An algorithm for finding process identification intervals from normal operating data

Abstract

Performing experiments for system identification is often a time-consuming task which may also interfere with the process operation. With memory prices going down and the possibility of cloud storage, years of data is more and more commonly stored (without compression) in a history database. In such stored data, there may already be intervals informative enough for system identification. Therefore, the goal of this project was to find an algorithm that searches and marks intervals suitable for process identification (rather than completely autonomous system identification). For each loop, four stored variables are required: setpoint, manipulated variable, measured process output and mode of the controller. The essential features of the method are the search for excitation of the input and output, followed by the estimation of a Laguerre model combined with a hypothesis test to check that there is a causal relationship between process input and output. The use of Laguerre models is crucial to handle processes with deadtime without explicit delay estimation. The method was tested on three years of data from about 200 control loops. It was able to find all intervals in which known identification experiments were performed as well as many other useful intervals in closed/open loop operation.