Networked monitoring and fault-tolerant control of nonlinear process systems

This work focuses on a general class of nonlinear process systems controlled by a two-tier networked control system integrating a local control system using continuous sensing/actuation with a networked control system using asynchronous sensing/actuation. To deal with control actuator faults that may occur in the closed-loop system and eliminate the ability of the two-tier networked control system to stabilize the process, a networked fault detection and isolation (FDI) and fault-tolerant control (FTC) system is designed which detects and isolates actuator faults and determines how to reconfigure the two-tier networked control system to handle the actuator faults and ensure closed-loop stability. The method is demonstrated using a reactor-separator process example.