AM-15-54 Recent Gasoline Blending Optimization Project Experience at Valero

Description:

Starting in 2011, Valero embarked on an aggressive campaign to improve gasoline blending practice through blending optimization. This campaign has resulted in blending system upgrades requiring significant investments in control hardware, application software and analyzers. This paper focuses on the experience obtained at recently-completed blending optimization projects at Valero’s Houston and McKee refineries. The paper discusses key factors influencing the project outcome and success including the collaboration between Valero and the automation vendor to provide an industry-leading blending optimization solution. In addition, the paper presents some of the challenges and lessons learned from these projects, and finally some of the key business results are outlined.