{"title":"Anomaly detection and root cause analysis using convolutional autoencoders: A real case study","authors":"Piero Danti , Alessandro Innocenti , Sascha Sandomier","doi":"10.1016/j.jocs.2025.102685","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anomaly detection is the process of identifying unusual patterns in data that may indicate a deviation from the expected norm. This paper proposes a semi-supervised deep learning solution to detect anomalies of a YANMAR energy device that produces heat and power utilizing an internal combustion engine supplied with natural gas. The main equipment of the analysis is a 20 <span><math><mrow><mi>k</mi><msub><mrow><mi>W</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span> micro-cogeneration unit installed in the energy plant of a facility school. More in detail, the dataset considered in this work consists of 12 features temporally acquired every 15 min. The authors exploit a deep learning architecture, an autoencoder with 1-D convolutional layers to retain temporal correlations, trained to learn the normal behavior of the cogenerator and report unseen operations. In consideration of the fact that autoencoders tend to yield false positives, a Fast-Fourier-Transform-based technique has been applied to filter spurious detections and improve the algorithm’s robustness. As the last contribution, a naive methodology to address the root cause of the anomalies has been explained and its effectiveness has been proved in a real malfunctioning of the CHP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Computational Science","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 102685"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Computational Science","FirstCategoryId":"94","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877750325001620","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Anomaly detection is the process of identifying unusual patterns in data that may indicate a deviation from the expected norm. This paper proposes a semi-supervised deep learning solution to detect anomalies of a YANMAR energy device that produces heat and power utilizing an internal combustion engine supplied with natural gas. The main equipment of the analysis is a 20 micro-cogeneration unit installed in the energy plant of a facility school. More in detail, the dataset considered in this work consists of 12 features temporally acquired every 15 min. The authors exploit a deep learning architecture, an autoencoder with 1-D convolutional layers to retain temporal correlations, trained to learn the normal behavior of the cogenerator and report unseen operations. In consideration of the fact that autoencoders tend to yield false positives, a Fast-Fourier-Transform-based technique has been applied to filter spurious detections and improve the algorithm’s robustness. As the last contribution, a naive methodology to address the root cause of the anomalies has been explained and its effectiveness has been proved in a real malfunctioning of the CHP.
期刊介绍:
Computational Science is a rapidly growing multi- and interdisciplinary field that uses advanced computing and data analysis to understand and solve complex problems. It has reached a level of predictive capability that now firmly complements the traditional pillars of experimentation and theory.
The recent advances in experimental techniques such as detectors, on-line sensor networks and high-resolution imaging techniques, have opened up new windows into physical and biological processes at many levels of detail. The resulting data explosion allows for detailed data driven modeling and simulation.
This new discipline in science combines computational thinking, modern computational methods, devices and collateral technologies to address problems far beyond the scope of traditional numerical methods.
Computational science typically unifies three distinct elements:
• Modeling, Algorithms and Simulations (e.g. numerical and non-numerical, discrete and continuous);
• Software developed to solve science (e.g., biological, physical, and social), engineering, medicine, and humanities problems;
• Computer and information science that develops and optimizes the advanced system hardware, software, networking, and data management components (e.g. problem solving environments).