Research line

Automatic Control Image

The AUTOMATIC CONTROL line develops basic and applied research in automatic control, with special emphasis on modelling, control and supervision of nonlinear, complex and/or large-scale systems.
The group has acquired specific expertise in the application of advanced control techniques to environmental resources management, specifically in the water and energy fields.

Head of line: Maria Serra Prat

Head of line

Tech. transfer

Our activity finds applications in several fields through collaboration with our technological partners.

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Research projects

We carry out projects from the European FP7 and others national and international research programmes.
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Modelling and control of complex nonlinear systems

In order to design controllers for complex nonlinear systems, it is fundamental to have mathematical models of the systems' dynamic behaviour. Regarding dynamic modelling of complex nonlinear systems, the Control Group focuses on four subjects: models for multidomain systems using PHS formulation; distributed parameter models and their order reduction; experimental characterisation techniques combining the use of time and frequency responses of the dynamic system, conceived as diagnosis tools; the design of observers to be integrated in the control systems in order to improve the system performance and minimise the number of sensors. Regarding control system design, the work is based on the following advanced control techniques: passivity-based control, Optimal Control, Model Predictive Control, Variable Structure Control (VSC) and Linear Parameter Varying (LPV)-Robust Control.

Research area 1 of Automatic Control

Modelling and control of large-scale networked systems

In automation, it is more and more frequent to deal with large scale networked systems which are composed by a multitude of elements of diverse dynamical nature. Obtaining a mathematical model oriented to the management and control of such systems should take into account their real time operation and complex topology. Moreover, complementary considerations such as physical constraints, hybrid behaviour and bounded disturbances are also challenging topics in the study of this kind of systems.

Research area 2 of Automatic Control

Design and implementation of decision-support tools for resources management systems with multiple, heterogeneous constraints

A large variety of real-time resource allocation problems dealing with long- and medium-term resources management typically appear in public services and industry. Some examples are water management (both surface and pipeline systems), energy generation and distribution, and environmental planning. The operation of these systems requires dealing with multiple, heterogeneous constraints. Not just physical constraints are to be met, but also those imposed by regulations, operational practices, economy, ecology, etc. The overall aim is to step away from the classical trial-and-error-based simulation approach and create real problem-solving tools for optimal management of large-scale resources management problems.

Research area 3 of Automatic Control

Real-time Supervisory Control, Fault Diagnosis and Fault-Tolerance

Reliability is a feature required in modern control systems which implies the introduction of fault diagnosis and fault tolerant control modules that allow to know in real-time if there is any non-desired behaviour (fault) and activate some remedial action in order to keep the system in operation (fault tolerance). Complementary aspects as sensor/actuator location for achieving the desired fault diagnosis and tolerance are also addressed.

Research area 4 of Automatic Control

Applied Research

Theoretical knowledge is applied in real cases, in close collaboration with industry. Currently, research is mainly focused on four fields: modelling and control of systems based on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells based systems; modelling, control and management of electrical networks; design of optimal operational management of networked systems related to the urban water cycle and sensor data validation/reconstruction of instrumentation systems. The Control Group gives primary importance to the tasks of implementation and experimental validation of the proposed control and modelling methodologies. These final stages of the control design process are developed either in the industry or at the Institute's Laboratories: the Fuel Cells Laboratory and the Water Cycle Control Systems Lab.

Research area 5 of Automatic Control

These are the latest research projects of the Automatic Control research line:

These are the most recent publications (2022 - 2021) of the Automatic Control

  • J. Na, Y. Xing and R. Costa Castelló. Adaptive estimation of time-varying parameters with application to roto-magnet plant. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, 2021, to appear.

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  • M.R. David, F. Bianchi, C. Ocampo-Martínez and R. Sánchez Peña. Model-based control design for H2 purity regulation in high-pressure alkaline electrolyzers. Journal of the Franklin Institute, 358(8): 4373–4392, 2021.

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  • R. El Houda, S. Ahmed Ali and V. Puig. High-gain interval observer for partially linear systems with bounded disturbances. International Journal of Control, 2021, to appear.

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  • A. Clemente, M. Montiel, F. Barreras, A. Lozano and R. Costa Castelló. Vanadium redox fow battery state of charge estimation using a concentration model and a sliding mode observer. IEEE Access, 9: 72368-72376, 2021.

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  • C. Sun, J. Lorenz, M. Schütze, G. Cembrano, M. Borup, V. Puig and L. Vezzaro. A SWMM model for the Astlingen benchmark network, 2021 IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, 2021, Copenhagen, Denmark, to appear.

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  • L. Romero, B. Joseph, C. Sun, J. Meseguer, G. Cembrano, R. Guasch, M. Martinez, E. Muñoz and V. Puig. An integrated software architecture for the pollution-based real-time control of urban drainage systems. Journal of Hydroinformatics, 23(3): 671-687, 2021.

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  • C. Sun, B. Parellada, V. Puig and G. Cembrano. Leak detection in drinking water network using pressure-based classifier, 2021 IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, 2021, Copenhagen, Denmark, to appear.

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  • W. Ananduta and C. Ocampo-Martínez. Event-triggered partitioning for non-centralized predictive-control-based economic dispatch of interconnected microgrids. Automatica, 132: 109829, 2021.

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  • U. Raveendran Nair, M. Sandelic, A. Sangwongwanich, T. Dragicevic, R. Costa Castelló and F. Blaabjerg. Grid congestion mitigation and battery degradation minimisation using model predictive control in PV-based microgrid. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, 2021, to appear.

