On-line monitoring of a sugar crystallization process

The present paper reports a comparative evaluation of four multivariate statistical process control (SPC) techniques for the on-line monitoring of an industrial sugar crystallization process. The process itself is challenging since it is carried out in multiple phases and there exists strong non-linear and dynamic effects between the variables. The methods investigated include classical on-line univariate statistical process control, batch dynamic principal component analysis (BDPCA), moving window principal component analysis (MWPCA), batch observation level analysis (BOL) and time-varying state space modelling (TVSS). The study is focused on issues of on-line detection of changes in crystallization process operation, the early warning of process malfunctions and potential production failures; problems that have not been directly addressed by existing statistical monitoring schemes. The results obtained demonstrate the superior performance of the TVSS approach to successfully detect ...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2005
• Where: CCE
• Authors: A. Simoglou, Petia Georgieva, E. B. Martin, A. J. Morris, Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo
• Keywords: CCE 2005, CCE 2007, Crystallization Process, Principal Component Analysis, Statistical Process Control