Chemicals and Materials

MATLAB and Simulink for the Chemicals and Materials Industry

Process engineers use MATLAB and Simulink to analyze real-time sensor data, implement control strategies, and create predictive maintenance systems based on big data and machine learning.

MATLAB and Simulink help process engineers:

Develop predictive maintenance systems by applying numerical techniques on high-speed sensor data
Use machine learning with historical data to troubleshoot process problems
Use data modeling to improve process performance
Develop and implement advanced predictive control (APC) strategies
Adopt digitization without depending on data scientists or IT personnel

"As a manufacturing company we don’t have data scientists with machine learning expertise, but MathWorks provided the tools and technical knowhow that enabled us to develop a production preventative maintenance system in a matter of months."
Dr. Michael Kohlert, Mondi Gronau

Customer Applications

Big Data and Predictive Analytics at Shell

Shell detects events and abnormalities in chemical plants using predictive analytics with MATLAB.

How MATLAB Distributed Computing Server and Machine Vision Tools Are Transforming Shell

Shell and the AACoE shows how to use MDCS to bring its engineers easy and painless AI tools to speed up processes while increasing their reliability.

Predictive Maintenance of a Steam Turbine

Learn how Sasol engineers implemented an end-to-end predictive maintenance program for steam turbines at the Sasol refinery.

Beyond Process Simulators

Traditional process simulators are generally sufficient for steady-state conditions, but they cannot handle the dynamic nature of the inputs that real plants deal with. With MATLAB, you can write your own equations and algorithms, giving you full control over the entire model.

You can also integrate MATLAB with process simulators like Aspen Plus and gPROMS for custom unit operations, advanced analytics, designing control schemes, and exploiting optimization routines such as genetic algorithms.

Customer Stories

Digital Twins for Oil and Gas Production (48:37)

Process Optimization by Integrating MATLAB with Aspen Plus (12:17)

Predictive Maintenance for Asset Optimization

Optimize Assets with Predictive Maintenance and Signal Processing

MATLAB can help you develop predictive maintenance algorithms customized to the specific operational and architectural profile of your equipment. Use Predictive Maintenance Toolbox to design condition indicators and estimate the remaining useful life of your rotary equipment.

You can use Signal Processing Toolbox to automate the monitoring of performance of your control loops, remotely determine the extent of corrosion or pitting in your pipelines, and detect the location and quantity of pipeline leaks.

Customer Stories

Baker Hughes Develops Predictive Maintenance Software for Gas and Oil Extraction Equipment Using Data Analytics and Machine Learning

Tüpraş Saves Millions of Dollars Annually with Automated Control Loop Performance Monitoring

Machine Learning and Big Data

Interactive apps in Statistics and Machine Learning Toolbox let you apply machine learning techniques without having to be an expert in data science. MATLAB also provides a single, high-performance environment for working with big data – be it structured or unstructured. This enables you to perform fault detection and diagnosis faster and better monitor your processes.

Customer Stories

Auckland University of Technology and University of Auckland Researchers Analyze Dairy Processing Data with Machine Learning

Deep Learning and Image Processing

With just a few lines of MATLAB code, you can build deep learning models that use your process data to predict abnormal conditions. Use Image Processing Toolbox apps to automate common processes like segmenting image data and batch processing large image data sets. You can use MATLAB in image processing applications such as flame characterization, thermal imaging of equipment, and plastic film quality inspection. With deep learning in MATLAB, you can learn feature representations directly from image and video data.

Process Improvement with Data Modeling

Use multivariate analysis tools in MATLAB to determine the independent driving variables affecting process performance. System Identification Toolbox lets you create and use models of dynamic systems that are not easily modeled from first principles or specifications. The toolbox also lets you interactively perform online parameter and state estimation.

Customer Stories

Big Data and Predictive Analytics at Shell (3:35)

Develop and Implement APC Strategies

You can use MATLAB controls products to design controls schemes and perform dynamic simulations for better analysis of plant behavior. Design, simulate, and deploy linear and nonlinear model predictive controllers for your plant using Model Predictive Control Toolbox.

Controls engineers can also embed process models from Aspen Plus and gPROMS into Simulink. In this way, you can redeploy existing models to design a control strategy in your preferred environment.

Customer Stories

How Tata Steel Saved 40% Energy on Cooling Towers Through Software Algorithms

Digitization

MathWorks can help you adopt and implement big data strategies specific to the needs of your organization. You can use prebuilt MATLAB toolboxes and reference architectures to simplify a wide range of applications: from integrating with enterprise IT systems, the cloud, and production data infrastructure to scaling your computation to clusters or deploying your models as applications to share with non-MATLAB users.

Customer Stories

Asset Framework (AF)

MATLAB and Advanced Analytics at Shell (29:14)

Closing the Loop with DCS Deployment

MATLAB algorithms can be integrated with a variety of DCS systems with the Industrial Communication Toolbox. The toolbox provides access to live and historical OPC data directly from MATLAB and Simulink. You can read, write, and log OPC data from devices, such as DCS, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, and PLCs. Industrial Communication Toolbox lets you work with data from live servers and data historians that conform to the OPC DA, HDA, and UA standards.

Customer Stories

Genentech Uses MATLAB and Industrial Communication Toolbox to Build a Supervisory Control Algorithm Development Platform for Bioreactors

“Another advantage of developing our own system in MATLAB and Simulink is that we can capture the organizational knowledge and expertise accumulated by Johnson Matthey engineers rather than relying on another company’s one-size-fits-all solution.”
Tim Watling, Johnson Matthey