On December 8, 2020, the Russian-German scientific and technical online conference "Artificial intelligence and digitalization for control complex production processes" was held, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the scientific and educational partnership of the St. Petersburg State Institute of Technology (Technical University) with the Ruhr University in Bochum as part of the Leonard Euler Scholarship Program of the German Service for Academic Exchanges (DAAD). The conference became one of the events of the Russian-German Year of scientific and educational partnerships 2018-2020. The official Russian and German websites of the Year contain the description and program of the conference:
In 2020, the 20th anniversary of the scientific and educational partnership of SPbSIT (TU) with Klöckner Pentaplast Europe GmbH & Co. KG (international high-tech polymer film manufacturing corporation Klöckner Pentaplast).
The Institute of Technology's partnerships with German universities and innovative industrial enterprises are related to the development of innovative Russian-German projects in the field of digitalization for the design and control of complex production processes. The main results of cooperation were: 10 Russian and international patents for computer systems for information processing, quality control and protection of high-tech products; 54 certificates of registration of software complexes in Rospatent; more than 20 articles in scientific journals and publications indexed in international databases Web of Science, Scopus; 1 doctoral and 11 master's theses, more than 150 graduate qualification works of bachelors, theses and projects, master's theses; participation of undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and faculty members of SPbSIT (TU) in the DAAD L. Euler Scholarship Programs, honorary professors T. J. Göcke and K. Schumann, Klöckner Pentaplast Europe GmbH & Co. KG (318 fellows). The developed software complexes were introduced at the plants of Klöckner Pentaplast Corporation in Russia (St. Petersburg) and Germany (Montabaur) and the plant of the technical ceramics company Virial LLC (design company of the RUSNANO group) in St. Petersburg. Cooperation agreements have been concluded with the Higher School (University of Applied Sciences) of Darmstadt, the University of Koblenz-Landau, the University of Applied Sciences of the West Coast and an agreement on joint activities with the Technical University of Dresden, within the framework of which students, young scientists and teachers are exchanged in order to train highly qualified personnel for Russian and German industry.
As expected, the venues of the conference were to be the Ruhr University and the factories of partner companies Klöckner Pentaplast Europe GmbH & Co. KG (Montabaur), Maria Soell GmbH and Maria Soell HTF GmbH (Nidda). Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic made adjustments to these plans. The conference was held remotely (on the Zoom platform). But nothing could prevent an interested and constructive discussion of the results of joint scientific projects with the Russian and German industries to develop innovative problem-oriented software complexes for designing, processing information and control high-tech facilities.
The opening of the conference was welcomed by:
- Leaders (from Germany and Russia) of research and innovation carried out within the framework of the DAAD L. Euler Scholarship Program:
Professor, Department of systems and theory of automated regulation and control, Ruhr University, prof. Dr. techn. sciences, Honorary Doctor of St. Petersburg State Institute of Technology (TU) G. Reinig (Prof. Dr.-Ing. G. Reinig),
Head of the Department of computer aided design and control systems (CAD & U) SPbSIT (TU), Dr. Technical sciences, prof. T.B. Chistyakova;
- Representatives of partner companies for research and innovation:
Director of Kohlert Consulting, ex-director of special projects at Klöckner Pentaplast Europe GmbH & Co. KG, prof. Dr. K. Kohlert (Prof. Dr. C. Kohlert),
Kohlert Consulting specialist, former head of the information technology and automation department of Mondi Gronau GmbH, Dr. M. Kohlert (Dr. M. Kohlert).
Then there were reports of 6 graduate students of the Department of CAD SPbSIT (TU), who became fellows of DAAD 2019/2020 academic year. The speakers presented the scientific and technical results obtained during the implementation of innovative projects in modern areas in the field of multi-criterion optimization, artificial intelligence, big data mining, automated design and resource-saving control. Presentations were performed in good English.
Graduate student O.E. Shashikhina and graduate student K.A. Zakharenko (supervisor - prof. T.B. Chistyakova, consultant - ass. Prof. I.G. Kornienko) presented a flexible, reconfigurable software complex for optimal planning of the industrial corporation's production activities for the manufacture of multi-assortment polymer films using mathematical optimization methods (genetic algorithm, the method of complete search).
Graduate student M.M. Fozilov (supervisor - prof. T.B. Chistyakova, consultant - ass. Prof. A.N. Polosin) presented a problem-oriented intelligent system for resource-saving control of extrusion equipment in the production of polymer films, taking into account the state of the equipment, estimated by the results of spectral analysis of vibration signals, and its reliability (reliability, durability), calculated from mathematical models.
Graduate student D.N. Furaev (supervisor - prof. T.B. Chistyakova) presented a computer simulator for automated design of an industrial complex of catalytic cracking based on three-dimensional virtual and mathematical models with the formation of design documentation (drawings, specifications).
