Nowadays, refinery operations must be optimized in order to cope with the increasing costs ofproducing within specifications and with variable feedstock. Simulation software is afundamental tool for optimizing the refinery and increasing its margins.Traditionally, in order to define the optimal raw material to be purchased, refinery margins aremaximised using Linear Programming (LP) tools. Nevertheless, daily refinery optimizationrequires the use of more rigorous models that take into account operating constraints andnon-linear behavior of the process units. Hence, rigorous simulation software complementsthe LP and plays a significant role in improving the efficiency of the refinery.This paper addresses the use of rigorous simulation software (Petro-SIM) for optimizing thedaily operations in Petronor, subsidiary company of Repsol YPF, near Bilbao in northernSpain.Petro-SIM is a comprehensive rigorous simulator that allows modeling of an entire refineryfrom crude feed to finished product blending. The use of global models that integrate differentrefinery units, allows analysis of their inter-dependencies, which provides a strong foundationto support the daily planning of refinery operations. Furthermore, Petro-SIM is also used toimprove the accuracy of the LP model and to optimize the operations of refinery units.The rigorous refinery-wide model of the Petronor refinery predicts yields and qualities fromrefinery units for each crude change. It also calculates other important variables such ascolumn cut points or blending recipes. Results of those predictions are sent to Operations,and used to set initial targets until actual product quality data comes from the laboratory.Since the crude basket changes every few days, the availability of the simulation resultsenhances operation and significantly increases the refinery margin.
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