A new approach in FDC takes advantage of the full sensor trace for fault detection which allows engineers to uncover issues more thoroughly and accurately. The solution utilizes a reference model that intelligently adapts to process changes and requires minimal effort to set up. This greatly reduces the time required to deploy and virtually eliminates maintenance for an FDC system. The elimination of the error prone and laborious control limit set up process in conjunction with a more accurate fault detection, false and nuisance alarms are significantly reduced.