A North American Refining Corporation engaged Trindent to optimize gasoline blending at one of the largest and most complex refineries in the world, based on our proven successes in giveaway reduction through improvements in the blending value chain and behavioral adjustments at all level of client personnel.

HOW WE MADE IT HAPPEN

Planning & Scheduling Improvement

• Achieved a reduction of 0.5 ON and savings of $17 MM by developing robust regression models to predict uplift in properties upon ethanol additional and dynamically optimizing neat targets to minimize quality giveaway.
• Maximized value of domestic products by securing ancillary credits and optimizing recipes through the operational distribution of sulfur, olefins, and aromatics achieving $5.7 MM by reducing sulfur by 2.0 ppm.
• Implemented a platform for key stakeholders to review blend performance, identify root causes of the high giveaway, discuss opportunities to minimize quality giveaway and ensure awareness at all levels.
• Built state of the art tools by leveraging multiple programming languages and software for performance tracking and monitoring, which improved prediction accuracy to support process and behavioral changes

Measurement Excellence

• Developed a gravimetric Ethanol Hand-Blend Preparation Procedure to minimize the variance of the ethanol blended into gasoline, improve accuracy and generate savings of $4.5 MM
  Installed a tracker to reduce 3rd party testing variation and an escalation process to reduce unnecessary planning buffer and generate $1.2 MM
  Optimized laboratory testing schedule to increase gasoline component testing frequency and promote adoption of best practices in sampling

Operations Excellence

• Developed a performance dashboard tool to track collective variance from targets and implemented a cross- functional review process, resulting in 0.17 ON and 0.28 psi of reduced giveaway and $13 MM savings.
• Leveraged Trindent’s expertise in PI AF to develop real- time blend management tools and control charts to support giveaway reduction decision-making and behavioral changes.
• Developed a dynamic, interactive blend process guideline and tool standardizing pre-blend, during blend monitoring, and blend closure procedures to reduce blend execution variability.
• Designed a comprehensive training program for blenders and shift supervisors in partnership with the client via direct and remote platforms.

“Trindent team was key in building bridges between local operating groups and helping to ensure effective communication around the gasoline blending process at the refinery. These efforts will allow us to continue to capture value going forward and sustain the many improvements enabled by the engagement team.”

– Product Control Manager