APMonitor

Process systems engineering provides automation and decision making capabilities by using mathematical models to formulate smart policies on the basis of predictions of future outcomes. A broad range of tools and techniques are available for this type of analysis and selection is determined by the analytical maturity as well as the specific requirements of the problem being solved.

Although predictive controls and estimators can be put to use in many applications, we outline a few examples where predictive applications have shown positive impact in recent years. Additional applications are found in APMonitor and Gekko citations and Dynamic Optimization course projects.

• Aerospace and Space
  • Space Shuttle
  • UAVs
• Biological
  • Cells
  • Diabetes
  • Diet
  • Measles
• Chemical
  • CO Gas
  • Distillation
  • Blending
  • Gibbs
  • Reactor
  • Van de Vusse
• Energy
  • Storage
  • Fuel Cell
  • Ethanol
• Financial
  • Stocks
• Math
  • 2nd Order Differential
  • Discrete State Space
  • Time Delay
• Mechanical
  • DC Motor
  • Drill Shaft
  • Electric Car
  • Oscillator
  • Pendulum
  • Suspension
• Optimization
  • Benchmarks
  • Integer Programming
  • Linear MPC
  • Linear Programming
  • MPECs
  • Periodic BCs
  • Piecewise
  • Tutorial

Advanced Process Control

APC applications adjust manipulated variables to maintain target levels of controlled variables. Improving the accuracy of infrequent measurements, noisy measurements, or inferred process states allows the APC application to better meet the defined objective. APMonitor provides optimized information to the APC application.

Biological Systems

Differential algebraic equation models of the blood-glucose response have enabled researchers to better tailor medical treatments for insulin dependent patients. Infrequently measured blood glucose levels are combined with information about recent food consumption to gain a real-time estimate of the blood glucose level.

Chemical and Refining Facilities

Modern chemical plants are well instrumented to provide alarms, operators, advanced control applications with real-time information about process conditions. The operators or applications adjust manipulated variables to maintain product quality specifications, reject disturbances, and avoid major process upsets. The measurements provide insight into a process that is constantly changing due to unmeasured disturbances, product grade transitions, or process upsets. In these circumstances, the person or application that is controlling the process needs accurate information about key process variables. APMonitor is an optimization-based application to estimate the current state of the plant. This information is presented to operators or applications to help them gleen the most from available measurement information.