CONTROLLING WATER LEVEL BY USING MODIFIED MODEL FREE ADAPTIVE CONTROLLER

Abstract

This paper investigates a simple mathematical model for a water level system, which consists of a DC motor (water pump), and a Speed to Height transformation block, that relates the speed of the motor, to the height of the water level. The input signal is the applied voltage to the armature of the DC motor, while the output signal is the rotational speed of the shaft.  A simple modified model-free adaptive controller is suggested, to control the level of water, by adjusting the rate of the incoming water flow to the container, by changing the speed of the water pump, that fills the container. The suggested controller consists of a conventional model free adaptive controller, combined with the proportional integral derivative controller. The parameters of the controller are tuned using two methods. The overall controlled water level system is simulated through MATLAB R2015a software. The results show the efficiency of the suggested controller, when compared to the tuned PID and the MFAC, due to its least fluctuation peak, fast response with a small settling time, and zero steady-state error.