Hydrocarbon Processing - June 2021 - 69

Digitalization
Changes are not only connected with feedstocks. Fuels and
chemical additives can affect the process, as well. For example,
fired heaters may change to a different grade of fuel oil to take
advantage of a price break, resulting in a change of Btu content.
This could affect both the fuel consumption rate and emissions.
For this kind of system to operate reliably, there must be a
constant flow of data and information in all directions. In some
areas, such as between the process and the DCS, updates happen
every second or even faster. For APC, it may be once per
minute. For RTO, it may be once per couple of hours. The key
is to ensure information exchange is suitable to support this environment
of more advanced decision making, where the process
effectively runs itself automatically. The need for constant
human monitoring and tweaking is eliminated, leaving operators
to handle higher value-added responsibilities.
Extending across multiple units. Sometimes, the optimizer
really needs to control multiple units when they are working in
concert (e.g., when producing intermediates that get sent from
one unit to another). The ultimate final product has its practical
limits for production or under market constraints, so it
must be the starting point. From there, it is necessary to move
up the stream, back to where the other units are creating their
output. Optimization for one unit now reflects the amount
needed for the next, but it is still important to maximize profitability
at each unit.
The same concepts apply as with a single unit, but the local
RTO gets its orders from higher up the chain of command
based on demand.
Technologies together. The authors' company is innovating
RTO strategies designed to work in cooperation with digital twin
technology. These advances are now possible thanks to expanding
digital capabilities and are capable of increasing profits by improving
all operational elements of a unit, plant and a company.
This is achieved through visualization and simulation in ways
that are only now possible.
Therefore, companies can achieve seamless optimized production
through the combination of simulation technology and control
technology, reflecting the plant model in the production plan.
By repeating this cycle across all units and locations, total plant
productivity can be increased throughout all plant lifecycles.
AKIO YAMAGUCHI manages the APC and Optimization business
and portfolio at Yokogawa. He has 11 yr of comprehensive
experience in APC engineering, as well as an additional 10 yr of
professional experience in software development, programming
and project management. He leads the development of APC
and Optimization business to achieve Yokogawa's Industry
Automation to Industry Autonomy (IA2IA) vision.
YOSHIHIRO IKEGAYA is the Product Manager for APC products
at Yokogawa. He has developed Yokogawa's APC products for
15 yr, as well as an additional 6 y of product planning, marketing
and technical support.
Hydrocarbon Processing's Industry Market Outlook: 2021 Update
>> LIVE WEBCAST: Thursday, June 17, 2021 | 9 a.m. CDT / 10 a.m. EDT / 3 p.m. UTC
Over the past several years, the world has witnessed signifi cant downstream
capacity growth in all sectors of the downstream hydrocarbon processing industry
(HPI). However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a signifi cant decline in demand
for fuels and certain petrochemical value chains. As governments start to ease
lockdown measures, how has the global capital expenditure market been affected
and what are the major trends for the rest of 2021 and beyond?
During this live webcast, Lee Nichols will provide a mid-year update on capital
projects around the world, as well as major economic, environmental and political
market trends that are shaping and infl uencing the industry in the near-term.
Register for this free webcast at:
HydrocarbonProcessing.com/Webcasts
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Editor-in-Chief/
Associate Publisher
Hydrocarbon Processing | JUNE 2021 69
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Hydrocarbon Processing - June 2021

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