Grant: Alliance Grants

With newer sensing and data transfer capabilities, the availability of process data has increased manifold. Thus real time accoustic/thermal/Ultra Violet vis- spectroscopic measurements of process variables in processes such as bioprocessing to oil and gas production can be obtained. Simultaneously, there has been a resurgence in data modeling capabilities and tools such as neural networks in particular, and machine learning in general, but the majority of the applications have been in image recognition and classification (or even in generative language processing tools such as ChatGPT). The McMaster Advanced Control Consortium is uniquely positioned in that there are researchers with expertise in data driven modeling and control and they work in close collaboration with industrial partners looking to turn the wide availability of data into meaningful information for the purposes of operating their processes better and more safely. This proposal will therefore develop the next generation of data driven modeling, plant operations monitoring and fault detection, control, and optimization tools with applicability to several industrial sectors including energy systems, metal refining, bio-pharmaceutical production, and polymers processing. Since the tools will be data driven, practitioners will be able to readily adapt them to utilize data from their processes and implement control and optimization solutions that will not just significantly enhance process operation but make the process operation more environmentally friendly and sustainable. The impact to Canada is manifold- first, it will widely impact Canada's goal of moving towards a sustainable economy and manufacturing and do it through highly engaged industrial partners. Second, due to the broad applicability of the proposed methods, it will benefit widely the industrial sectors that are either already core to (such as metal refining), or expected to be, a central part of Canada's manufacturing sector (such as biopharmaceuticals). Last, but not the least, it will create HQP in areas needed by Canada.