Refining Structures Optimization

CATEGORY: REFINERY PLANNING

EngOpt 2012 – 3rd International Conference on Engineering Optimization, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 01 - 05 July 2012.

Refining Structures Optimization

M. A. Beltrán Marín 1, V. Kafarov 2, C. A. Mahecha Bohorquez 3

kafarov@uis.edu.co

cesaraugusto.mahecha@ecopetrol.com.co

1 Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), Research Center for Sustainable Development in Industry and Energy - CIDES,

Bucaramanga, Colombia, mianbem@gmail.com

2 Professor of chemistry engineering, UIS. Research Center CIDES

3 Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos (ECOPETROL S.A.)-ICP, Bucaramanga, Colombia

Abstract

Optimization techniques applied to the oil industry have been developed at different levels of design, planning and scheduling, and at different scales (macro, meso and micro scale). These techniques deal with environmental issues, operation optimization and energy analysis. Moreover, they consider several factors, from an economic perspective, since their goal could be: maximization of profits, net present value, IRR (Internal Rate Revenue), and minimization of different cost types. To achieve these goals, different programming techniques are used, including: mixed integer linear programming (MILP), mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP), generalized disjunctive programming (DGP), Benders decomposition, and cutting plane method, and so on.

Authors discuss various financial criteria used at macro scale for design and planning of refineries in order to compile the main financial criteria used in literature on refining structures optimization,. It could be applied on further works focusing on selecting alternative investment in petrochemical refining structures.

Introduction

The optimization of refining schemes is based upon process synthesis. This paper uses mathematical programming approach and a financial criteria analysis, used for synthesis and planning considering mainly MILP optimization models. Initially, there is a revision of previous works supporting process design focused on mathematical programming, where the incorporation of logic-based methods are observed, promoting the definition and the use of superstructures. Besides, those works show term definitions such as: State Tasks Network STN, State Equipment Network SEN, Disjunctive Normal Form DNF, Conjunctive Normal Form CFN, Value on Processing VOP, Cost of Production COP, among others. Moreover, some relevant works on financial criteria are also studied, specifically those where a vast quantity of options for the selection of a financial criterion is observed. Finally, works on optimization of oil refining schemes at synthesis and planning levels are collected; where the objective function for each one of the cases is given a careful attention.

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