Fault detection using sliding mode multiobserver for nonlinear systems: Validation on a real chemical process

The design of an accurate observer is still a challenging problem for nonlinear systems subject to fault signals. This paper addresses the problem of simultaneous state and sensor fault estimation for discrete-time nonlinear systems. An uncoupled multimodel approach is adopted to deal with nonlinear systems subject to sensor faults. A simple sensor fault dynamic is exploited to transform this fault signal into a pseudo-actuator fault scenario. A new sliding mode multiobserver is proposed for the estimation of sensor faults and system states. This multiobserver is computed as a fusion of a set of local sliding mode observers with respective activation functions. The asymptotic stability of the proposed multiobserver is formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities using the Lyapunov theory. A simulation example is retained to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. As well, a real-time application on a transesterification reactor is carried out to validate the theoretical results.