Simulation techniqueS
Honeywell Process Solutions, London, Ont., notes its UniSim simulation solution is in demand in the oil and gas, air separation and plant construction sectors. “Within these there are a number of large segments, for example, oil-and-gas production and treatment, petrochemicals and end products. So include, for example, greenfield design, process optimization and flare analysis,” says Peter F. de Jonge, a Calgary, Alta.based simulation business consultant at the firm.The company has just completed a typical debottlenecking project at Borealis’ main integrated petrochemical complex in Porvoo, Finland. The site includes a cracker for the production of olefins (ethylene, propylene and butadiene), a phenol and aromatics
plant that produces phenol, acetone, benzene and cumene, two polyethylene plants and one polypropyene plant (Figure 1).UniSim helped Borealis debottleneck a plant
expansion. Specific benefits include: a record-fast startup, documented as the best in the history of the Porvoo cracker: ethylene product was on-spec in an
unprecendented three days, ten hours from feed in two days earlier than planned; ramp-up was the best ever recorded, with the new production capacity
target exceeded in just 21 days; average normalized production rate versus boilerplate capacity 45 days after feed in was at 92%, compared with 67% and 57%
for previous turnarounds; flaring losses were 2,000 tonnes less than ever before. Return on investment was significant, with the total value of the start up improvements estimated to be over five times the cost of the simulator.
UniSim also has helped with new controls and procedures at Porvoo. In one case, after a steam loss caused a plant shutdown, the simulator was used to develop a
mitigation practice to allow operations to be maintained if the same thing happened again. Similarly, UniSim has served to test and optimize a new fuel-gas
lineup and controls allowing a flawless hot cutover.Honeywell also is seeing a rise in demand for debottlenecking procedures associated with less tradi-
tional technologies such as shale oil extraction.“In Alberta, for example, there is a lot of growth in steam-assisted gravity drainage. A lot of new plants
are being constructed there with a potential need for debottlenecking in water treatment, oil handling and steam generation. Such processes are very heat inte-
grated, presenting good opportunities for process and capital cost optimization. But this is a very industry specific, localized example,” explains Pete Henderson,
product manager for the simulation business.A less-localized example of increasing demand is in power generation, particularly for new clean coal technologies. “A lot of these essentially involve the gasification of coal and are becoming more like chemical
facilities themselves. There are some different unit operations involved in gasification, some peculiarities, for example, coal crushing and gasification equip-
ment. You also have to consider the hardness of the
coal, its particle characteristics; these are fundamental
things. So UniSim has to move, too,” notes de Jonge.
A urea-granulation debottlenecking project il-
lustrates another new area. Here, the company used
a third-party simulation package but transferred the
operating conditions from a UniSim design. “It’s a very extensible product, which
makes it very customizable,” adds
Henderson.
Honeywell Process Solutions, London, Ont., notes its UniSim simulation solution is in demand in the oil and gas, air separation and plant construction sectors. “Within these there are a number of large segments, for example, oil-and-gas production and treatment, petrochemicals and end products. So include, for example, greenfield design, process optimization and flare analysis,” says Peter F. de Jonge, a Calgary, Alta.based simulation business consultant at the firm.The company has just completed a typical debottlenecking project at Borealis’ main integrated petrochemical complex in Porvoo, Finland. The site includes a cracker for the production of olefins (ethylene, propylene and butadiene), a phenol and aromatics
plant that produces phenol, acetone, benzene and cumene, two polyethylene plants and one polypropyene plant (Figure 1).UniSim helped Borealis debottleneck a plant
expansion. Specific benefits include: a record-fast startup, documented as the best in the history of the Porvoo cracker: ethylene product was on-spec in an
unprecendented three days, ten hours from feed in two days earlier than planned; ramp-up was the best ever recorded, with the new production capacity
target exceeded in just 21 days; average normalized production rate versus boilerplate capacity 45 days after feed in was at 92%, compared with 67% and 57%
for previous turnarounds; flaring losses were 2,000 tonnes less than ever before. Return on investment was significant, with the total value of the start up improvements estimated to be over five times the cost of the simulator.
UniSim also has helped with new controls and procedures at Porvoo. In one case, after a steam loss caused a plant shutdown, the simulator was used to develop a
mitigation practice to allow operations to be maintained if the same thing happened again. Similarly, UniSim has served to test and optimize a new fuel-gas
lineup and controls allowing a flawless hot cutover.Honeywell also is seeing a rise in demand for debottlenecking procedures associated with less tradi-
tional technologies such as shale oil extraction.“In Alberta, for example, there is a lot of growth in steam-assisted gravity drainage. A lot of new plants
are being constructed there with a potential need for debottlenecking in water treatment, oil handling and steam generation. Such processes are very heat inte-
grated, presenting good opportunities for process and capital cost optimization. But this is a very industry specific, localized example,” explains Pete Henderson,
product manager for the simulation business.A less-localized example of increasing demand is in power generation, particularly for new clean coal technologies. “A lot of these essentially involve the gasification of coal and are becoming more like chemical
facilities themselves. There are some different unit operations involved in gasification, some peculiarities, for example, coal crushing and gasification equip-
ment. You also have to consider the hardness of the
coal, its particle characteristics; these are fundamental
things. So UniSim has to move, too,” notes de Jonge.
A urea-granulation debottlenecking project il-
lustrates another new area. Here, the company used
a third-party simulation package but transferred the
operating conditions from a UniSim design. “It’s a very extensible product, which
makes it very customizable,” adds
Henderson.
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