“…Depending on the information available, process modelling may be performed through a number of approaches including mechanistic, black-box (or data-driven), or hybrid modelling. By bringing together both existing mechanistic knowledge and data gathered from the process, a hybrid model that fuses both components has been shown, in a number of applications, to be advantageous when compared with a model formulated from either limited mechanistic knowledge or one constructed solely from the process data (Psichogios, Ungar, 1992;Thompson, Kramer, 1994;Duarte et al, 2004;Oliveira, 2004). The advantages of hybrid models have motivated a number of applications, such as the modelling of batch polymerization reactors (Tian et al, 2001), fermentation processes (Wang et al, 2009;Saraceno et al, 2009) and boilers (Rusinowski, Stanek, 2009).…”