AM-96-41 INTEGRATED SOFTWARE SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT THE REFINERY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE

Description:

During the past 25 years many advanced software applications have been developed to improve quality and productivity of operations in the process industries. These software applications address a range of business needs including operations planning and scheduling, advanced process control, on-line optimization, simulation, laboratory, maintenance, process engineering, data analysis, training simulators, process monitoring, information systems, and many more. The same 25 years has seen tremendous progress in integrating our instrument and hardware systems into the modem integrated DCS systems and networks that we take for granted today. There has not been similar progress in integrating our different applications software. Instead each plant owner and operator is forced into the integrator role as you adapt the various “islands of automation” into the fabric of the planning, control, and measuring activities. This paper considers the goal of Integrated Operations, and examines the need for closer integration, current applications software, and future developments to provide fully integrated software solutions.