Fast implementations and rigorous models: Can both be accommodated in NMPC?

In less than two decades, nonlinear model predictive control has evolved from a conceptual framework to an attractive, general approach for the control of constrained nonlinear processes. These advances were realized both through better understanding of stability and robustness properties as well as improved algorithms for dynamic optimization. This study focuses on recent advances in optimization formulations and algorithms, particularly for the simultaneous collocation-based approach. Here, we contrast this approach with competing approaches for online application and discuss further advances to deal with applications of increasing size and complexity. To address these challenges, we adapt the real-time iteration concept, developed in the context of multiple shooting (Real-Time PDE-Constrained Optimization. SIAM: Philadelphia, PA, 2007; 25–52, 3–24), to a collocation-based approach with a full-space nonlinear programming solver. We show that straightforward sensitivity calculations from the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker system also lead to a real-time iteration strategy, with both direct and shifted variants. This approach is demonstrated on a large-scale polymer process, where online calculation effort is reduced by over two orders of magnitude. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.