Imubit does not replace advanced process control (APC). It runs on top of the APC and DCS a plant already has and writes the setpoints for the key recurring decisions, every minute, with operators able to take over at any time. The two do different jobs, and each does its own better with the other in place.
What APC does
APC holds a unit to its targets within its constraints, minute by minute. Most APC applications use linear models identified from step tests on one unit, and control engineers keep them tuned as the unit changes. It does that job well, and it stays in place when Imubit arrives.
What APC does not decide is where those targets should be. That call comes from the plan and from the people who run the unit, shift by shift.
What Imubit adds
- Cause and effect across units. Imubit learns nonlinear cause and effect from the plant's own history, unit by unit and between units, so the targets move with what the whole plant can do.
- An objective that keeps moving. The best operating point changes with feed, equipment condition and economics. Imubit's controller follows it every minute, within the limits your engineers set.
- Reinforcement learning. The controller is trained in simulation across every regime the unit has run, and learns a path to the best operating point rather than just the next step. Imubit has over 100 closed-loop controllers deployed worldwide.
- Deterministic and certified. What ships is deterministic: the same inputs give the same move. Your engineers validate and certify it before it runs.
- Built by your engineers. Process engineers build, test and retrain the models with DLPC® Builder, without Python or a machine-learning background.
How they work together
| APC | Imubit | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | One unit, its own targets and constraints | The key recurring decisions, across units, toward the plant's objectives |
| Model | Usually linear, identified from step tests | Nonlinear and causal, learned from the plant's history with first principles built in |
| What it writes | Moves that hold its targets | New setpoints and targets, written through the APC and DCS |
| Who runs it | Control engineers maintain it | Process engineers build it and set its limits |
Imubit writes through your APC and DCS, never around them. It also runs where a unit has no APC.
Always inside the envelope your engineers set
Your engineers set the limits, every move stays inside them, and your operators decide when the controller runs and can take over at any time. Before anything runs in closed loop, it runs as advice, so your team sees each move and the reason for it.
