Self-organizing maps for analysis of expandable polystyrene batch process

Self-organizing maps (SOM) have been successfully applied in many fields of research. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of SOM-based method for the analysis of Expandable PolyStyrene (EPS) batch process. To this end, a data set of EPS-batch process was used for training a SOM. Reference vectors of the SOM were then classified by K-means algorithm into six clusters, which represent product types of the process. This SOM could also be used for estimating the optimal amounts of the stabilisation agent. The results of a validation data set showed a good agreement between the actual and estimated amounts of the stabilisation agent. Based on this model a Web application was made for test use at the plant. The results indicate that the SOM method can also be efficiently applied to the analysis of the batch process.