Process engineers use MATLAB and Simulink to analyze real-time sensor data, implement control strategies, and create predictive maintenance systems based on big data and machine learning.
MATLAB and Simulink help process engineers:
- Develop predictive maintenance systems by applying numerical techniques on high-speed sensor data
- Use machine learning with historical data to troubleshoot process problems
- Use data modeling to improve process performance
- Develop and implement advanced predictive control (APC) strategies
- Adopt digitization without depending on data scientists or IT personnel
"As a manufacturing company we don’t have data scientists with machine learning expertise, but MathWorks provided the tools and technical knowhow that enabled us to develop a production preventative maintenance system in a matter of months."
Customer Applications
Big Data and Predictive Analytics at Shell
Shell detects events and abnormalities in chemical plants using predictive analytics with MATLAB.
How MATLAB Distributed Computing Server and Machine Vision Tools Are Transforming Shell
Shell and the AACoE shows how to use MDCS to bring its engineers easy and painless AI tools to speed up processes while increasing their reliability.
Predictive Maintenance of a Steam Turbine
Learn how Sasol engineers implemented an end-to-end predictive maintenance program for steam turbines at the Sasol refinery.
Beyond Process Simulators
Traditional process simulators are generally sufficient for steady-state conditions, but they cannot handle the dynamic nature of the inputs that real plants deal with. With MATLAB, you can write your own equations and algorithms, giving you full control over the entire model.
You can also integrate MATLAB with process simulators like Aspen Plus and gPROMS for custom unit operations, advanced analytics, designing control schemes, and exploiting optimization routines such as genetic algorithms.
Customer Stories
Optimize Assets with Predictive Maintenance and Signal Processing
MATLAB can help you develop predictive maintenance algorithms customized to the specific operational and architectural profile of your equipment. Use Predictive Maintenance Toolbox to design condition indicators and estimate the remaining useful life of your rotary equipment.
You can use Signal Processing Toolbox to automate the monitoring of performance of your control loops, remotely determine the extent of corrosion or pitting in your pipelines, and detect the location and quantity of pipeline leaks.
Customer Stories
Machine Learning and Big Data
Interactive apps in Statistics and Machine Learning Toolbox let you apply machine learning techniques without having to be an expert in data science. MATLAB also provides a single, high-performance environment for working with big data – be it structured or unstructured. This enables you to perform fault detection and diagnosis faster and better monitor your processes.
Customer Stories
Deep Learning and Image Processing
With just a few lines of MATLAB code, you can build deep learning models that use your process data to predict abnormal conditions. Use Image Processing Toolbox apps to automate common processes like segmenting image data and batch processing large image data sets. You can use MATLAB in image processing applications such as flame characterization, thermal imaging of equipment, and plastic film quality inspection. With deep learning in MATLAB, you can learn feature representations directly from image and video data.
Process Improvement with Data Modeling
Use multivariate analysis tools in MATLAB to determine the independent driving variables affecting process performance. System Identification Toolbox lets you create and use models of dynamic systems that are not easily modeled from first principles or specifications. The toolbox also lets you interactively perform online parameter and state estimation.
Customer Stories
Develop and Implement APC Strategies
You can use MATLAB controls products to design controls schemes and perform dynamic simulations for better analysis of plant behavior. Design, simulate, and deploy linear and nonlinear model predictive controllers for your plant using Model Predictive Control Toolbox.
Controls engineers can also embed process models from Aspen Plus and gPROMS into Simulink. In this way, you can redeploy existing models to design a control strategy in your preferred environment.
Customer Stories
Digitization
MathWorks can help you adopt and implement big data strategies specific to the needs of your organization. You can use prebuilt MATLAB toolboxes and reference architectures to simplify a wide range of applications: from integrating with enterprise IT systems, the cloud, and production data infrastructure to scaling your computation to clusters or deploying your models as applications to share with non-MATLAB users.
Customer Stories
Closing the Loop with DCS Deployment
MATLAB algorithms can be integrated with a variety of DCS systems with the Industrial Communication Toolbox. The toolbox provides access to live and historical OPC data directly from MATLAB and Simulink. You can read, write, and log OPC data from devices, such as DCS, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, and PLCs. Industrial Communication Toolbox lets you work with data from live servers and data historians that conform to the OPC DA, HDA, and UA standards.
Customer Stories
“Another advantage of developing our own system in MATLAB and Simulink is that we can capture the organizational knowledge and expertise accumulated by Johnson Matthey engineers rather than relying on another company’s one-size-fits-all solution.”
Let us know how we can help you.
Contact us for a custom evaluation, and get pricing based on your needs.
More on Chemicals and Petrochemicals
- NIH Uses Machine Learning for Electricity Load Forecasting for Their Central Utility Plant
- German Process Licensor Hugo Petersen GmbH Design Their Sulfuric Acid Plant and Control Schemes in MATLAB and Simulink
- ASML Uses Machine Learning for Fault Detection in a Semiconductor Manufacturing Process
- Optimizing Penicillin V Production Online at Sandoz Using MATLAB
- DuPont Automates Quantification of Mold Growth and Colony Composition by Analyzing Multispectral Images in MATLAB
- BASF Uses Image Processing in MATLAB to Identify and Study Segregation in Silos
- Air Liquide Combines Images with Measurements to Characterize Oxy-Coal Combustion Flames in MATLAB
- Specialty Oil Company Uses MATLAB to Study Nucleation and Growth Rate Data from Images of a Natural Fat Crystallization
- Firmenich Uses Deep Learning to Extract the Information about the Local Structure of a Chemical Compound from SMILES Notation
