[Media Feature] IT Dong-A Interview with Prof. Sungwon Hwang, CEO of CEPiEL

Bridging Chemical Physics and AI to Optimize Continuous Process Plants

In an exclusive feature with IT Dong-A—spotlighting high-growth innovators from the KODIT Start-up NEST 19th Cohort—Prof. Sungwon Hwang, CEO of CEPiEL and Professor of Chemical Engineering at Inha University, discussed why generic AI fails inside heavy manufacturing and how CEPiEL delivers physically validated digital twins.

Here is an executive briefing of the interview, highlighting the genesis of CEPiEL, its core architecture, and its global expansion roadmap.

1. Built on 27 Years of Domain Authority: Solving Software Fragmentation

Prof. Sungwon Hwang brings 13 years of industrial process design experience at AspenTech, UOP, and GS E&C, combined with 14 years as a tenured professor leading the CEPI Laboratory at Inha University.

• The Industry Bottleneck:
  Continuous plants rely heavily on foreign legacy software. Process simulation, data management, predictive maintenance, and Advanced Process Control (APC) remain completely fragmented—requiring separate expensive licenses with minimal interoperability.

• The Mission:
  Having proven advanced data reconciliation and AI optimization algorithms in operational facilities, CEPiEL was founded as an academic spin-off to deliver an integrated, cost-effective full-stack platform.

2. Zero-Hallucination Industrial Intelligence: CEPiDTS™ and CEPiML™

CEPiEL closes the loop between field sensors and setpoint recommendations through a single continuous pipeline:

• Real-Time Data Reconciliation:
  Raw sensor streams from DCS/SCADA are cleansed of drift and noise, then cross-verified against first-principles process models in real time.

• Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINN):
  Within the CEPiML™ engine, 16+ ML algorithms are automatically tuned via AutoML. By hardcoding thermodynamic laws and mass balances into neural loss functions, the model prevents hazardous operational commands.

• CFD-Driven Soft Sensors:
  High-temperature reactor profiles and stream compositions that are impossible or too expensive to measure physically are estimated using AI trained on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)—shrinking calculation times from days to seconds.

3. Open Architecture & Explainable Operator Interfaces

CEPiEL eliminates vendor lock-in by supporting verified open-source simulators (DWSIM, OpenFOAM) while seamlessly interfacing with existing commercial simulation assets (Aspen Plus/HYSYS).

• Natural Language Operations:
  Plant operators can query facility status using conversational language. The AI presents diagnostic trends and transparently explains the physical rationale behind each recommended setpoint.

• Human-in-the-Loop Safeguards:
  In continuous plants where an unplanned shutdown costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, fully autonomous black-box control is dangerous. CEPiEL acts as an explainable decision-support copilot, keeping final operational sign-off with experienced engineers.

4. Proven Industrial ROI & Global Footprint

CEPiEL targets energy-intensive utility networks (steam, cooling water, refrigeration) as its primary commercial entry point:

• 5–6% Energy Cut:
  Verified during an LNG liquefaction pilot project with S Heavy Industries.

• Enterprise Deployments:
  Offshore FPSO process digital twin development via a global engineering consortium, EDC cracker anomaly detection with major chemical producers, and pharmaceutical HVAC energy optimization in Singapore.

• Global Network:
  Supported by co-founder Yongjun Cho’s KhaiEL network (Korea, Singapore, Germany), CEPiEL is advancing partnerships with Canadian partners and preparing to open a Houston, Texas office next year.

"We want to prove that an engineering AI venture originating from Korea can interface seamlessly with global software standards while offering plant owners a far more rational, integrated choice."
- Prof. Sungwon Hwang

To read the complete journalistic interview and detailed coverage, visit the official IT Dong-A article below:

👉 Read Full Article on IT Dong-A: https://it.donga.com/109814/

Connect with CEPiEL Engineering

Partnership & Project Inquiries: cepiel@cepiel.kr

CEPiEL CEO Dr. Sungwon Hwang (C) IT DongA

Read Full Original Article on IT Dong-A: https://it.donga.com/109814/

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