Data acquisition and control of a continuous fermentation unit

Summary Data acquisition and computer control ofZymomonas mobilis fermentation for ethanol production has been studied. An HP 200 series microcomputer system was used in conjunction with an HP 3497A data acquisition unit. On-line ethanol, glucose and cell mass were measured for use as possible control variables. Dilution rate was used as the manipulative variable. A versatile, user-friendly data acquisition program was written to gather, control and analyze data from the continuous fermentation. The program allows user-given control and calibration algorithms so that sophisticated control policies, e.g., self-tuning regulator (STR) and instrumentation, can be implemented with relative ease.