Integrated fault diagnosis scheme using finite-state automation

Abstract

This thesis addresses the problem of fault diagnosis in process plants using Finite-State Automaton (FSA) Model. A FSA model for fault diagnosis is automatically obtained by given a process plant described by differential equations and a set of boundaries of the state variables. The FSA model of the system is represented by a set of Finite-State Automaton Tables (FATs), which serve as the input to the fault diagnosis algorithm. We give the procedures to build the diagnostic system, which include the fault modeling and the fault diagnosis algorithm. We introduce the definition of fault diagnosability of the system and discuss the strategies for making a diagnosable system and reducing the computational effort. All the issues are well integrated in the design of the fault diagnosis system. The application of the fault diagnosis algorithm is illustrated on a heat exchanger system and a heating cooling system.