Pavilion Technologies Awarded DOE Grant to Advance the Study of High-Energy Physics; Cutting-Edge Control Research to Benefit Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and Industry.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Pavilion Technologies, a world leader in advanced process control (APC) and environmental compliance solutions, announced that it has been awarded a grant through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. As part of the grant, Pavilion will further advance its research of modeling complex systems using both first-principles equations and empirical information. In particular, Pavilion will enhance algorithms that enable self-validation and diagnostics of these combined models. These developments will result in faster deployment of complex modeling solutions and more robust control of both high-speed accelerator and manufacturing processes. This marks the third DOE grant awarded to Pavilion in the past four years. The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) has collaborated with Pavilion on projects funded by all three awards.

"Pavilion is known for its innovation in the field of advanced process control and optimization," said Dr. Martin Lee, the collaborating project manager at SLAC. "Our work with Pavilion on the previous two DOE-supported projects has led to the development of an adaptive prediction algorithm for monitoring of luminosity in colliding-beam experiments. On the upcoming project with Pavilion, we look forward to exploring other applications at SLAC based on the technique of combining first principles and neural networks, as well as finding interesting industrial applications. I am confident that Pavilion will continue to work with SLAC to push the boundaries of what are possible, delivering benefits to science and industry."

Established in 1962, SLAC, as a part of its mission, designs, constructs, and operates state-of-the-art electron accelerators and related experimental facilities for high-energy physics and synchrotron radiation research. In a quest for answers to fundamental questions about the ultimate structure of matter, SLAC uses its accelerators to speed electrons and anti-electrons to nearly the speed of light and then study the collisions of those particles. The complex operation of its accelerators requires numerous operators and monitoring devices to simultaneously control vacuum, particle beam signals, beam-steering and focusing magnets, and many other beam and system parameters. The primary goal of Pavilion and SLAC in this new collaboration will be to explore how a combined modeling solution may enhance the optimization of these control parameters.

As accelerator beams become smaller and their energy gets higher, their tolerances become tighter, resulting in more stringent accelerator control. Pavilion's primary research will test how a combined neural network and first principle modeling approach will accurately reflect drift changes, bringing enhanced control to SLAC's beam operations. Pavilion has applied similar approaches to industrial processes to reduce the variability, drive down variable costs, increase production and enhance product quality.

"Pavilion Technologies has been an innovator in control theory since its inception in 1991, and we are proud to continue our efforts with the DOE and Stanford University," said Ralph Carter, Pavilion Technologies President and CEO. "Through our collaboration, we are greatly expanding the practical application of new control science for both the scientific and industrial communities."

Since 2001, Pavilion has worked with SLAC to develop effective algorithms for robust optimization-based control of highly nonlinear systems with varying dynamics. Pavilion currently holds 101 patents in the fields of predictive modeling, process control and optimization. Pavilion aligns its entire company -- its people, products and processes -- to deliver and demonstrate the incremental and cumulative value to its clients.

About the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (www.slac.stanford.edu)

The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) is a government-owned facility operated by Stanford University for the Department of Energy. SLAC is one of the world's leading research laboratories and is located on approximately 430 acres of the Stanford Campus in Menlo Park, CA. Part of its mission is to design, construct and operate state-of-the-art electron accelerators and related experimental facilities for use in high-energy physics and synchrotron radiation research.

About Pavilion Technologies (www.pavtech.com)

Pavilion Technologies is the leading developer of advanced process control (APC) and environmental compliance solutions. Pavilion's ValueFirst(TM) customer relationship methodology aligns the company's people, products and processes to deliver rapid and recurring value for their customers. More than 350 leading companies worldwide, including ATOFINA, BP, Eastman Chemicals, Fonterra, Nestle and Weyerhauser depend on Pavilion's solutions to increase yield, enhance product quality, reduce variable costs and achieve environmental compliance each day. Pavilion Technologies is a privately held company based in Austin, TX, with offices serving every region of the world.