Optimizing the use of every resource is both an environmental issue and an economic opportunity for operators. Energy consumption thus represents one to two thirds of a refinery’s total operating costs, depending on its location or year of construction.
As for water resources, 58% of refining and petrochemical sites are in areas subject to medium to extreme water stress.
Axens developed Custom and Efficient Early Design (CEED), relying on its licensor experience and process and technology know-how, in order to help operators improve on-site resources according to their specific priorities and constraints.
The Axens CEED offer is based on the fact that, as Jean Sentenac said at the 2015 MEPEC Conference, for grassroots units: “Basic design is the best moment for an operator to optimize the use of every resource”, thus ensuring that the project is supported by solid foundations.
It is indeed during the early stage of the project, working hand in hand with operators, before basic engineering begins, that Axens experts can define and measure alternate schemes taking every constraint into account. After careful evaluation, operators select the optimum scheme. It is the one that will provide the best possible short-term and long-term return to the plant.
Axens CEED offer can achieve up to 70% water consumption reduction (process water and cooling water) on a hydrocracker unit.
As previously indicated, CEED is applicable to grassroots units. Axens has also applied it to revamping projects, enabling to achieve good results. Axens applied this methodology for the revamp of a VGO FCC complex in a Russian refinery, and proposed 3 tailor-made options to the operator. The chosen option, a deep heat integration impacting the existing equipment, allowed 21% of energy saving per feedstock ton.
Axens actively contributes to addressing environmental challenges on its own production sites, and as a licensor, on customer sites. CEED is therefore fully part of Axens commitment to sustainable development.
