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MTN Presents at 2017 AFPM OPCAT Summit at JW Marriott Austin

On-line Integration of Planning and Scheduling with Real-time Optimization and Control, S. Treiber, R.S. McLeod, D.B. Black

A perennial challenge in real-time optimization and control of refinery process units is applying the correct economic incentives to drive real-time optimizers and controllers. Planning LP shadow prices are notoriously unreliable. A new method of calculating intermediate stream prices has been developed which integrates the economic drivers of a unit optimizer with the tactical goals of the refinery scheduler. This method has been applied to a refinery crude & vacuum unit real-time optimization across a winter and summer of operation.

The new method consistently responds to the schedulers production goals while producing solutions which are more profitable than those using traditional shadow pricing. Improvement is characterized by production of more of the scheduler’s desired product such as ULSD in winter and low RVP gasoline in summer. 
Results are presented comparing real-time solutions actually achieved using the new method with those that would have been achieved using shadow prices over a 10-month period.