Mixed integer linear programming （MILP） approach for simultaneous gross error detection and data reconciliation has been proved as an efficient way to adjust process data with material, energy, and other balance constrains. But the efficiency will decrease significantly when this method is applled in a large-scale problem because there are too many binary variables involved. In this article, an improved method is proposed in order to gen- erate gross error candidates with reliability factors before data rectification. Candidates are used in the MILP objec- tive function to improve the efficiency and accuracy by reducing the number of binary variables and giving accurate weights for suspected gross errors candidates. Performance of this improved method is compared and discussed by applying the algorithm in a widely used industrial example.
The management and control of material flow forms the core of manufacturing execution systems （MES） in the petrochemical industry. The bottleneck in the application of MES is the ability to match the material-flow model with the production processes. A dynamic material-flow model is proposed in this paper after an analysis of the material-flow characteristics of the production process in a petrochemical industry. The main material-flow events are described, including the movement, storage, shifting, recycling, and elimination of the materials. The spatial and temporal characters of the material-flow events are described, and the material-flow model is constructed. The dynamic material-flow model introduced herein is the basis for other subsystems in the MES. In addition, it is the subsystem with the least scale in MES. The dynamic-modeling method of material flow has been applied in the development of the SinoMES model. It helps the petrochemical plant to manage the entire flow information related to tanks and equipments from the aspects of measurement, storage, movement, and the remaining balance of the material. As a result, it matches the production process by error elimination and data reconciliation. In addition, it facilitates the integration of application modules into the MES and guarantees the potential development of SinoMES in future applications.
