CC-02-145 AUTOMATING THE MAINTENANCE OF AN LP VIA PIMS-SI

Description:

This paper presents a template for integrating 3rd Party Simulators into LP using PIMS-SI and then using this integration system as a means to maintain the LP. In 2000, Phillips Petroleum presented a paper at the Aspen PIMS Conference titled “Issues Relating to building a PIMS-SI Systems” by Kirby N. English, P.E. This paper discussed the advantages of using in-house models over 3rd party nonlinear simulators. However, there are some refineries that have neither had the resources nor wanted to get into the business of building them and thereby, opted for buying off-the-shelf software like Profimatics, SimSci ProII, Hyprotech Hysys.Refinery and SPYRO. ATOFINA Petrochemicals, Inc.’s Port Arthur refinery falls into this category. Mr. English also identified four areas for making the PIMS SI-system successful, which we also found to hold true: • “The first area relates to the simulator, which must be robust enough to mimic a plant’s operations yet run quickly” • “The second is the construction of a translator program that can both interpret the PIMS-SI information and control the simulation” • “Third, the sub-models should be structured such that the appropriate dependent and independent variables can be supplied by the PIMS-SI system. • “The fourth area relates to the LP control switches that need to be set to ensure that a PIMS model runs effectively with simulation models.” However, the setting of control switches was applicable to the LP, the simulator, and the “translator program”. In other words, the fourth area could be thought of as subset of each area. In fact, control switches are crucial to speed and stability of the PIMS-SI System and will be discussed further. Therefore, we could see that these four areas could be reduced to three as long as the user will remember the importance of the fourth area, simplified as follows: • The process simulator must be robust and fast. • The interface between PIMS-Si and the Simulator must be fast and stable. • The sub-models in the LP need to parallel the simulator so information flow is stable and consistent. Based on the uncertainty principle, all models needs to be verified and updated. Hence this paper will include a discussion of using EXCEL Spreadsheets as a means to update and maintain PIMS LP Submodels. As well as future plans to integrate the EXCEL based Profimatics models. These spreadsheets can also be used for unit monitoring – weight balancing as well as means to prep the data for third party simulator input. Also, these spreadsheets have become the means for insuring the accuracy of the LP through monthly monitoring. Adding the maintenance component therefore adds an additional area: • The model should reflect the process accurately