Revolutionary Technology The Power of Artificial Intelligence in Chemical Engineering

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Digital transformation is on the rise and industries are actively utilizing next-gen technologies such as artificial intelligence to become more productive and also develop more eco-friendly processes. The smart technology is also being explored by chemical engineers to develop more efficient processes, reduce downtime as well as discover new materials and elements.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all about smart machines or systems that are capable of carrying out tasks which are usually done by human intelligence. Today, almost all industries make use of AI in some form or the other. In fact, the global artificial intelligence market size is expected to reach 1,811.75 billion dollars by 2030, shares a press release by business consulting firm Grand View Research. It further adds that the market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 36.6 % from 2024 to 2030. This shows the significant growth of this technology in the coming years.

Machine Learning (ML) is a branch of AI that helps software applications automatically learn by making use of historical data and algorithms. This process enables the system to improve from experience based on the data fed into it and then predict outcomes with high accuracy. Whereas, Deep Learning (DL) is a branch of machine learning and consists of a neural network of three or more layers that allows it to learn from huge sets of data thus helping it to make accurate predictions. The additional layers assist in optimizing and refining the data for accuracy.

AI in the chemical and petrochemical sector

Artificial Intelligence is being explored across the chemical and petrochemical sectors. One of the most noteworthy benefits of this technology is that it enables industry players to operate their plants autonomously. An example of this: A chemical plant in Japan ran autonomously for 35 days straight for the first time in the world. This was possible with the adoption of an AI solution which was developed by Yokogawa Electric Corporation and the Nara Institute of Science and Technology. The AI-based solution can control operations that till date require manual intervention such as conventional control methods (PID control and APC). The technology also helps to enhance productivity.

In addition to this, a butadiene extraction plant was also operated autonomously at Eneos Kawasaki Refinery's petrochemical facility in Japan for two consecutive days with the assistance of an AI system. The system assessed 25 critical parameters including internal temperature, pressure, flow rate and product conditions and even adjusted 12 valves autonomously! The AI-based system is capable of automating large scale, complex operations of oil refineries and petrochemical plants.

Lack of experienced and skilled workers directly impacts the overall productivity at industrial units. Hence, this technology proves to be advantageous for the sector.

Five applications of AI in chemical engineering

Efficient processes: There are numerous processes involved in industrial plants. AI can be used to improve and optimize each of these processes by analyzing existing data sets with respect to raw materials, temperature, pressure etc. The adoption of this technology also helps to minimize resource consumption such as energy, raw materials as well as costs for industrial units. Thus, offering highly-efficient chemical processes.

Green footprint: Sustainability and green solutions are vital in today’s industry as organizations aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. AI proves to be a smart and much needed technology for the chemical engineering sector as it assists industrial plants to optimize their overall operations which in turn also helps the units to reduce their carbon emissions as well as consumption of energy leading to much more efficient industrial units.

Reducing downtime: Unplanned downtime is a nightmare for industrial plants as it reduces productivity, increases operational costs and also leads to loss of valuable time. For instance, equipment failure can hamper the functioning of the entire operational process. Artificial Intelligence helps to predict equipment failure via sensors and monitoring systems well in advance so that appropriate maintenance measures can be undertaken in a timely manner and downtime can be minimized or avoided in total.

Safety: Safety is crucial for chemical processes as it might contain flammable liquids and gases as well as combustible dust which can quickly escalate into a massive fire or explosion at the site thus claiming lives, damaging property and polluting the environment. Artificial Intelligence can be beneficial in this space too as it can analyze data from sensors and other monitoring systems in real-time to identify potential risks or abnormalities during the operational phase of chemical processes so that informed decisions can be undertaken quickly, thus providing safety to all the employees and the environment.

New materials and elements: Diverse new materials and elements can be discovered with the assistance of AI. For instance, catalysts, which are defined as a chemical substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without becoming part of the reaction, play an important role in a number of chemical processes and now AI can be utilized to design new and more effective catalysts. Huge data sets related to catalysts can be analyzed by AI in order to identify potential new catalysts. Similarly, this also applies to the discovery of other materials and novel elements.

Gen AI: The way ahead

With so many benefits of artificial intelligence in chemical engineering, there is still scope for more advanced technologies such as Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI). This is a type of AI technology that produces new and original text by identifying different patterns and structures in an existing data set. Gen AI has the potential to further enhance processes and production. For instance, Gen AI could be combined with other forms of AI to automatically create P&IDs (Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams or Drawings) which is currently a time-consuming and costly process. These technical drawings are important tools for chemical engineers and offer an insight into the piping, instrumentation, and control systems of a physical process flow. Gen AI can be used to speed up the process, thus saving valuable time and costs.

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