Plant Optimization in the Process Industries: Incorporating Equipment/Assets in the Decision-Making Process

Optimize asset decisions and improve the financial and technical operation of process plants

The process industries, particularly the refining and petrochemical industries, are comprised of capital-intensive business whose assets are valued in the trillions. Optimizing the function of refining and petrochemical plants is therefore not simply a process decision, but a business one, with even small improvements in efficiency potentially providing enormous margins. There is an urgent need for businesses to assess how the asset side of process industry production can be optimized.

Plant Optimization in the Process Industries offers a pioneering asset-focused approach to plant optimization. Optimization of operating values within a processing unit is a developed area of technology with a wide and varied literature; little attention has been paid to the asset side, making this a groundbreaking and invaluable work. Outlining a multi-tiered approach to financial optimization which adjusts the variables of a statistical asset model, this volume has the potential to revolutionize businesses and generate record profit margins.

Readers will also find:

• Comparison and constraint of different technologies on the process and asset side of the industry
• Detailed discussion of Monte Carlo modeling and the basic functioning of constrained, non-linear optimization technology
• A real-world case study followed through the book to facilitate understanding

This book is ideal for professionals who manage, design, operate, and maintain process industry facilities, particularly those in the hydrocarbon and chemical industries, as well as any asset-intensive industry.

Marty Moran is a chemical engineer who has concentrated his career on using advanced computer technology in the areas of Advanced Process Control, Asset Management/Reliability, and Plant Optimization to improve the financial and technical operation of process plants Mr. Moran holds a US patent for multivariable control. He has more than 35 years of experience and has worked for companies such as Setpoint, Continental Controls, AspenTech, Meridium, and Sadara, as well as his own personal consulting business.