Evaluation of Control Strategies in Biofuel Production: A Comparative Study of PI, PID Versus Self-Tuning Controller

Having renewable energy sources to offset energy demand requires technological efficiency in all areas of knowledge. In this context, and going deeper into electronic controllers, a systematic review of the literature reveals a wide variety of these devices, both implemented and simulated in industrial processes. These studies focus on performance and robustness, without considering the energy consumption of the implemented algorithm and the type of development board used. On the other hand, there is a paucity of studies on controllers applied to biofuel production processes, a form of renewable energy. In response, a heterogeneous packed bed reactor (PBR) was developed for biofuel production. Using models of the plant's temperature behavior, PI, PID, and self-tuning PID controllers were tuned, tuned, and auto-tuned to compare their performance variables. The study showed a reduction in controller energy consumption of 6.88% in Phase 2 and 20% in Phase 3, with temperature stabilization times improved by 2 s for Phase 2 and 47 s for Phase 3. As a result, biofuel production was achieved.