Rebooting data-driven soft-sensors in process industries: A review of kernel methods

• Published in: Journal of process control Vol. 89; pp. 58 - 73
• Main Authors: Liu, Yiqi, Xie, Min
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Data-driven; Kernel; Process industries; Soft-sensors; Soft-sensors; Process industries; Data-driven; Kernel
• ISSN: 0959-1524; 1873-2771
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jprocont.2020.03.012

•Kernel learning is investigated for data pre-processing, sample selection, variable selection.•Online, multi-output, small-data, multi-step and semi-supervised soft-sensors are investigated.•Soft-sensors to achieve fault diagnosis and advanced control of process industries are discussed.•Potential perspectives on kernel-based soft-sensors are highlighted for future explorations. Soft-sensors usually assist in dealing with the unavailability of hardware sensors in process industries, thus allowing for less fault occurrence and better control performance. However, nonlinear, non-stationary, ill-data, auto-correlated and co-correlated behaviors in industrial data always make general data-driven methods inadequate, thus resorting to kernel-based methods provide a necessary alternative. This paper gives a systematic review of various state-of-the-art kernel-based methods with applications for data pre-processing, sample selection, variable selection, model construction and reliability analysis of soft-sensors. An integrated review of various kernel-based soft-sensor modeling methods is attempted, including on-line, multi-output, small-data-driven, multi-step-ahead and semi-supervised applications. The discussion is further to provide an overview of achieving hard-to-measure variable prediction, fault detection and advanced control of process industries. Finally, data-driven soft-sensors with kernel methods perspectives on potential challenges and opportunities have been highlighted for future explorations in the process industrial communities.