A timely snow promises a good harvest. On December 8, 2018, Hangzhou ushered in the first heavy snow this year. Quality-targeted Process Optimization and Control 2018 Forum was held in Room 101, Building No. 9, Yuquan campus, Zhejiang University. This conference is co-sponsored by the National Center for International Research Quality Process Optimization and Control (QPOC), College of Control Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University. Focusing on the frontier and hotspot issues of quality control and optimization, this conference explored the way of interdisciplinary integration of process/equipment and optimization/control, integration of internationalization and localization, and interaction between industry and university, research and application.
More than 30 participants from corporate world, like Sinopec, Hangzhou Hangyang, Zhejiang Annuo Fang amine Chemicals, Wanhua Chemical, Hengyi, Yangtze Petrochemical, Aliyun, Juhua, Nongfu Spring, and more than 20 well-known scholars from Pennsylvania State University, University of Texas at Austin, Queen's University, Zhejiang University and other universities were invited to attend the conference. Meanwhile, more than 30 graduate students from College of Control Science and Engineering and College of Chemical and Biological Engineering of Zhejiang University attended the meeting.
The conference began at 8:30 a.m. Professor SHAO Zhijiang, the Dean for College of Control Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University and Director, QPOC National Center for International Research, welcomed the guests who participated in this conference. He also gave a speech on Intelligent Process Production - Towards Quality Control and Optimization, and briefly explained the target vision and technical grading of industrial intelligence. In the era of pursuing high quality and intelligence, the process industry should adhere to an open, cooperative and win-win attitude, take product quality as the guide and enhance the competitiveness of industry through optimization and control.
The first part of conference in the morning was presided over by Professor SHAO. Mr. LIAO Ningping, Chief Information Officer of Zhejiang Hengyi Petrochemicals Co., Ltd and Mr. LIU Yuhang, Chief Architect, ET Industrial Brain, Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd., made an academic report on demands and applications of smart manufacturing in chemical fiber industry. They shared their successful experiences and mentioned the potential problems as well.
Professor FENG Lianfang from College of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Professor CHEN Xi from College of Control Science and Engineering introduced the modelling and on-line quality prediction of polymerization process in synthetic rubber solution. They shared the dynamic real-time calculation of MWD and online quality prediction methods. They also mentioned the prospect of closed-loop control framework for polymer micro-quality.
The second parts of conference in the morning was presided over by Professor FENG Lianfang. Professor Kim McAuley from Queen's University shared ideas on using historical dynamic data to estimate parameters and mismatch in fundamental models for online applications. By using B-spline, the stochastic differential equation is converted into algebraic equation to simplify the model. After that, Professor SU Hongye from College of Control Science and Engineering and Mr. YI Xiaocheng, General Manager, Center of Big Data, Juhua Group Corporation introduced their work on recent progress and standardization in advanced control and optimization technology of oil refining process. Professor Antonios Armaou from Pennsylvania State University made a report on operation policy and regulator design for materials, chemical and environmental processes. He mentioned the application of model predictive control and model reduction methods.
The conference in the afternoon was presided over by Professor CHEN Xi. In the report of high-quality automatic load change system of cryogenic air separation plant, Mr. WANG Kai, the Deputy Dean, Design Institute, for Hangzhou Hangyang Co., Ltd, introduced the overall context of technological development and the architecture of the future intelligent operation of gas industry. Associate Professor XU Zuhua from College of Control Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, introduced the technology of automatic load changing, and shared the field application examples in Nanjing Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. Associate Professor Michael Baldea from University of Texas at Austin introduced the new ideas and methods for optimization and control of industrial demands and challenges. He also introduced concept and applications to air separation and chlor-alkali industry. Then, Dr. ZHOU Li, Secretary of the Board, Nongfu Spring Co., Ltd, introduced the HACCP system for quality control of food production processes and its application in quality control of packaged drinking water production. Associate researcher WANG Lijun from College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Associate professor ZHAO Jun from College of Control Science and Engineering, shared some ideas on rigorous modelling and quality control for PX oxidation reaction process.
In the following free discussion, the participants from Yangtze Petrochemical, China Huanqiu, Qingdao Wanlong, PCITC, Huadian Electric Power Research Institute discussed the present situation and future development of process production and put forward their opinions on effective and continuous improvement of quality. After the summary of Professor Shao, Quality-targeted Process Optimization and Control 2018 Forum was successfully completed. The report of this conference was wonderful and aroused warm discussions. Meanwhile, guests from the business community and academic community had fully communicated during and after the conference. The participants gained a lot from the forum. The pursuit of quality is the common goal for both the business community and academic community. With combination of mechanism and data, and with the application of optimization and control, the road to intelligence is still long but to a bright future. The combination of internationalization and localization, the close interaction between industry, academia and research, and the multidisciplinary integration will lay an important foundation for building a new mode of research and forming a new peak for technology.
Reporter：ZHENG Chenglin, LING Zhengxuan
Photo：YAO Yi, ZHAO Qianqian, GAO Yan, YAN Xiaoting