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  • J.A. Aguilar, A.P. Husar and J. Andrade-Cetto. Box-Jenkins autoregressive models for PEMFC operating under dynamical conditions, 17th Symposium on Modeling and Experimental Validation of Electrochemical Energy Technologies, 2021, Sion, Switzerland (Virtual), pp. 93.

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  • M.A. Bermeo, C. Ocampo-Martínez and J. Diaz. Adaptive predictive control for peripheral equipment management to enhance energy efficiency in smart manufacturing systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 291: 125556, 2021.

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  • E. Jove, A. Lozano, A. Pérez, F. Barreras, R. Costa Castelló and J.L. Calvo-Rolle. A virtual sensor for a cell voltage prediction of a Proton-Exchange Membranes based on intelligent techniques, 2021 International Conference on Smart Sustainable Cities and Territories, 2021, Doha, Qatar, pp. 240--248, Springer.

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  • L. Levieux, C. Ocampo-Martínez, F. Inthamoussou and H. De Battista. Predictive management approach for the coordination of wind and water-based power supplies. Energy, 219: 119535, 2021.

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  • R. Domingo-Enrich, A. Cecilia and R. Costa Castelló. Control no lineal adaptativo con identificación dispersa, XLII Jornadas de Automática, 2021, Castellón, Spain, pp. 365-372.

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  • A. Cecilia, S. Sahoo, T. Dragičević, R. Costa Castelló and F. Blaabjerg. Detection and mitigation of false data in cooperative DC microgrids with unknown constant power loads. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 36(8): 9565-9577, 2021.

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  • A. Clemente, A. Cecilia and R. Costa Castelló. Estimación del estado de carga y coeficientes de difusión en baterías de flujo redox, XLII Jornadas de Automática, 2021, Castellón, Spain, pp. 357-364.

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  • G.J. Conde, N. Quijano and C. Ocampo-Martínez. Modeling and control in open-channel irrigation systems: A review. Annual Reviews in Control, 2021, to appear.

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  • A. San-Miguel, V. Puig and G. Alenyà. Disturbance observer-based LPV feedback control of a N-DoF robotic manipulator including compliance through gain shifting. Control Engineering Practice, 115(104887), 2021.

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  • B. Moaveni, F. Rashidi Fathabadi and A. Molavi. Fuzzy control system design for wheel slip prevention and tracking of desired speed profile in electric trains. Asian Journal of Control, 2021, to appear.

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  • A. Cecilia, S. Sahoo, T. Dragičević, R. Costa Castelló and F. Blaabjerg. On addressing the security and stability issues due to false data injection attacks in DC microgrids – An adaptive observer approach. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 37(3): 2801-2814, 2021.

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  • F. Karimi, D. Theilliol, V. Puig and G. Cembrano. Health-aware control design based on remaining useful life estimation for autonomous racing vehicle. ISA Transactions, 2021, to appear.

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  • J.C. Gómez, M. Serra and A.P. Husar. Controller design for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell systems for automotive applications. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 46(45): 23263-23278, 2021.

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  • J.M. Maestre, F. Lopez, F. Muros and C. Ocampo-Martínez. Modular feedback control of networked systems by clustering: A drinking water network case study. Processes, 9(2): 389, 2021.

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  • C. Sun, L. Romero, B. Joseph, J. Meseguer, R. Guasch, M. Martinez, V. Puig and G. Cembrano. Control-oriented quality modelling approach of sewer networks. Journal of Environmental Management, 294: 113031, 2021.

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  • J.L. Diaz and C. Ocampo-Martínez. Non-centralised control strategies for energy-efficient and flexible manufacturing systems. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 59: 386-397, 2021.

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  • A. Cecilia and R. Costa Castelló. Library-based adaptive observation through a sparsity-promoting adaptive observer, 20th European Control Conference, 2021, Rotterdam, Netherlands, pp. 2187-2192.

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  • F. Karimi, V. Puig and C. Ocampo-Martínez. Economic model predictive control of nonlinear systems using a linear parameter varying approach. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 2021, to appear.

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  • L. Romero, V. Puig, G. Cembrano, J. Blesa and J. Meseguer. A fully data-driven approach for leak localization in water distribution networks, 20th European Control Conference, 2021, Rotterdam, Netherlands, pp. 1851-1856.

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  • A. Cecilia, M. Serra and R. Costa Castelló. Nonlinear adaptive observation of the liquid water saturation in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Journal of Power Sources, 492: 229641, 2021.

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  • A. Cecilia and R. Costa Castelló. On state-estimation in weakly-observable scenarios and implicitly regularized observers, 60th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2021, Austin, TX, USA (Virtual), to appear.

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  • W. Ananduta, C. Ocampo-Martínez and A. Nedic. A distributed augmented Lagrangian method over stochastic networks for economic dispatch of large-scale energy systems. IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, 2021, to appear.

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  • E. Sanz, J. Blesa and V. Puig. BiDrac industry 4.0 framework: application to an automotive paint shop process. Control Engineering Practice, 109: 104757, 2021.

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Fuel Cell Control Laboratory

The objective of the Laboratory is the validation and testing of control strategies of fuel cell based energy conversion systems. The facilities are equipped with a supervisor system which monitors necessary safety conditions. Each of the five fuel cell test stations is equipped with the necessary sensors and actuators to be able to operate in a safe and automated way, as well as to modify the working conditions that affect a fuel cell (humidity, temperature, flow, etc.).

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Research area 1 of Automatic Control

Water-cycle Control Systems Laboratory

The aim of this laboratory is to test and validate modelling and control developments for dynamic systems associated to the water cycle. Hence, it provides platforms of pressure, flow and level processes, over which it is possible to implement real-time advanced control strategies. This laboratory is also open to offer services to other teams in the research community.

Research area 2 of Automatic Control
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