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SOME APPLICATIONS OF NEURAL NETWORKS FOR CONDITION MONITORING IN INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS FOR HOT DIP ZINC GALVANIZING
Konstantin Dimitrov Abstract: The paper describes the abilities of some particular neural network structures (NNS) to provide condition monitoring in a real industrial system, designated for hot dip zinc galvanizing. Condition assessment of a molten zinc bath furnace, and more specifically analysis and prediction of the technical condition in galvanizing kettle walls are also developed in this paper. Keywords: neural networks, condition monitoring, technical states. 1. Introduction. The main stages of a hot dip zinc galvanizing technology, the general and the supplementary technologic modules, as well as the entire logistics structure of an industrial zinc galvanizing facility was already developed in details - please see [1]. It was also described in [2], that, during the development of the process stages of a hot dip zinc galvanizing technology, some large thermal disturbances in the walls of the galvanizing kettle happen to be generated. A corresponding sudden drop and/or raise in a wall temperature exerts significant thermal stresses on the walls of the galvanizing kettle. All these kinds of periodical stresses have been subject to some specific tests, performed by GTI. Eng., (one of the major manufacturing companies of such equipment and an American partner in this particular project - please, see [1] and [2]). Analysis, performed over the test data proved, that, these periodical stresses, (caused by the thermal disturbances) are in fact responsible for the generation of some particular kettle fracturing, far before its full life-cycle expectancy could be reached. All these events reflect considerably on the entire system reliability and generate extremely important issues, that should be resolved. In fact, galvanizing kettles are expensive pieces of equipment, very few companies in the entire world (mainly in USA and Germany) can manufacture them, and their replacement requires much time and technical efforts (including the complete stop of the entire facility). All these issues result in a highly increased capital costs, downtime costs and all costs, related to the disposal of the kettles. In order to reduce these considerable costs, techniques for enhancement of process control and improving of the process & condition monitoring, including the application of Neural Network Modeling Structures (NNMS) shall be investigated and developed in this paper. 593

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Condition monitoring in a real industrial system, designated for hot dip zinc galvanizing and specifically, condition assessment of a galvanizing kettle walls is also developed in this paper. 2. Application of Neural Network Structures (NNS) for Condition Monitoring 2.1. Development of a Failure Prediction Method (FPM) - main goals and stages. From all descriptions and conclusions developed above, as well as in [1] and [2], it already became obvious, that, it would be really important, if some realistic method for prediction of such critical failures can be developed and applied. If such a method can provide realistic information for a failure prediction, then, the necessary actions could be monitored and/or controlled, and as a result - this critical issue could be solved. Of course, fault and failure detection in industrial systems have already been subject to many studies [4], [6], [7]. The developed and applied techniques include knowledge-based methods, the use of explicit rules, cluster and statistical analysis and model-based methods [6], [8], [9]. In general, the developed modelbased approaches use mainly state-space techniques, state observers and Kalman filters [3],[5],[7]. The role of NNS for fault detection and fault diagnosis was mainly in knowledge representation, interpretation of sensor data, generation of preliminary and/or final decisions etc. [7], [8]. Some types of NNS were also applied for fault detection and fault diagnosis in some specific non-linear systems [3], [8], since they have the ability to capture also non-linear characteristics and the models, based on NNS possess good processing speed and generalization capabilities. For our case, however, the development of the FPM, should be performed in a somehow different way, when compared to the already exiting approaches, described above. The main goals of the developed FPM are: 1. Only one failure shall be of interest the critical failure of the kettle body, and hence classic fault classification is not of interest. 2. Failure prediction and NOT failure diagnosis (with its classical stages) must be performed. Here, the issue must be considered as a development of an incipient (i.e., early and/or preliminary) failure detection, which should result in enabling the failure prevention option in the monitored system. The real goal of the FPM is not to detect the kettle failure, but to detect and to capture representative signs for impending (i.e., about to be generated) kettle failure from (i.e., by using) the available process measurements. 3. Unlike the classical fault diagnosis approaches, in this FPM, the causes of fault could not be introduced to an already treated (and/or simulated) plant studies and respectively - their effect on process variables could not be measured (again, as it has always been a common practice in the classical diagnosis approaches). Since the cause and the nature of the kettle failure is not entirely understood, the significant task (again, in this FPM), which must be performed here, is to investigate whether 594

