Abstract
A method of real-time prognosis of a flooding phenomenon in a packed column includes steps as follows. An online data collection step is conducted, wherein a plurality of values of the pressure drop are collected from the packed column under operation. A calculation step is conducted, wherein the values of the pressure drop are used to calculate a plurality of values of a steadiness index. A statistical step is conducted, wherein a value of a monitoring statistic is calculated based on the values of the steadiness index. A control step is conducted, wherein the value of the monitoring statistic is compared to a control limit, and an alarm is triggered when the value of the monitoring statistic is greater than the control limit.