OREANDA-NEWS. June 18, 2012. On 29-30 May 2012, the open session of science & technology board of Gazprom neftekhim Salavat was held to discuss modeling, operating and optimization of ethylene outputs as focal points. Among participants of the conference were Sibur-Khimprom CJSC,  Sayanskkhimplast OJSC,  Sibur-Neftekhim OJSC, Sibur-Kstovo LLC, Kazanorgsintez OJSC, Tomskneftekhim LLC, Novourengoysky GKhK LLC, Bashneft ANK OJSC, Ufaorgsintez OJSC, Polimir Plant of Naftan OJSC as well as TechnipBenelux, TopnirSystemsSAS, Yokogawa Electric SNG LLC.

Selection of better raw materials, lower energy consumption and higher product yields without changes to process flow and scheduled shutdowns of units were determined by participants as indicators of efficient performance of plants. These features combined will favorably affect by reducing product costs, and namely improving of economic figures by producers and positively developing the industry.

“Everyone wants to get higher margin by lower investments. Development of the economy including the petrochemistry is based on principle where more efficient facilities with high startup costs are paid back in shorter time and could bring the maximum margin.  Such conferences bring awareness of new technologies to us and with skipping official reviews allow communicating with people directly involved in the described processes, searching bottlenecks and jointly clearing them with companies.     There is a mutually beneficial cooperation between designers and plant operators”, Alexey Gorokhov, shop manager of Polimir’s olefin production facility of Naftan OJSC, said.

During the conference, the attendees could share their experience of using IT systems, which implementation is an optimum premise to improve operation of pyrolysis plants nowadays. They allow automatic selection of feed stock consumption rate, regulation of temperature conditions, forecast of ethylene yield, and exclusion of product losses, simulation and determination of the most efficient parameters for steam crackers operation.

One of such IT systems is used at Monomer Plant by Gazprom neftekhim Salavat JSC to improve the Ethylene/Propylene facility EP-300. During the conference, the company’s specialists told about their experience of using such system. They emphasized that in the timeframe from start-up of the system the production became more automated and safe, and that means more efficient.

“Today, all production facilities in Europe are equipped with software systems aimed to improve efficiency of operation and reduce production costs. This was done at our premises three years ago. By that time, under company’s Master’s program were graduated masters which could have become familiar with this software in a short time and now, we can see the contribution to improvement of production processes, reduction of costs at ethylene plants and their downstream facilities, “ put particular emphasis Alexey Zadorin, Deputy General Director on R&D of Gazprom neftekhim Salavat JSC.

In autumn 2012, Gazprom neftekhim Salavat JSC is intending to implement a software system that allows conducting on-line pyrolysis process optimization.