Developing A Comprehensive Performance Measurement Model of Sustainability Particular for Oil Refining Sector

The oil refining industry has a fundamental role, due to the fact that this industry plays an integral role in international trade, assists in catering the global demand for energy, contributes to energy security and encourages economic development in countries. Despite its integral nature, the threats the oil refining industry is imposing on the environment and the community cannot be overlooked. In order to maintain its position in the market and to be able to meet the competitive needs of the international market, the oil refining industry should work to find balance in its economic, environmental and social responsibilities. It is significant to note that doing this poses a challenge since each dimension requires efficient monitoring and management. This necessitates adopting a performance measurement system that can assist in tracking and evaluating companies’ performance from a sustainability perspective. This research has included reviews of past studies and conducted exploratory interviews in order to gain in-depth insight from both academics and industry practitioners with regards to performance measurement models of sustainability adopted for the oil refining sector. This leads to the realization that there are insufficient existing performance measurement models capable of successfully integrating sustainability alongside the primary properties of the oil refining sector and addressing the global challenges and trends affecting the industry.As a result, this research aims to address the identified gaps and limitations in the previous studies. This will be achieved through developing a performance measurement model that is comprehensive so as to be capable of integrating the three pillars of sustainability, incorporating the oil refining properties and addressing the current global challenges affecting the industry.The thesis has incorporated mixed methods in gathering the data and 4 phases were incorporated. The first phase includes conducting a critical review and exploratory interview to identify the research gap from the academic and practitioners’ perspectives. The second phase includes an extended literature review to develop a performance measurement theoretical model from a sustainability perspective and developing a theoretical framework which also sets out procedures, barriers, benefits and drawbacks. Next, the third phase includes an empirical study on the Egyptian oil refining sector through a focus group questionnaire which seeks to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model. Finally, the fourth phase includes a survey, distributed globally, to test the applicability of the developed model and gather opinions on a global scale.The findings have shown that the existing models lacked the ability to provide a thorough assessment of the performance for oil refining companies. In contrast, the proposed model is expected to have the capability to be able to evaluate the performance of oil refining companies in a comprehensive way. This is achieved by incorporating a broader set of KPIs that align with sustainability goals when compared to existing models, which more typically reflect oil refining characteristics and addresses the current global challenges. One of the strengths of this study is the identification of limitations in the existing models. Extending from this, this study was able to provide comprehensive measurable indicators that have the ability to meet the sustainability goals and to meet the current global challenges. Furthermore, from a practical perspective, it is also expected to offer guidance to oil refining companies with regard to evaluating their sustainability performance and suggesting a roadmap for implementing the proposed model. Overall, the proposed model has the potential to assist oil refining companies in assessing their sustainability performance and providing recommendations for improvements. This will, in turn, reinforce companies’ market presence and enable them to remain competitive within the complex and changing global environment

Implementation and performance assessment of a real-time optimization system on a virtual fluidized-bed catalytic-cracking plant

This thesis develops and evaluates RTO implementation in a FCCU virtual plant, taking into account each RTO stage (noise elimination, steady-state detection, data validation, parameter estimation, and optimization). The dynamic data to carry out this analysis were obtained from an FCCU virtual plant based on a dynamic deterministic model developed in Matlab®. The model output data were contaminated with Gaussian and gross errors to simulate measurements from a real plant. For denoising, steady-state detection, data reconciliation, parameter estimation, and optimization, different strategies and algorithms were studied and assessed, while a decentralized PID was proposed for the control system. Finally, the most appropriate strategies for the case study were implemented and their performance was fully evaluated.Resumen: Esta tesis desarrolla y evalúa la implementación de la RTO en una planta virtual de FCCU, teniendo en cuenta cada etapa de una RTO (eliminación de ruido, detección de estado estable, validación de datos, estimación de parámetros y optimización). Los datos dinámicos para llevar a cabo este análisis se obtuvieron de una planta virtual de FCCU basada en un modelo determinista dinámico desarrollado en Matlab®. Los datos de salida del modelo se contaminaron con error de Gauss y error grueso para simular mediciones de una planta real. Para la eliminación de ruido, la detección de estado estable, la reconciliación de datos, la estimación de parámetros y la optimización, se estudiaron y evaluaron diferentes estrategias y algoritmos, mientras que para el sistema de control se propuso un PID descentralizado. Finalmente, se implementaron las estrategias más apropiadas para el estudio de caso y se evaluó su desempeño en conjunto.Maestrí

Kinetic modelling simulation and optimal operation of fluid catalytic cracking of crude oil: Hydrodynamic investigation of riser gas phase compressibility factor, kinetic parameter estimation strategy and optimal yields of propylene, diesel and gasoline in fluid catalytic cracking unit

The Fluidized Catalytic Cracking (FCC) is known for its ability to convert refinery wastes into useful fuels such as gasoline, diesel and some lighter products such as ethylene and propylene, which are major building blocks for the polyethylene and polypropylene production. It is the most important unit of the refinery. However, changes in quality, nature of crude oil blends feedstock, environmental changes and the desire to obtain higher profitability, lead to many alternative operating conditions of the FCC riser. There are two major reactors in the FCC unit: the riser and the regenerator. The production objective of the riser is the maximisation of gasoline and diesel, but it can also be used to maximise products like propylene, butylene etc. For the regenerator, it is for regeneration of spent or deactivated catalyst. To realise these objectives, mathematical models of the riser, disengage-stripping section, cyclones and regenerator were adopted from the literature and modified, and then used on the gPROMS model builder platform to make a virtual form of the FCC unit. A new parameter estimation technique was developed in this research and used to estimate new kinetic parameters for a new six lumps kinetic model based on an industrial unit. Research outputs have resulted in the following major products’ yields: gasoline (plant; 47.31 wt% and simulation; 48.63 wt%) and diesel (plant; 18.57 wt% and simulation; 18.42 wt%) and this readily validates the new estimation methodology as well as the kinetic parameters estimated. The same methodology was used to estimate kinetic parameters for a new kinetic reaction scheme that considered propylene as a single lump. The yield of propylene was found to be 4.59 wt%, which is consistent with published data. For the first time, a Z-factor correlation analysis was used in the riser simulation to improve the hydrodynamics. It was found that different Z factor correlations predicted different riser operating pressures (90 – 279 kPa) and temperatures as well as the riser products. The Z factor correlation of Heidaryan et al. (2010a) was found to represent the condition of the riser, and depending on the catalyst-to-oil ratio, this ranges from 1.06 at the inlet of the riser to 0.92 at the exit. Optimisation was carried out to maximise gasoline, propylene in the riser and minimise CO2 in the regenerator. An increase of 4.51% gasoline, 8.93 wt.% increase in propylene as a single lump and 5.24 % reduction of carbon dioxide emission were achieved. Finally, varying the riser diameter was found to have very little effect on the yields of the riser products

PETROLEUM REFINING

If there is to be a thorough understanding of petroleum and the associated technologies, it is essential that the definitions and the terminology of petroleum science and technology be given prime consideration (Meyer and DeWitt, 1990; Speight, 2014a). This will aid in a better understanding of petroleum, its constituents, and its various fractions. Of the many forms of terminology that have been used not all have survived, but the more commonly used are illustrated here. Particularly troublesome, and more confusing, are those terms that are applied to the more viscous materials, for example, the use of the terms “bitumen” and “asphalt.” This part of the text attempts to alleviate much of the confusion that exists, but it must be remembered that the terminology of petroleum is still open to personal choice and historical usage