CCSS Meeting #67: A framework for modeling, analysis and control of large-scale multiphysics systems

This lecture will be held in physical format at the CCSS Living Room (Min. 4.16) with lunch and refreshments provided. The theme of this CCSS Lunch Meeting is Control of Complex Systems.

Speaker Overview

Prof. dr. Arjan van der Schaft received his undergraduate and Ph.D. degree in Mathematics from the University of Groningen, in 1979 and 1983, respectively. In 1982 he joined the Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Twente, Enschede, where he was appointed as a full professor in Mathematical Systems and Control Theory in 2000. In September 2005 he returned to Groningen as a full professor in Mathematics. Arjan is Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and Fellow of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). He is also member of the Jan C. Willems Center for Systems and Control. He was Invited Lecturer at the International Congress of Mathematicians, Madrid, Spain (2006), and was the 2013 Recipient of the three-yearly awarded 'Certificate of Excellent Achievements' of the IFAC Technical Committee on Nonlinear Control Systems. Arjan has (co)-authored multiple books, among which, L2-Gain and Passivity Techniques in Nonlinear Control. 

Lecture Overview

Complexity in natural or engineered physical systems often arises from the large-scale interconnection of heterogeneous components, stemming from different physical domains (mechanical, electrical, chemical, ..). Port-Hamiltonian systems theory aims at providing a unified framework for the modeling, analysis and control of such systems. It brings together two different scientific traditions in physical systems modeling and analysis. First, the geometric modeling of Hamiltonian dynamics as originating from mechanics, where dynamics is described by a Hamiltonian function representing total energy, together with a geometric structure on the phase space. Second, it is rooted in electrical network theory, where systems are formulated as networks of interconnected idealized components linked by Kirchhoff’s laws. The name ‘port-Hamiltonian’ reflects these two origins. The resulting framework utilizes components representing pure energy storage and energy dissipation which are linked by flow of energy, the ‘lingua franca’ of physical systems. 

Port-Hamiltonian systems theory is inherently modular, in the sense that model components can be easily replaced by, e.g., refined versions. It does not only handle finite-dimensional subsystems, but distributed parameter subsystems as well, either linked by distributed interconnection or through the boundary of spatial domains. ‘Control’ in this framework can be understood as the interconnection with additional controller dynamical systems, or simply the inclusion of new feedback loops.

In this talk we will discuss some of the main ideas and applications, as well as current limitations and directions for further research.

There will be 45-min lecture from the speaker, followed by a 15-min Question & Answer session.

To attend the lecture, please signup below before 15:00 on Wednesday September 25.