Graduate student A.V. Kamaev (supervisor - prof. T.B. Chistyakova, consultant - ass. Prof. A.S. Razigraev) presented a flexible, reconfigurable software complex for controlling the dimensional characteristics (thickness, equilibrium) of calendered fine materials based on the analysis of large production data and mathematical models of industrial methods for controlling the thickness profile.
Graduate student D.E. Saenko (supervisor - prof. T.B. Chistyakova, consultant - senior lecturer M.A. Teterin) developed a client-server application for visualizing big data and resource-saving control of the production of polymer films in emergency situations related to product defects, based on a relational information model and a production-frame model of presenting expert knowledge about the control object.
The scientific and technical projects presented by young scientists are multidisciplinary in nature, as they are implemented at the intersection of industrial (chemical) and digital technologies. Their theoretical foundation is mathematical models, methods and algorithms developed by scientific schools of the Institute of Technology with the participation of German scientists. These are primarily schools in the field of:
- modeling of processes of polymer materials production (prof. V.N. Krasovsky, ass. Prof. A.M. Voskresensky and their student - Prof. K. Kohlert, who studied at the graduate school of LTI named after Lensovet and defended his thesis in 1978);
- modeling, design, information processing and control of processes and industries of the chemical and oil refining industry (Prof. B.V. Ilyin and his student - Prof. G. Reinig, who studied at the specialty and graduate school of LTI named after Lensovet and defended his thesis in 1973, Prof. V.V. Sotnikov, prof. T.B. Chistyakova).
All projects are characterized by a strong practical focus; the problem-oriented software complexes developed in them have been introduced at factories in Russia and Germany.
At the end of each report, there was a professional discussion of the issues addressed by the speakers. The exchange took place in English, the knowledge of which the fellows demonstrated at a good level.
The conference was also attended by:
- from the Ruhr University: staff of the Department of systems and theory of automated regulation and control, headed by one of the leaders of research and development as part of the DAAD L. Euler Scholarship Program, Prof. Dr. Techn. sciences M. Mönnigmann (Prof. Dr.-Ing. M. Mönnigmann) - Master of Science (M. Sc.) M.O. Berner, R. Dyrska, K. Kwoska, K. König, L. Reineking;
- from St. Petersburg State Institute of Technology (TU): teachers and students of the Department of CAD - associate professors, cand. Techn. sciences I.G. Kornienko, I.V. Novozhilova (deputy head of the faculty for academic work), A.N. Polosin (deputy head of the department for scientific work), senior lecturers A.S. Razigraev, A.V. Kozlov, A.K. Fedin (all are fellows of the DAAD L. Euler program of different years), undergraduate A.A. Plekhanov (member of the team for the development of a software complex for optimal planning of polymer film production).
Our German colleagues highly appreciated the scientific and practical level of the presented innovative projects and noted the relevance and complexity of the tasks solved in them. In particular, Prof. G. Rainig, who for many years conducted applied scientific research in the field of modeling and control of catalytic cracking processes, praised the work of graduate student D.N. Furaev and wished him success in the development of research.
The German conference participants and DAAD fellows expressed sincere appreciation and gratitude:
Head of the Department of International Cooperation V.V. Sobolev and specialist of the Department of International Relations Yu.P. Zhikhareva for good organization and information and methodological support of the conference;
scientific project manager - head of the department of CAD, Prof. T.B. Chistyakova - and consultants on software, hardware and methodological support of projects - associate professors of the Department of CAD I.G. Kornienko, R.V. Makaruk, I.V. Novozhilova, A.N. Polosin, A.S. Razigraev, ass. Prof of the Department of CAD M.A. Teterin.
ass. Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages V.M. Zinchenko for conducting classes in German with DAAD fellows;
ass. Professor of Management and Marketing A.L. Zelezinsky for English language advice in the preparation of research reports by DAAD fellows.
Professor of the Ruhr University, graduate and honorary doctor of the Institute of Technology Gunter Reinig, on whose initiative 20 years ago the international scientific and educational partnership of our universities was launched as part of the DAAD L. Euler Scholarship Program, said at the end of the conference: “Everything went well. I thank the fellows, their supervisors, and consultants, translators for the good quality of scientific reports, reports and presentations. I wish everyone to withstand the challenges of this difficult year and enter the best new year with new forces!” It remains only to join these sincere, heartfelt words of a wonderful German scientist and teacher, who for 50 years has fruitfully collaborated with his alma mater - the Institute of Technology - in the field of science and education.
The integration of scientific and pedagogical schools of the Institute of Technology, Ruhr University and high-tech industrial enterprises contributes to the development of qualifications of young scientists in Russia and Germany and the formation of innovatively active specialists in the development of knowledge-intensive digital platforms for designing, processing information and controlling complex production facilities and systems.
Chistyakova T. B., head. Dep. CAD
Polosin A.N., ass. Prof. Dep. CAD,
deputy head Dep. for research
Kozlov A.V., senior lecturer Dep. CAD
Photo of Chistyakova T. B. and Shashikhina O. E.