Focus on refining
Welcome to our third edition of Aspen HYSYS Insights. This issue focuses on the unique functionality and savings that Aspen HYSYS and related products deliver in petroleum refining.
Business is good for refiners. Capacity levels are high, which translates to strong margins and profits. During such times, forward-thinking organizations invest in technology to optimize business processes and maintain their competitive advantage for those times when margins may thin out. Many of these industry-leading companies turn to AspenTech for innovative ways to improve collaboration, drive efficiency, and reduce costs associated with their refinery operations.
For example, we are seeing increasing usage of Aspen RefSYS to update planning models with a significant emphasis on molecular management. This is enabled by the integration of Aspen RefSYS with Aspen PIMS for planning and Aspen Orion for scheduling. Additionally, Aspen Simulation Workbook makes it easier for operations staff to use HYSYS models in their daily decision making. All of these technologies have one thing in common — increased application of engineering models in refinery operations.
I hope you find this edition of Aspen HYSYS Insights helpful. This newsletter and our interactive webinar series represent our continued commitment to your success.
Sincerely,
Charles Rieb, Vice President, Energy, AspenTech
August 2006
SUCCESS STORY |
SOLUTION VIEW |
ASW CHALLENGE |
SUCCESS STORYaspenONE: HYSYS and HYSYS Dynamics Integration for Advanced Process Control Modeling |
Have you been looking to use rigorous dynamic models to improve your Advanced Control process, but due to lack of integration and appropriate tools, been unable to make this a reality? Aspen HYSYS and HYSYS Dynamics are now more integrated to enable you to leverage rigorous steady-state and dynamic models for Advanced Control purposes.
Aspen HYSYS and HYSYS Dynamics bring significant value to the daily work of a Control Engineer through an intuitive platform with rich functionality. They provide a complete standard set of control-oriented objects, including a DMCplus controller. The value is best illustrated by a recently completed project on the Propylene/Propane Splitter at the Preemraff Refinery in Lysekil, Sweden. Read additional details on the success of this project in:
SOLUTION VIEWImprove Refinery Simulation Models with Aspen RefSYSby Steve Dziuk, Product Manager, RefSYS, AspenTech |
Aspen RefSYS helps improve margins and strengthens competitive advantage by enabling refiners to make more informed feedstock selections and to optimize operations. It does this by taking petroleum refinery simulation to the next level by layering powerful new features onto the Aspen HYSYS platform, dramatically improving multi-unit simulation and even enabling refinery-wide simulation.
Architecture The unique value of Aspen RefSYS is its new flowsheet stream structure which eliminates the bloated component slates previously associated with multi-unit simulations. Aspen RefSYS conveniently predicts a wide range (100+) of petroleum stream properties including API gravity, sulfur, octane, and more, and it is driven by comprehensive crude assay data which is identical to the assays used in Aspen PIMS, the refinery LP planning tool.
ASW CHALLENGEHindustan Petroleum Corp Wins the ASW Challenge |
During our recent free web trial of Aspen Simulation Workbook (ASW), companies were invited to submit success stories for the ASW Challenge. From the entries received, the Aspen HYSYS application from the Mumbai Refinery of Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (HPCL), the second largest integrated oil refining and marketing company in India, was selected as the winner.
The business problem HPCL Mumbai Refinery addressed was energy reduction in the Naphtha Stabilizer column: reducing steam consumption while maintaining the RVP of the naphtha. Using ASW, Mumbai Refinery engineers created an online plant performance monitoring application linking their plant real-time database with an Aspen HYSYS model of the plant, with regular lab updates for composition.
The critical plant values and model results were displayed both in a table and in a graphical representation of the plant. In the past engineers monitored their plant performance manually which was cumbersome and infrequent. With ASW they can now monitor the plant online and continuously, and deliver frequent guidance to a larger operational staff that might not be familiar with Aspen HYSYS. Reported benefits include significant reduction in steam consumption and improved product quality.
EVENTS & TRAININGWebinars & Conferences |
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For more on enhancements and new capabilities, check out the What’s New Guide under AspenTech Documentation.
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Tips & TricksAvailable for registered web support users on our Online Support Center. |
Aspen HYSYS |
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Ever tried to add Petroleum Properties, such as wt% Aromatics, RON or Conradson Carbon, to yourWorkbook or PFD Stream Table in Aspen HYSYS, but couldn’t find them? It’s easy! Choose the Calculator Variable, and pick the property you want under Variable Specifics. Refer to Solution #112941 for more information. Need to connect a stream in the main Aspen HYSYS flowsheet to a specific stream in a subflowsheet? Learn how with Solution #118222. |
Aspen FLARENET |
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Aspen FLARENET, our leading flare system modeling solution, continues to evolve based on user feedback. To understand key differences between the current and previous versions, read Solution #118756. |
Aspen RefSYS |
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Represent all the oils in your simulation with a single component slate in Aspen RefSYS to simplify models and increase solution speed, as compared with the typical simulator method of modeling each oil with a separate set of components. Each component carries a set of properties that change as the component moves through the flowsheet and is processed. For more details, visit Solution #118762 . |
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Improve Refinery Simulation Models with Aspen RefSYS continued |
Flowsheeting Process units can be conveniently linked together using Aspen RefSYS’s new stream structure to build flowsheets that span an entire refinery. Users can represent the process units with models with different levels of rigor. Fractionation units can use the Aspen HYSYS column model or a shortcut model. Complex reactor units like the FCC, hydrocracker, naphtha reformer, and hydrotreaters can also be represented by shortcut models or rigorous Aspen models based on flowsheet thermodynamics and multiple lump reaction systems.
Work Processes To simplify work processes, the shortcut models are similar or even identical to the PIMS sub-models which help bridge the gap between process engineering and planning group work processes. The final flowsheet can be amix of shortcut and rigorous models to provide a level of complexity that matches the user’s requirements. At the edge of the flowsheet, special blending models build up themotor gasoline, distillate, and fuel oil pools to allow the simulation to evaluate process changes on the total mix of refinery products. Ultimately, the process engineer can now evaluate multiple unit interactions as they affect the overall balances across the refinery, from the crude feed streams to the final blended products.
Application A suggested first practical step with Aspen RefSYS may be to improve your Aspen HYSYS crude and vacuum distillation unit models. Aspen RefSYS will simplify the stream structure by eliminating redundant components, provide convenient predictions of petroleum properties, and link the property predictions to crude assays that are identical to refinery LP assays. Process engineers get a more powerful and convenient crude and vacuum unit model and begin to collaborate with the planner by using consistent crude assay information.
Integration All of this happens inside the industry-leading Aspen HYSYS user interface. Aspen RefSYS simulation data can be easily linked into Aspen Simulation Workbook to bring the advanced functionality of Aspen RefSYS to a larger Microsoft Excel-based user group. Finally, Aspen RefSYS’s Aspen HYSYS foundation maintains tight integration with other powerful AspenTech products like HX-Net, Tasc+, Acol+, and Icarus cost estimation suite to deliver a complete and unique aspenONE solution.
© 2006, Aspen Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.