Erdölchemie Standardizes on Process Perfecter
The agreement follows a gas-phase polyethylene optimization project that achieved record production levels at Erdölchemie's plant in Worringen. The facility uses BP's Innovene gas-phase technology. Erdölchemie says Pavilion's Process Perfecter APC and Property Predictor virtual online analyzer boosted production 10%, more than twice the 3-5% gain it anticipated from the project.
Process Benefits
Process Perfecter also reduced disturbance, reactor variance, and transition time savings, and increased production. BP Amoco, which licenses the Innovene process to Erdölchemie and other companies, expects other licensees will also benefit from Pavilion technologies.
"We have seen a real change in our operation and operating strategy since the Pavilion installation," says Erdölchemie plant manager Michael Muller. "In November, our team produced the largest amount of polyethylene ever produced in a single month on a BP- licensed gas phase reactor."
"Production levels for all grades of LLDPE are topping 200% of the original design capacity for the first time," he continues. "We're saving raw material due to reduced transition time, and we're producing 500 to 1000 additional tons per year of prime production. Catalyst consumption has also reached an all-time low, running at just 15% of the original design capacity.
These improvements paid for the project in only a few months. "Furthermore, our new understanding of the operating window we can achieve, with stable control, is continuing to yield non-APC related improvements in our plant," he adds.
Erdölchemie also teamed with Pavilion to develop a new predictive control scheme that addresses reactor fouling and product buildup, common problems in gas-phase reactors.
Process Perfecter
Muller says Erdölchemie chose Pavilion for the first project because of its polymer experience and the track record of Process Perfecter, its neural-network based universal controller, to deliver proven gains across polymer processes.
Process Perfecter uses both linear and nonlinear predictive modeling to enforce process constraints and optimize plant operations based on production, quality, and economic objectives. The gas-phase project used Pavilion's Process Perfecter APC and several modules from its Property Predictor virtual online analyzer.
In January, Pavilion and BP formed a strategic alliance that covers development of configured software solutions for BP Amoco process licensees. The alliance will initially focus on the polyolefins business. Under a new agreement, Erdölchemie will apply Pavilion technology to optimize the world's largest autoclave reactor.
Erdölchemie, which employs 2200 people, produces more than 3.5 million mt/yr of chemicals. About 35% of its output, mostly naphtha-based chemicals, goes to Bayer as raw materials. Bayer sells an additional 35% on an agency basis. In May, BP Amoco announced that it would buy Bayer's 50% share of the business.
Established in 1991, privately held Pavilion supplies enterprise-wide optimization software. It has implemented more than 1700 software products worldwide.
Edited by Alan S. Brown