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some features (i.e., representative signs) of imminent kettle failure (i.e., failure, that is about to happen) are contained in the available (i.e., measured) process data. Only if such features (i.e., signs are evident, then - condition monitoring techniques can be applied. It was already stated (by the performed analysis on the available data), that an indication of the kettle condition would be provided by its thermal characteristics. With the development of kettles life-cycle and respectively with the number of technologic cycles performed, it was anticipated, that, the kettles thermal characteristics would change, and that, this change could be detectable by an application of an adequate model. The models structure could be trained by incorporation of available process data, starting from the beginning of the kettles life-cycle until its end. Respectively, some Residual Root Mean Square (RRMS) model error could be used as an indication of a forthcoming (imminent) failure. 2.2. Neural Network Topology and Screening over the Process Data. The work was focused on the study of three different life-cycles, available for three different (but operating under similar conditions) galvanizing kettles. In order to be able to investigate some possible relationship between the number of the lifecycles of the kettle and its thermal characteristics, some specific Neural Network Models (NNM) had to be created and of course trained, by using available process data, beginning from the very early stage until the end of the kettle(s) life.

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Fig. 1. Architecture of a NNMS, used for condition monitoring of kettle walls.

Once the training of the NNM is satisfactory, then these models could be tested on subsequent data, in order to be able to evaluate their accuracy. The number of the performed technologic cycles (over the life-cycle of the kettle) has been selected as one of the input modelling variables, instead of a far more simple agevariable of the kettle. Thus, the generalisation properties of the models were enhanced. The second input variable selected, was a thermal characteristic of each particular zone of the kettle wall. Since all NNMS are sensitive to the process interruptions and/or periods of constant level (in fact, there is not much representative features in such type of interruptions and respective data sets), it was necessary to develop and use an 595

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algorithmic optimisation procedure for eliminating such a data from the monitoring techniques. The applied algorithm was a Genetic Type Algorithm (GA) and more specifically a Reproduction and a Crossing-over Genetic Operators were developed and applied for this purpose. 3. Generation and Analysis of the Preliminary Results. In order to be able to generate representative decisions over the entire range of the existing sets (subjected to such tests), the applied Genetic Operators were developed with capabilities for screening, rejecting and/or accepting the process data during the training and testing procedures. The following criteria have been developed and applied : Criteria A. All processing data were subject to screening by analysing each one of data sets, available for each one hot dip galvanizing cycle (some of the galvanizers call it melting batchcycle). During the genetic optimisation procedures (performed over each melting batch), the thermal characteristics, representing each melting batch were either accepted or rejected. Criteria B. The level data, available for each melting batch were analysed for the existence of consecutive level points, being of the same value. If the number of constant level points in each one of the analysed melting batches exceeds certain limit (e.g. 10), then, the existing empirical data for such melting batch were rejected, since they were considered invalid (i.e., with a lack of representation features) for the monitoring procedures. As a result of all these screening genetic procedures (performed by the genetic operators of reproduction and crossing-over), only those process data, which were developed under normal operation conditions (i.e., without process interruptions) and which possess in fact an identification effect were selected, identified as having representative features and collected in the so-called representative pools.
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Fig. 2. Results from NNMS for three different galvanizing kettles: Moving average RMSerrors for a particular zone in the kettle wall. (Please note, that for the reasons of confidentiality the process and model data are shown only centralized (i.e., by subtracting the mean values).

