Posted by Mumbai: Indian energy major BPCL and AspenTech Inc., USA signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday. This MoU aims to integrate AspenTech’s process simulation solution with BPCL’s BPMARRK software.
This integration will enable the generation of complete assay data within a fraction of the time compared to traditional laboratory methods. Assay, a comprehensive chemical analysis of crude oil, plays a vital role in predicting the volume and quality of refined products resulting from refining processes.
BPCL’s BPMARRK technology predicts a detailed crude oil assay for any unknown crude oil within an impressive timeframe of 2 to 5 minutes, utilizing just four physical parameters as input. By providing comprehensive crude characteristics, the tool empowers refiners to anticipate the volume and quality of refined products with utmost accuracy.
During the MoU signing event, BPCL also unveiled K Model – an innovative web-based software that enables swift and precise prediction of crude oil blend compatibility and optimisation for any number of crude oils within minutes.
K Model enables refiners to select the most suitable crude oil blend based on economics, availability, and processing feasibility in real time. This allows for the simultaneous evaluation of multiple blend options, enabling optimal decision-making.
According to Sanjay Khanna, Director (Refineries) of BPCL, refiners often process a mix of crude oils, for which accurate assay is not available on a real-time basis.
“Variations in crude quality as well as lack of reliable crude assay information makes the task of real-time optimization extremely challenging if not impossible,” said Khanna.
“BPMARRK generates the entire assay within one hour as compared to several weeks through conventional laboratory methods, and it predicts detailed crude oil assay with more than 500 data information of any unknown crude oil within 2-5 minutes making it extremely useful for real-time applications,” added Khanna.
Dr Ravi Kumar V., Head (R&D) of BPCL said, “BPMARRK will benefit our community of users with faster and more accurate decision-making for the characteridation of crudes and maximise the refinery profitability.”
“AspenTech is pleased to expand its long-standing partnership with BPCL to ensure operational excellence and generate sustainability advances from more informed feedstock selections and value additions to its accurate processing in crude distillation units. In addition, the integrated solution will enable real-time decisions in response to changing operating conditions,” Sunil Patil, Senior Director – Solution Consulting, Aspen Technology.
Combining BPMARRK software with Aspen Technology’s digital twin models will revolutionise crude oil sourcing and real-time optimization. The integrated solution can be seamlessly implemented in any refinery configuration, empowering real-time applications across the industry.