Process Modeling, Simulation & Soft Computing

Before a system can be controlled or diagnosed, it must be understood — this area is the modeling backbone behind ISACLAB's other research lines. We develop nonlinear, neuro-fuzzy, and genetic-algorithm-optimized models of steam turbines, once-through boilers, heat recovery steam generators, and fired-heater furnaces, alongside soft-computing models of biological wastewater treatment processes. These physics-informed and data-driven models simulate transient and long-term system behavior with high fidelity, enabling the model-based control and fault-diagnosis work built on top of them. This line includes some of the lab's most-cited work, including foundational steam turbine and boiler models published in Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory and Applied Thermal Engineering.