Investigating Machine Learning and Control Theory Approaches for Process Fault Detection: A Comparative Study of KPCA and the Observer-Based Method

The paper focuses on the importance of prompt and efficient process fault detection in contemporary manufacturing industries, where product quality and safety protocols are critical. The study compares the efficiencies of two techniques for process fault detection: Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA) and the observer method. Both techniques are applied to observe water volume variation within a hydraulic system comprising three tanks. PCA is an unsupervised learning technique used for dimensionality reduction and pattern recognition. It is an extension of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) that utilizes kernel functions to transform data into higher-dimensional spaces, where it becomes easier to separate classes or identify patterns. In this paper, KPCA is applied to detect faults in the hydraulic system by analyzing the variation in water volume. The observer method originates from control theory and is utilized to estimate the internal states of a system based on its output measurements. It is commonly used in control systems to estimate the unmeasurable or hidden states of a system, which is crucial for ensuring proper control and fault detection. In this study, the observer method is applied to the hydraulic system to estimate the water volume variations within the three tanks. The paper presents a comparative study of these two techniques applied to the hydraulic system. The results show that both KPCA and the observer method perform similarly in detecting faults within the system. This similarity in performance highlights the efficacy of these techniques and their potential adaptability in various fault diagnosis scenarios within modern manufacturing processes.