Digital computers have been used more and more to control different industrial processes during the last decade. As of today, many sy stems are designed to include a process control computer as a vital part. The use of computers has created a need for sophisticated me thods for the operation and supervision of complex industrial proces ses. To summarize the state of the art from the practical as well as from the theoretical point of view, the 4th IFACIIFIP International Conference on "Digital Computer Applications to Process Control" will be held at Zurich from March 19 to 22, 1974. The first two vo lumes of the proceedings contain the accepted papers submitted to the conference mentioned above. The papers are arranged according to the topics of the conference. A third volume will include the six follow ing survey papers: 1. Digital Control Algorithms Prof. A. P. Sage, Dallas Texas I USA 2. Interface Problems for Process Control Prof. T. J. Williams, Lafayette Indiana I USA 3. Software for Process Computers Dr. J. Gertler, Budapest I Hungary Dr. J. Sedlak, Prague I CSSR 4. Digital Computer Applications in Metallurgical Processes Mr. W. E. Miller, Salem I USA Mr. W. G. Wright, Schenectady I USA 5. Digital Computer Applications in Power Systems Mr. D. Ernst, Erlangen / FRG 6. Digital Computer Applications in Chemical and Oil Industries Dr. H.

Presents the latest results of both academic and industrial research in the control, modelling and dynamics of two of the most fundamental constituents of all chemical engineering plant. Includes contributions on fixed-bed, gas-phase and tubular reactors, thermal cracking furnaces and distillation columns, related to applications in all major areas of chemical engineering, including petrochemicals and bulk chemical manufacture. Contains 51 papers.

State Estimation for Dynamic Systems presents the state of the art in this field and discusses a new method of state estimation. The method makes it possible to obtain optimal two-sided ellipsoidal bounds for reachable sets of linear and nonlinear control systems with discrete and continuous time. The practical stability of dynamic systems subjected to disturbances can be analyzed, and two-sided estimates in optimal control and differential games can be obtained. The method described in the book also permits guaranteed state estimation (filtering) for dynamic systems in the presence of external disturbances and observation errors. Numerical algorithms for state estimation and optimal control, as well as a number of applications and examples, are presented. The book will be an excellent reference for researchers and engineers working in applied mathematics, control theory, and system analysis. It will also appeal to pure and applied mathematicians, control engineers, and computer programmers.