Q What areas of expertise are needed to mitigate con- straints in plant/facility staffing levels? A Marie Duverne, Technical Support Digital Transformation Leader, Axens, marie.duverne@axens.net; Philippe Mege, Head of Digital Service Factory, Axens, Philippe.mege@ axens.net; Pierre-Yves Le Goff, Global Market Manager, Reforming and Isomerisation, Axens, pierre-yves.le-goff@ axens.net Several key areas of expertise leveraging technology and technical assistance can help mitigate plant/facility staffing levels. Solutions provided in this field include data analytics capabilities through Axens’ proprietary Connect’In digital capability, including: • Access to technical assistance that can connect you with experts who have up-to-date knowledge on the latest technologies and best practices, which may not be avail- able in-house. • Advanced process control (APC) systems: Implementing APC technology can optimise refinery operations, reduc - ing the need for constant manual adjustments and allow- ing fewer operators to manage more complex processes efficiently. • Digital twin technology: Creating virtual replicas of refin - ery units enables remote monitoring, predictive mainte- nance, and optimisation of operations with reduced on-site personnel. • By outsourcing certain technical functions, plant manag- ers can keep their permanent staff focused on core business activities while relying on external experts for specialised tasks. In view of that, leveraging cloud platforms proposed by technology suppliers or process licensors for knowledge sharing, remote troubleshooting, and expert consulta- tion can provide on-demand technical assistance without requiring additional on-site staff. Implementing AI/ML algo - rithms on these platforms for process optimisation, anom- aly detection, and decision support can enhance operator effectiveness and reduce the need for constant supervision. A Dave Loubser, Senior Staff Consultant, KBC, dave. loubser@kbc.global; Graeme Anderson, Senior Staff Consultant, KBC, graeme.anderson@kbc.global Organisations worldwide are facing manpower challenges due to the drive to remove humans from workplace haz- ards, retirements, the availability of appropriately qualified candidates, and/or a reluctance to work in the industry. We are seeing increasing age, knowledge, and experience gaps as clients try to backfill vacancies, and this is leading to a switchover to digital tools to mitigate this situation. This is not only placing a strain on the recruitment process as cli- ents seek future employees who are tech-savvy but also on internal learning and development systems. The implementation of digital tools to solve the man- power issue is posing a new set of challenges in that spe- cific technical and personal competencies are required to not only understand the new technologies but also extract the maximum value from them. The aim of implementing these digital technologies and tools is to shift the role of the worker from a manual intervention role to a more analytical,
Catalytic pyrolysis allows for a better bio-oil quality with a reduced oxygen content and a lower acidity compared to the original bio-oil. A solution that does not involve oxygen removal from the feed is to use dedicated feed injection technology nozzles to allow for the injection of bio-oils at low temperature through the riser. Careful consideration with an FCC tech- nology licensor should be taken according to the type of oil, the ratio of the co-processing oil to the primary feedstock, and the location of injection. This is because operating con- ditions, feed zone configuration, and co-processing objec - tives will vary between FCC units. Q How can fractionation upgrades be achieved without expensive metallurgical upgrades? A Andrew Layton, Principal Consultant, KBC, Andrew. layton@kbc.global Improved fractionation profitability can be achieved in sev - eral ways: corrosion control, tray technology, KPI/monitor- ing developments, energy pinch studies, and live computer models. Corrosion control involves managing corrosion from sources such as acids, mercaptans, and salts. Solving these issues allows for processing cheaper crudes and delaying turnarounds. The alternative to using metallurgy is often different chemical packages added to the feed or over- heads of fractionation systems and other equipment like desalters. Unfortunately, this approach may not always solve the problems. For example, crude overhead corrosion control creates almost as many problems now as it did 50 years ago. Other techniques are required, some of which are dif- ficult to implement in an already-designed unit. Mitigation for existing units can be achieved through improved mod- elling, monitoring, and process and reliability KPI develop- ment, as well as some simple design changes in areas that are often overlooked or discounted as critical. Tower internals designs are continually being upgraded by vendors to improve efficiency and capacity. However, the benefits of these improvements are often lost by poor operation due to fouling corrosion or poor control. These problems can be mitigated by improved KPIs and model- ling to identify when efficacy is being lost or when process changes can improve operation. Thus, live modelling for rapid identification of both process and reliability dete - rioration enhances the value of improved control systems. Monitoring may include flow regime modelling, mixing effectiveness, pressure drop, and velocities/partial pres- sures as a few examples. Energy minimisation is another key factor in improving product value, as well as helping to meet any carbon foot- print targets and removing bottlenecks such as furnaces and rundown cooling limits. Rundown cooling is often one of the first constraints encountered with higher ambient temperatures. Energy pinch studies will help debottleneck fractionation heat sources, and the potential use of various heat pumps will further reduce the carbon footprint when using low-temperature heat sources below 120°C.
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PTQ Q4 2024
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