Refining And Processing: KBC Reinvents Process Simulation With Petro-SIM 5

KBC Advanced Technologies plc (“KBC”) is pleased to announce the launch of the Petro-SIMTM 5 process simulator. This marks an unprecedented leap in value and innovation for the hydrocarbon processing industry with a new, modern, user-centric interface and a simple KBC brand that showcases a number of industry firsts:

•  Cumulative scenarios to model a processing facility over its expected life, with decision making ability that tests investments and capacity against changing conditions over time in the same simulation (e.g. declining reservoir feeds inupstream oil and gas and crude selection changes in refining). This will unlock millions of dollars of value in capital and operating efficiency currently hidden and lost due to the way other process simulators only allow for a single dimension model.
•  The inclusion of Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation technology to allow users to customise their Petro-SIM modelling experience with their own design standards or methods and share them collaboratively with an asset or project team. This technology will decrease simulation time dramatically, allowing more time for the analysis of facility performance and plans.
•  Easier quality assurance of a process design or simulation model with defined workflow conditions and reporting, leading to fewer mistakes in process design work and more knowledge transfer between experienced professionals and starters in the industry.
•  Embedded market-leading KBC/Infochem Multiflash technology enhancing the strength of the thermodynamics packages in Petro-SIM, and immediately giving users “at hand” capability to study hydrate formation and optimise antifreeze circuits in upstream and midstream applications where over injection of inhibitors costs millions of dollars in bottom line performance.
•  Significant advances in the KBC SIM reactor technology for refining, offering the only refinery-wide capability that includes time and composition change-based poisoning of catalysts and customisation to company design, calibration and operating standards.
•  Simple, flexible ‘one model, many modes, one price’ licensing to make implementation easier and more affordable.

“I am thrilled to be associated with and announce the launch of the groundbreaking Petro-SIM 5 platform today," said Andrew Howell, Managing Director of Technology at KBC. "KBC’s Petro-SIM process simulation platform now delivers easily the best value in the market of steady state and dynamic process simulators, and the biggest advance in the industry in over twenty years. With a new, modern usability paradigm using ribbon bars, the inclusion of time series cumulative scenarios and accumulations to execute future facility expansions or operating strategies in one model, the ability to add your own design specifications or workflows to customise your simulation, and the inclusion of a new fluids environment based on our award-winning Multiflash PVT technology, KBC is reinventing process simulation.”

“We have listened to the needs of the industry for more innovation and simple licensing, and our promise is to deliver the best value for money and most exciting user experience in the industry. For the Upstream production facilities market, we deliver facility models that understand your field plans, and in Refining we are the only provider of refinery-wide modelling using your own standards,” added Andrew.

As an independent process knowledge provider, Billington Process Technology AS (BPT) in Norway has enjoyed being a beta tester of the new Petro-SIM 5 simulation software. Per Billington, President of BPT, commented, “A step change has occurred in the world of steady state simulation tools. With the inclusion of time series scenarios and accumulations, not only is less time required for building and re-using models, but also the need for large numbers of cases and time consuming data post processing has almost vanished. As a result more, and improved, evaluations may be executed in less time, allowing improved focus and decisions on the development of real world solutions and facility options. The oil and gas industry has called for higher attention on efficiency. This is one groundbreaking way of meeting this challenge. Excellent work, KBC!”