Honeywell Hi-Spec is a Winner at Caltex Australia for Gasoline Blending

An existing gasoline-blending system, less than four years old, is being replaced by the Blend Property Control (BPC) program, a product of Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions (Phoenix, AZ). The changeover is occurring at Caltex Australia's Lytton Refinery (Queensland).

"The problem with our current blend optimization system is that our requirements are not met in the product we bought, and we are faced with the support of custom software which is still not working successfully." explains Mike Shellshear, a control engineer at Lytton.

BPC is part of Hi-Spec Solutions' Oil Movements and Storage (OM&S) integrated suite of product blending and management software. BPC, used in more than 30 installations worldwide, selects available blend components in real time to produce the most cost-effective blend of gasoline possible. It uses non-linear optimization technology to determine the optimum blend recipe at any time. In cooperation with other OM&S modules, the optimum recipe is then produced automatically. Corrections and adjustments are continuously made as new component quality and availability information is exchanged with BPC.

"We will start this project with a site survey to ensure all Lytton's requirements are met using the BPC package," comments Mike. "Through the site survey, we will ensure an appropriate balance between our needs and standard product offerings. Gasoline blending represents a good economic opportunity for us to improve quality control. We already have other working OM&S modules from Honeywell and anticipate a successful implementation of their BPC package."

The Lytton refinery is a 100,000-bbl/d complex, running sweet imported and local crudes, producing a full range of high quality fuel products. The refinery includes a continuous reformer, catalytic cracker, HF alkylation, polymerization, and isomerization units. It produces a full range of gasoline components, and both leaded and unleaded gasoline, to a variety of specifications for both the local and export markets.

Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions is the leading supplier of Business Optimization applications software and services to the process industries. Hi-Spec Solutions is the Advanced Applications Business Unit of Honeywell Industrial Control.

Edited by Nick Basta

For more information: Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions, 325 Rolling Oaks Dr., Thousand Oaks, CA 91361. Tel: 805-496-6661.