro-robots.Read moreRead less