US 2012/0083914 A1Published application

Modeling tool for planning the operation of refineries

AssigneeExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company

InventorsGary R. KOCIS, Philip H. WARRICK, Victor P. DePAOLA

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Abstract

A modeling tool for determining the operation of a production facility. A variety of different activities can be modeled by the present invention, including (a) feed material selection, including quantity and timing, (b) product sales, including quantity and timing, (c) process operations, including process conditions and timing, (d) blending operations, including process conditions and timing, and/or (e) inventory management. The modeling tool may represent time using continuous-time, discrete-time, asynchronous time periods, synchronous time periods, and combinations of these various approaches.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for operating a production facility comprising:

(a) constructing a mathematical model of the production facility, wherein the mathematical model includes a representation of a first non-tank production entity, a second non-tank production entity, and a tank production entity;
wherein the first non-tank production entity is represented by a submodel containing a set of equations that model the behavior of the first non-tank production entity, the number of equations in the submodel being related to the number of operational time intervals for the first non-tank production entity;
wherein the second non-tank production entity is represented by a submodel containing a set of equations that model the behavior of the second non-tank production entity, the number of equations in the submodel being related to the number of operational time intervals for the second non-tank production entity;
wherein the tank entity is represented by a submodel containing a set of equations that model the behavior of the tank entity, the number of equations in the submodel being related to the number of operational time intervals for the first non-tank production entity and the number of operational time intervals for the second non-tank production entity;
(b) solving the mathematical model to obtain solution results for the first non-tank production entity, the second non-tank production entity, and the tank entity;
(c) using the solution results to determine an operational plan for the production facility;
and
(d) operating the production facility according to the operational plan.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/007,877Filed 17 Jan 2011
Priority: 5 Oct 2010
Published: 5 Apr 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G05B 13/04
Electric: involving the use of models or simulators
G05B 17/02
Systems involving the use of models or simulators of said systems: electric
G06F 30/20
Computer-aided design [CAD]: design optimisation, verification or simulation
G05B
Control or regulating systems in general

Family

Application61/389,965Us provisional application · filed 5 Oct 2010
US 8,788,068 B2Related patent
US 2012/0083914 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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