The AIChE Chicago Section is pleased to host a virtual meeting on October 20, 2022 featuring Dr. Francesco Coletti (CEO, Hexxcell, Ltd). The meeting will be free to the public, and PDHs will be awarded for attendance of the technical presentation.
When: Thursday, Oct 20th, 2022
Where: Virtual Meeting
Speaker: Dr. Francesco Coletti
Chief Executive Officer
Hexxcell Ltd.
Topic: Predictive Maintenance of Heat Exchangers: Mitigating Fouling Using Digital Technology
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Francesco Coletti is the CEO of Hexxcell Ltd., a London based technology company providing predictive analytics and prescriptive maintenance solutions for industrial heat transfer systems to major international oil&gas and petrochemical companies.
Francesco has a track-record of developing industrial digital solutions from ideation to deployment in the field, with particular focus on hybrid AI-deterministic models for monitoring, optimization and predictive maintenance of process and energy systems. Prior to Hexxcell, Francesco worked as a Development Specialist at Praxair Technology Center (now Linde) in Buffalo, NY, where he focused on mathematical optimization of cryogenic multi-stream heat exchangers and air separation units.
He has co-edited a monograph dedicated to Crude Oil Fouling, published over 70 journal articles and conference proceedings and is the Executive Editor of Heat Exchanger Design Handbook. Since 2015 is one of the two elected representatives for the UK serving on the Scientific Committee of the International Heat Transfer Conferences, the top global conference in the field held every four years. He was elected to the UK National Heat Transfer Committee in 2014, and subsequently appointed as its Secretary in 2016. Since 2019 is a Director of the AIChE Fuels&Petrochemical Division. Francesco is also a part-time Associate Professor at Brunel University London where he contributed to the launch of a new Chemical Engineering Department and was visiting academic at Imperial College London (2016-2017).
He holds a Laurea degree in Chemical Engineering from Padova University, Italy, an MSc in Process Systems Engineering and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London, UK. He was awarded the Newitt Prize for best Computational PhD thesis in Chemical Engineering and the Townend prize for excellence in research in the area of fuel production.
Presentation Abstract:
With almost 60% of global refining and petrochemical GHG emissions due to heating and cooling it is clear that energy efficiency of thermal processes plays a major role in meeting ambitious net zero targets. However, very often industrial thermal systems (such as heat exchangers and their networks) are affected by fouling which reduces heat transfer efficiency and generates significant additional environmental emissions, fuel consumption and production losses. Fortunately, it has been proven that using digital technology for advanced monitoring and predictive maintenance of heat exchangers helps managing and mitigating the impact of fouling and results in bottom-line savings estimated in the millions of dollars and thousands of tons of CO2 per year in a single refining or petrochemical plant.
In this presentation, we will discuss how hybrid-AI models that combine the power of Artificial Intelligence with the accuracy of high-fidelity deterministic predictions are used by oil refineries and petrochemical plants to quantify, diagnose, predict and mitigate fouling in heat exchangers.
Using a case study from the Crude Distillation Unit of a European refinery, we will discuss and quantify the bottom-line difference between reactive, preventative and predictive maintenance. We will also show, with plant data, that traditional KPIs used to monitor heat transfer equipment may be misleading for plant operators, ultimately resulting in sub-optimal decisions being made. In the case study presented, the traditional approach used by the refinery is analysed and the cost and environmental impact of inefficiencies accumulated over four years of operations assessed.
Meeting Agenda:
5:00 PM - Zoom Meeting opens
5:15 PM - Section Announcements
5:30 PM - Technical Presentation
6:30 PM - Virtual Networking
AIChE Chicago Section
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