CASE STUDY
PETROLEUM REFINING
Valero Implements APC Solution to Manage Stock Switches,
Reducing Product Downgrades by $400M Per Year
PETROLEUM REFINING
Leading refiner deploys Aspen DMCplus and
realizes a 75 percent improvement in time to
complete stock switches, increasing the unit’s
charge rate by 10 percent.
®
North America’s largest independent petroleum refiner and marketer
based in San Antonio, Texas, Valero Energy Corporation supplies fuel
and products via 15 refineries and 10 ethanol plants stretching from
California to Canada to the Caribbean.
Valero observed a number of problems with the way stock switches
were managed in the Paulsboro refinery complex furfural unit. This
particular unit manages six different stock numbers, thirty different
switch combinations per crude type, and more than four different crude
types with stock switches occurring one to two times per week per unit.
To improve the efficiency and consistency of stock switches at the
furfural unit, Valero turned to Aspen DMCplus. In addition to gaining
greater control of stock switches, the company wanted to improve
the unit’s overall profitability and stability. Aspen DMCplus met their
objectives, reducing product downgrades by more than $400Mper year
and delivering more stable operations overall.
INCONSISTENCY DETERS OVERALL PROFITABILITY AND
STABILITY
Valero lacked a consistent method for switching stocks. The time
required to complete a switch varied considerably from stock to stock
and operator to operator. Slow stock switches led to degraded product
quality due to unstable operations, which in turn reduced profitability.
The complexity of managing the switches also created an issue for new
board operators.
CUSTOMER PROFILE - Valero Energy Corporation – Petroleum Refining
CHALLENGE
CASE STUDY
Improve the efficiency and consistency of stock switches on the furfural unit.
BENEFITS
• Improve productivity by 75 percent, switching all stocks within a 2-hour window
• Reduce product downgrades by more than $400M/year
SOLUTION
Aspen DMCplus for improved management of stock switches.
• Increase unit charge rate by 10 percent
• Eliminate under-carry or carryover during stock switches
• Maintain unit operations within environmental limits
Valero Implements APC Solution to Manage Stock Switches,
Reducing Product Downgrades by $400M Per Year
PETROLEUM REFINING
SAVING TIME AND IMPROVING PROFITABILITY WITH
ASPEN DMCPLUS
Valero selected Aspen DMCplus to address these challenges. In addition
to improving switch management, Aspen DMCplus enables Valero to
improve the unit’s overall profitability, as well as to increase the unit’s
charge rate by 10 percent, provide greater O2 control of raffinate and
extract heaters, and reduce transition and stop time during switches.
In addition, Valero was able to reduce product downgrades by more
$400M per year.
The solution also enables Valero to improve the unit’s stability by
improving control of the RDC interface level, predicting and reacting to
level changes, and correcting changes due to disturbances.
Aspen DMCplus facilitated significant productivity improvement
in the time required to complete stock switches. In fact, all stock
switches under Aspen DMCplus control are now completed within two
hours rather than the average of eight hours. And easier switching by
operators leads to consistent results with no under-carry or carryover
during stock switches.
Before and after charts show the difference when implementing
Aspen DMCplus during stock switches.
CASE STUDY
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS DELIVER FURTHER VALUE
In addition to shortening the switch time, Valero also improved control
of the heater firing duty, enabling them to maintain unit operations
within environmental limits. Aspen DMCplus allows Valero to push
charge rates closer to limits without violating constraints, significantly
reducing the standard deviation of fired heater operation.
Valero Implements APC Solution to Manage Stock Switches,
Reducing Product Downgrades by $400M Per Year
PETROLEUM REFINING
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