Though AI has always fascinated the world, multiple AI hype cycles were followed by “AI winters” due to real-world technological failure. Does the current excitement about AI in the hydrocarbon processing industry actually stem from a new technological breakthrough? The answer is yes. This breakthrough is called Deep Learning, or Deep Neural Networks (DNNs). To fully optimize a refinery or a chemical plant, Deep Learning needs to be operated in closed-loop, in the framework of reinforcement learning…