Thus, the representative process data, (already collected in the representative pools,) were used again in the temperature prediction NNMS for presenting the 596

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melting batch initial thermal characteristics. A moving average RMS-error provided the necessary data characteristics for generation of particular trends, which could serve as indicators of the kettle condition. The rejection of invalid data preserved the RMS profiles from intermitting (i.e., from continually stopping and starting again). For improving the clarity of the RMS profiles and their usefulness as indicators of the kettle condition, some methods for highlighting the trends were applied. A specific technique, that generated an indicator for the kettle condition by using the average RMS for 5 melting batches was applied. The results from NNMS for three different galvanizing kettles are presented in Fig. 2. A clear tendency for deterioration of the RMS error during the end of the kettle life can be observed for all 3 kettles. Such a tendency was used in the generated NNMS to act as a CRITERIA for FAILURE PREDICTION. All this means, that, this RMS tendency can be used as primary alert indicator for deterioration of the kettles condition, and as result - a Failure Prediction Method, based on RMS deterioration of the measured thermal characteristics (i.e., temperature change and level change) could be developed. The signs of imminent kettle failure are clearly visible in the RMS error trend, and could be applied as a criteria for failure prediction and condition monitoring of the kettle life. Summary: The developed neural network models were trained to capture the early thermal and level characteristics of the kettle body. Once trained, the neural models were used to predict the kettle body temperatures for the rest of the life of the kettle. The model prediction accuracy (i.e., the RMS error) was used as an indicator of the condition of the kettle body (more specifically the kettle walls). A genetic type algorithm was applied for monitoring of the model prediction accuracy. The applied genetic operators of reproduction and crossing-over prevented the models to treat data, generated by unusual process operations. The prediction accuracy of the models (i.e., the change in the RMS trends) showed significant deterioration towards the end of the kettle life-cycle, and clearly indicated a change in the kettles thermal characteristics, in a particular zone of the wall, (where the failure has actually occurred) The results of this study are promising and the developed FPM could be enhanced with further training of the NNMS, which could relate the exact degree of model deterioration to the exact point of kettle failure for each practical case. 4. Conclusions: 4.1. The main goals and stages of an enhanced Failure Prediction Method were developed and applied during the generation of a specific Neural Network Modeling Structure. 4.2. Genetic type Algorithms were applied for screening of the process data and genetic operators for optimization and creation of featured data sets, as well as for generation of representative preliminary decisions were developed and applied for the purpose. 597

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4.3. Failure prediction and condition monitoring of kettle(s) life, performed in a real industrial system, designed for hot dip zinc galvanizing, as well as an enhanced analysis of the generated model results are also developed in this study. References: 1. Dimitrov, K.D. Development of Logistics Structures in a Zinc Galvanizing Facility via Design for Reliability Approach (DFR), VIII National Scientific and Technical Conference with International Participation - ADP 2009. 2. Dimitrov, K.D., Process Modelling in Industrial Systems via Neural Networks, VIII National Scientific and Technical Conference with International Participation - ADP 2009. 3. Chen, S., etc., Non linear system identification using neural networks, Int. J. Control, Vol. 51, No 6, 1990. 4. Frank, P.M., Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems, Automatica, Vol. 26, 1994. 5. Haesloop, D.., B.R. Holt, Neural network for process identification, Proceedings on International Conference on Neural Networks, Vol. 3, 1990. 6. Himmelblau, D.M., Fault detection and diagnosis via artificial neural networks, International Symposium Neural networks and engineering application, Newcastle University, 1991. 7. Hoskins, J.C., etc., Fault Diagnosis in complex chemical plants using artificial neural networks, AIChE Journal, Vol. 37, 1991. 8. Patton, R.J., etc., Fault diagnosis in non-linear dynamic systems via neural networks, Proc. Control 94, Conference Publication No 389. 9. Venkatasubramanian, V., Process fault detection and diagnosis using neural networks steady state processes, Comput. Chem. Eng. Vol 14, No7, 1999. Authors Information: Konstantin Dimitrov Dimitrov, Assoc. Prof. D-r Eng., Chair of Engineering Logistics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University Sofia, Bulgaria, Tel. 965 3895, e-mail : kosidim@abv.bg

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