Bond graphs for the diagnosis of chemical processes

► Use one representation (bond graphs) for dynamic modeling and diagnosability analyses. ► Coupled bond graphs enable formal generation of fault indicators for online supervision of chemical processes. ► Fault indicators sensitive to chemical fault such as occurrence of secondary reaction which may lead to ecological problem. The paper deals with the use of coupled bond graph as an integrated decision tool for health monitoring of chemical reactors. A bond graph model based diagnostic strategy is adopted to detect and isolate kinetic and thermodynamic drift of chemical reactors due to the appearance of secondary reactions. Furthermore, the causal and structural properties of the bond graph model are used not only for system dynamics simulation but also to design Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) algorithms (i.e. the generation of formal fault indicators) for online supervision of faults affecting sensors, actuators, physico-chemical components and phenomena.