A specific blackboard expert system to simulate and automate the design of high recirculation airlift reactors

This paper describes a new specific blackboard expert system to simulate and automate the design of high recirculation airlift reactors. The research work described aims to bring about savings in construction and running costs by automating the design process and removing unnecessary conservatism from the design process. Blackboard expert systems are reviewed and the paper describes the work to create a new blackboard framework for designing high recirculation airlift reactors. Two prototype programs were created in order to test the feasibility of a blackboard architecture expert system for this application and these are described. The testing of the two prototype programs led to the creation of a new expert system that interacted with industrial design programs. Expert design knowledge concerning the design of high recirculation airlift reactors was acquired and this process and the knowledge that was captured are described. Methods used to categorise and represent this knowledge are presented and the operation of the new blackboard system is discussed.