The objective of this research is to improve the efficiency of the cupola operation. This is achieved by developing an automatic controller for the cupola furnace. The main function of the controller is to provide tight control over the output parameters of the cupola controller. The controller considers physical and practical limitations on the possible inputs, including the blast rate, oxygen enrichment, and coke to metal ratio. A model is developed using a combination of experimental data and data obtained from the AFS cupola model. The model is a first order multivariable dynamical system. Previous research described optimal pairing of cupola outputs and inputs. This is exploited in three fuzzy controllers that pair oxygen enrichment (O_2), blast rate (BR) and coke to metal ratio (CMR) to the outputs of metal temperature (T), melt rate (MR), and carbon content (percent C), respectively. Simulations utilizing the developed model show the control to be robust in face of uncerrtainties in model parameters and external disturbances.
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