Patent ID: 7624082

Claim:
A method for regulating a combustion process in a plant, wherein material is converted by way of the combustion process while at least oxygen is supplied to the combustion process, and a state of a system in the plant is at least partially described with state variables, the method comprising: regulating the system at least by way of a control loop, with the regulating of the system including (a) identifying at least one pair of the state variables that are correlated with respect to one another; (b) defining groups of comparable states for at least one pair of the state variables that are correlated with respect to one another, so that for each of at least some of the groups of comparable states (1) the group of comparable states are comparable with respect to changes in the correlated state variables that correspond to the group of comparable states, and (2) transition functions of the group of comparable states are characterized by parameters of a controller, wherein the parameters are adapted to data of actual states; (c) selecting, in response to change from an initial state to a subsequent state of the system, one or more of the groups of comparable states that are closest to the subsequent state; and (d) using the transition functions of the selected one or more of the groups of comparable states in the regulating of the combustion process.