A Model-Object based Supervisory Expert System for Fault Tolerant Chemical Reactor Control

MOBECS is a supervisory expert system designed to tailor the process control system for a tubular autothermal reactor in response to process or control system faults, and changes in the process behavior. Specific functions include control system performance monitoring and troubleshooting, controller tuning, control system restructuring and state estimation. The process monitoring and instability detection rules have been tested by simulating the inputs to the expert system. At the present time, experimental validation of the MOBECS prototype is being undertaken. Once the MOBECS prototype has been fully tested, incorporation of fault diagnosis, state estimation, sensor placement and controller restructuring tools will be initiated.