9-31: An intelligent system for multivariate on-line monitoring of a continuous flash fermentation process

This study presents results from the implementation and testing of a PC based monitoring system for a bioethanol production process using Artificial Neural Network-based software sensors (ANN-SS). The system is based on an array of primary sensor, a communication module and a monitoring and data acquisition subsystem. This integrated framework provides a real-time monitoring solution, which is one of the most important aspects of the decision making in the strategies of optimization and control of bioprocesses. A LabVIEW data acquisition module is implemented to read all influencing variables, which are first used to train the neural networks. The optimal ANN architecture is placed in a LabVIEW based program formula node that monitors the concentration of bioethanol. The ANN-based monitoring system represents thus a robust model-based approach which is expected to contribute for improving the implementation of suitable operating strategies of optimization as well as advanced control to achieve high operational performance.