Platform for Advanced Control and Estimation (PACE) is a state-of-the-art integrated APC technology that provides data collection, controller and estimator development, and application deployment features in one platform. This advanced technology solution optimizes plant processes safely while undergoing continuous disturbances such as feed composition and ambient conditions in the refining, chemical, and petrochemical industries. Typical benefits achieved include a 5% improvement in throughput, a 3% increase in yield, and a 10% reduction in energy consumption, resulting in a lower carbon footprint and helping companies reach their decarbonization goals.
A leading APC technology, our Platform for Advanced Control and Estimation software removes the variability of running large process units at optimal conditions 24 hours per day, 7 days per week in the oil and gas, chemical, and petrochemical industries. In addition, it decreases the cost of developing and maintaining these applications resulting in higher utilization and acceptance and lower overall lifecycle costs. This results in improved profitability while minimizing carbon emissions.
After raw materials, energy is the most significant variable expense in an operating plant. Additionally, each unit of fuel burned results in a unit of CO2 released into the atmosphere. Therefore, PACE ruthlessly monitors furnaces, boilers, and energy-consuming equipment to reduce energy usage. This results in a 10% decrease in energy consumption and helps meet decarbonization goals.
Maximizing yield is a tricky proposition to do manually. For example, a distillation column is typically highly interactive with long deadtimes and settling times. Controlling overhead product at the maximum impurity level (i.e. maximum yield) is not easy. With its built-in model and estimators, PACE has no problem doing this with an average increase of 3% or more on yield.
Things are constantly changing in a typical refinery or chemical plant. Feed quality, production demand, ambient conditions. By monitoring the plant minute by minute, PACE is constantly monitoring plant constraints, making adjustments to keep the plant from violating operating constraints and keeping the plant in a safe operating zone.
Often conditions can change quickly in an operating plant. Operators are tasked with monitoring hundreds of things, and before you realize it, a critical constraint may be violated (such as a furnace tube temperature). This reduces the reliability of the furnace. PACE monitors the plant continuously to prevent this from occurring. This has been proven to increase the life of the equipment.
Many Advanced Process Control's only find a local optimum. However, PACE's ability to span large operating units, integrate multiple units, and seamlessly connect to real-time optimizers such as Petro-SIM, result in finding the true global optimum for the plant resulting in more operating profit.
Maximum production occurs when a constraint is reached at the plant. As conditions change, this creates an opportunity to push more production from the plant. For example, as the temperature cools in the evening, more cooling capacity is available. PACE diligently monitors the plant to take advantage of this and squeeze out more production, often increasing average production by 5% or more.
One recent project at Shell Oil Deer Park refinery focused on a catalytic reformer unit, which converts low-octane feed to a high-octane product called reformate and light hydrocarbons ranging from C1 to C5+. Teaming an online analyzer with next-generation Advanced Process Control markedly trimmed reformer output variability.
Access to modern computers and software languages has improved advanced process control technology that allows for delivering lower-maintenance and higher-performing controllers with shorter project timelines.
How can Advanced Process Control applications significantly benefit the oil and gas, petrochemical, and chemical manufacturing industries? Our industry expert gives ten tips for implementing a successful APC and how best to monitor for long-term value.
Air Liquide realized that its legacy MPC software was becoming increasingly costly to maintain and was not taking advantage of technological progress in the field. Platform for Advanced Control and Estimation (PACE) was selected to be their new standard MPC platform.
An Indonesian oil refinery installed PACE to reduce approximately 22,000 tons of CO2 emission per year, generating significant cost savings nearing USD 3.2 million per year.
Achieving autonomous operations is all about empowering the plant to run, learn, adapt and thrive in tomorrow’s environment. In this whitepaper, we look at how Petro-SIM and PACE work together to achieve dynamic real-time optimization to ensure a facility continuously and automatically responds to changing market and plant conditions.
Advanced Process Control Program Manager
Advanced Process Control (APC), also known as model based multivariable control, has long been a staple in high-performing refining, petrochemical, and chemical plants for more than 40 years now. However, this technology is even more important in today’s environment as the process industries lose more and more of their experienced workforce to retirement. Couple this with the pressure to reduce their carbon footprint to combat climate change, and operating companies are relying on this technology more than ever to operate their plants safely and reliably while reducing emissions.
Petro-SIM process simulations can help plants identify opportunities for operational and control improvements. Often such improvements can only be achieved through online execution systems like PACE. PACE can be a integrate part of DRTO for execution of optimal targets.
