Abstract
In this research, the automatic synthesis of knowledge models is proposed. which are the basis of the methods using qualitative models adapted widely in fault diagnosis and hazard evaluation of chemical processes. To provide an easy and fast way to construct accurate causal model of the target process, the Role-Behavior modeling method is developed to represent the knowledge of modularized process units. In this modeling method, Fault-Behavior model and Structure-Role model present the relationship of the internal behaviors and faults in the process units and the relationship between process units respectively. Through the multiple modeling techniques, the knowledge is separated into what is independent of process and dependent on process to provide the extensibility and portability in model building, and possibility in the automatic synthesis. By taking advantage of the Role-Behavior Model, an algorithm is proposed to synthesize the plant-wide causal model, Fault-Causality Graph (FCG) from specific Fault-Behavior models of the each unit process, which are derived from generic Fault-Behavior models and Structure-Role model. To validate the proposed modeling method and algorithm, a system for building FCG model is developed on G2, an expert system development tool. Case study such as CSTR with recycle using the developed system showed that the proposed method and algorithm were remarkably effective in synthesizing the causal knowledge models for diagnosis of chemical processes.