Benefits of oxygen enrichment in sponge iron rotary kiln emerging from data-driven modelling

Optimal oxygen enrichment conditions for sponge iron rotary kiln have been successfully explored on an industrial scale using a data-driven model. A multi-objective optimisation by genetic algorithm (MOGA) is employed to find the favourable conditions. The objective function for MOGA is derived from neural networks using pre-processed operational data. From industrial experimentations guided by the optimum conditions predicted by the present model, it emerged that when the coal fines injection is maintained at 1.75?tph and the oxygen enrichment is 8 Nm³?t^?1 of sponge iron, a reduction in the specific air requirement from 2609 to 2150?Nm³?t^?1 was obtained, while the end-zone bed temperature remained under control at 1132°C. These conditions resulted in a reduction of specific coal consumption by 6%, an enhancement in the sponge iron production by 6% and an increase in the rotary kiln campaign life from 50 to 100 days.     

Data-driven resilience analysis of power grids

With the integration of renewable energy resources, the inertia of power systems significantly reduces, thereby making the system sensitive to operational disturbances. A disturbance-based method is presented herein to estimate inertia, uncovering the influence of renewables on system-resilient operations. The Gaussian process regression method is then used to predict the power system trajectory after disturbance. Extensive tests demonstrate the data-driven method mathematically estimates the inertia of the system as well as predicts the dynamics operations of power grids subject to disturbances. Numerical results also offer insights into the enhancement of system resilience by strategically designing the inertia of power systems.     

Slow feature analysis for monitoring and diagnosis of control performance

Recently, slow feature analysis (SFA), a novel dimensionality reduction technique, has been adopted for integrated monitoring of operating condition and process dynamics. By isolating temporal behaviors from steady-state information, the SFA-based monitoring scheme enables improved discrimination of nominal operating point changes from real faults. In this study, we demonstrate that the temporal dynamics is an additional indicator of control performance changes, and further exploit its unique efficacy in control performance monitoring. Because of its data-driven nature and ease from first-principle knowledge, the SFA-based monitoring scheme allows an overall assessment of the plant-wide control performance and is compatible with different control strategies. An attractive feature of the SFA-based approach compared to existing ones is that generic process monitoring indices are used, which renders contribution plots naturally applicable to real-time diagnosis of control performance. As a result, potential fault variables as root causes of control performance changes can be identified, including not only controlled variables (CV) but also manipulated variables (MV) and disturbance variables (DV). Simulated and experimental studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Data-driven design of monitoring and diagnosis systems for dynamic processes: A review of subspace technique based schemes and some recent results

In this paper, the development of data-driven design of process monitoring and fault diagnosis (PM-FD) systems is reviewed and some recent results are presented. A major objective of this work is to sketch a process input–output data based framework of designing PM-FD systems for dynamic processes. The main focus of our study is on the data-driven design of observer-based PM-FD systems, which are, thanks to their high robustness and real-time ability, suitable for industrial applications.     

Pipe break prediction based on evolutionary data-driven methods with brief recorded data

Pipe breaks often occur in water distribution networks, imposing great pressure on utility managers to secure stable water supply. However, pipe breaks are hard to detect by the conventional method. It is therefore necessary to develop reliable and robust pipe break models to assess the pipe's probability to fail and then to optimize the pipe break detection scheme. In the absence of deterministic physical models for pipe break, data-driven techniques provide a promising approach to investigate the principles underlying pipe break. In this paper, two data-driven techniques, namely Genetic Programming (GP) and Evolutionary Polynomial Regression (EPR) are applied to develop pipe break models for the water distribution system of Beijing City. The comparison with the recorded pipe break data from 1987 to 2005 showed that the models have great capability to obtain reliable predictions. The models can be used to prioritize pipes for break inspection and then improve detection efficiency.     

Review of adaptation mechanisms for data-driven soft sensors

In this article, we review and discuss algorithms for adaptive data-driven soft sensing. In order to be able to provide a comprehensive overview of the adaptation techniques, adaptive soft sensing methods are reviewed from the perspective of machine learning theory for adaptive learning systems. In particular, the concept drift theory is exploited to classify the algorithms into three different types, which are: (i) moving windows techniques; (ii) recursive adaptation techniques; and (iii) ensemble-based methods. The most significant algorithms are described in some detail and critically reviewed in this work. We also provide a comprehensive list of publications where adaptive soft sensors were proposed and applied to practical problems. Furthermore in order to enable the comparison of different methods to standard soft sensor applications, a list of publicly available data sets for the development of data-driven soft sensors is presented.     

A preliminary coupled MT-GA model for the prediction of highway runoff quality

Pollutants accumulated on road pavement during dry periods are washed off the surface with runoff water during rainfall events, presenting a potentially hazardous non-point source of pollution. Estimation of pollutant loads in these runoff waters is required for developing mitigation and management strategies, yet the numerous factors involved and their complex interconnected influences make straightforward assessment impossible. Data-driven models (DDMs) have lately been used in water and environmental research and have shown very good prediction ability. The proposed methodology of a coupled MT-GA (model tree-genetic algorithm) model provides an effective, accurate and easily calibrated predictive model for EMC (event mean concentration) of highway runoff pollutants. The models were trained and verified using a comprehensive data set of runoff events monitored in various highways in California, USA. EMCs of Cr, Pb, Zn, TOC and TSS were modeled, using different combinations of explanatory variables. The models' prediction ability in terms of correlation between predicted and actual values of both training and verification data was mostly higher than previously reported values. Sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the relative significance of each explanatory variable and the models' response to changes in input values.     

Data-derived soft-sensors for biological wastewater treatment plants: An overview

This paper surveys and discusses the application of data-derived soft-sensing techniques in biological wastewater treatment plants. Emphasis is given to an extensive overview of the current status and to the specific challenges and potential that allow for an effective application of these soft-sensors in full-scale scenarios. The soft-sensors presented in the case studies have been found to be effective and inexpensive technologies for extracting and modelling relevant process information directly from the process and laboratory data routinely acquired in biological wastewater treatment facilities. The extracted information is in the form of timely analysis of hard-to-measure primary process variables and process diagnostics that characterize the operation of the plants and their instrumentation. The information is invaluable for an effective utilization of advanced control and optimization strategies.     

Hydrogen PEMFC stack performance analysis: A data-driven approach

For low power fuel cells, management of reactants, water and heat, must be realized in a passive fashion in order to minimize parasitic losses. Effective fuel, oxygen supply and water management for reliable performance are also greatly affected by cell geometry and materials. These are complex systems to optimize on a mere experimental basis. As an aid to this goal, data-driven analysis techniques, requiring no a priori mathematical model, are gaining a reputation in other research fields, where phenomenological modeling approaches might be intractable.