Online mass flow prediction in CFB boilers with explicit detection of sudden concept drift

Fuel feeding and inhomogeneity of fuel typically cause fluctuations in the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) process. If control systems fail to compensate the fluctuations, the whole plant will suffer from dynamics that is reinforced by the closed-loop controls. This phenomenon causes reducing efficiency and the lifetime of process components. In this paper we address the problem of online mass flow prediction, which is a part of control. Particularly, we consider the problem of learning an accurate predictor with explicit detection of abrupt concept drift and noise handling mechanisms. We emphasize the importance of having domain knowledge concerning the considered case and constructing the…