Optimizing Industrial Processes with Model Predictive Control

As manufacturers face increasing pressure to reduce energy consumption, minimize downtime, and operate within tighter margins, the need for more intelligent and responsive control strategies has never been more urgent. Process complexity is growing across industries—from ethanol production and soybean processing to food and beverage and mining—and traditional PID loops in control systems are showing their limitations. 

At Interstates, we help clients navigate this complexity with innovative control solutions that make processes smarter, more sustainable, and more efficient. One of the most powerful tools in our advanced controls toolbox is Model Predictive Control (MPC), a technology that brings new levels of precision and adaptability to industrial process control. 

Beyond PID: Why MPC Is Gaining Traction 

Conventional control systems, especially PID loops, often struggle with multivariable interactions, time delays, and non-linear dynamics, all common traits in today’s interconnected production systems. Whether it’s balancing heat input across multiple dryer zones in food manufacturing, optimizing extraction temperatures in soybean oil production, or maintaining crusher cavity levels in a mining operation, process conditions are rarely static or isolated. 

MPC addresses these challenges by using a dynamic process model to forecast future system behavior. It adjusts control outputs proactively, considering multiple variables, constraints, and time lags to keep systems operating efficiently, even under shifting conditions. 

MPC in Action: Cross-Industry Potential 

While MPC was once limited to high-end chemical plants or large-scale refineries, advancements in computational power and control software have made it viable for a wide range of industries. Today, typical benefits cited in industry literature and vendor case studies include: 

• Dryers and Ovens: 3–10% reduction in energy usage and tighter product quality control.
• Extraction and Separation Systems: Up to 5% yield improvement and throughput increases of 4–10%.
• Fermentation and Batch Processes: Improved consistency and stability.
• Crushers and Feeders (Mining): Reduced process variability and extended equipment life through constraint handling.
• Plant-Wide Control Strategies: Energy reductions in the 5–10% range, and smoother operations across multiple units. 

These benefits are not guarantees, but realistic targets drawn from published benchmarks and vendor-reported implementations—guidelines that shape what’s possible when MPC is configured and tuned correctly. 

Interstates’ Role: Feasibility, Modeling & Integration 

Successful MPC deployment starts long before a model is built. Our approach is hands-on and tailored: 

1. Feasibility Studies – Analyze historical data to identify key variable relationships and determine if MPC will provide a meaningful benefit.
2. Modeling & Simulation – Build first-principles or data-driven models and validate performance through simulations.
3. Deployment & Integration – Seamlessly connect MPC to your plant control architecture, ensuring minimal disruption to existing operations.
4. Training & Support – Equip your operations team with the tools and knowledge to own, operate, and tune MPC over time. 

Bridging the Skills Gap with Embedded Intelligence 

As many industries face the retirement of experienced operators, often the keepers of invaluable legacy knowledge, MPC acts as a stabilizing force. It translates experience and intuition into digital logic, improving consistency and reducing the need for manual intervention. By embedding best practices in a model-based system, you can scale expertise across shifts, sites, and even generations of staff. 

Is Your Process a Candidate for MPC? 

If your plant struggles with variability, constraint juggling, or the coordination of multiple interacting variables, MPC may be the control strategy that unlocks your next efficiency gain. From batch food lines and ethanol distillation to desolventizer toasters and crushing operations, the applications for this technology are broad and growing.