(652a) Tighter Integration Between Planning and Engineering Models At BP

Accurate modeling can offer valuable insight into understanding the intricacies and trade-offs involved in a process plant.  Using consistent models in design, operation, optimization and production planning can result in improved decision making and enterprise operations management.  This paper details the use of consistent reduced order nonlinear models derived from rigorous first principles based engineering models within refinery planning applications at BP.

The motivation behind the use of reduced order models derived from engineering within the refinery planning application at BP includes the ability to separate the planning exercise from detailed modelling tasks, lower model development costs, and improve knowledge management through a standardized work process where models are created and maintained by a group of modeling experts and distributed to model users across the company. 

This paper describes the challenges addressed during the design and implementation of the CatSim model for fluidized catalytic cracking and the shortcut distillation model for crude fractionation at BP’s Texas City refinery.  The paper includes a description of the overall refinery model that is used for long term planning, capital studies, crude selection, short-term plant optimization, and for reviewing past performance.  The implementation is based on aspenONE including Aspen PIMS for refinery planning, Aspen Custom Modeler for model authoring, and the framework ^[1] that enables model sharing and reuse.  The paper also details the benefits achieved at BP through tighter integration of planning and engineering models.       

[1] Lakshmanan, A., Paules, G., and Mahalec, V., “A Modeling Framework That Enables Process Synthesis, Design, Analysis, Optimization, and Planning,” Annual American Institute of Chemical Engineers Meeting (60c), San Francisco, CA, November 2006