Plant safety, reliability and profitability improved

Improvements to market-leading dynamic simulation software drive operational excellence

Invensys Operations Management has issued the newest release of its SimSci-Esscor® dynamic simulation software. Version 5.0 of the company’s DYNSIM® software contains many additional features that expand its capabilities, improve its performance, lower total cost of ownership, extend usage and greatly reduce the time required to engineer and build process models.

“DYNSIM 5.0 offers functionality far beyond traditional simulation software, including new patent-pending code to handle start-up and shutdown sequences robustly and efficiently,” said Tobias Scheele, Ph.D., vice president, advanced applications at Invensys Operations Management. “The new code greatly improves the performance of our DYNSIM software and realistically depicts plant conditions while maintaining full rigorous modeling. Simply stated, the software helps manufacturers meet the dynamic challenges of designing, commissioning, controlling and operating a process plant safely, reliably and profitably.”

DYNSIM software is a rigorous, first-principle dynamic simulator that predicts the time-dependent behavior of industrial processes. A well designed DYNSIM model accurately depicts the same hydraulic, heat transfer and other equipment constraints as the actual plant and provides a single scalable application that can help companies reduce capital costs, improve plant design, trim commissioning time, increase asset availability and train and certify control room and field operators in a safe environment.

Dynamic simulation studies that are commonly performed with DYNSIM software include distillation column relief load reduction, compressor startup and surge analysis, de-pressuring analysis, refinery steam control and flare system analysis. To accelerate the learning curve, version 5.0 also adds functionality from its DYNSIM Power software offering, such as an enhanced compressor and expander models, as well as pipeline models from its PIPEPHASE® software, including two-phase flow modeling, acceleration pressure drop modeling and a global pipeline database.

Oil and Gas flow software

Integration with oil & gas reservoir simulator helps clients achieve productivity excellence

Invensys Operations Management has announced the release of its SimSci-Esscor PIPEPHASE™ 9.4 software for rigorous modeling of steady-state, multiphase flow in oil and gas networks and pipeline systems. The updated PIPEPHASE release improves the ability to manage oil and gas reservoirs using enhanced subsurface well modeling functions and an interface with GEM™, one of the leading reservoir simulation software applications from Computer Modeling Group Ltd (CMG).

Accurate modeling of oil and gas reservoirs allows producers to achieve productivity excellence, as well as manage and extract more of these vital resources. The PIPEPHASE 9.4 software delivers comprehensive modeling capabilities that create a unified well profile by linking subsurface wellbore links and allowing multiple tubing connections and custom data entry of well depths. It also integrates with GEM to simulate CO2 sequestration and oil recovery from depleted fields, providing a fully coupled surface network-to-reservoir simulation solution for the market.

"An important aspect of improving profitability and performance is increasing oil recovery from depleted fields," said Joe McMullen, product manager, Invensys Operations Management. "The link between PIPEPHASE and GEM enables rigorous and accurate modeling of enhanced oil-recovery processes. And as new oil-recovery methods are examined, our solution will help our customers efficiently and economically develop and manage their resources, as well as improve the productivity of their overall operations."

SimSci-Esscor simulation software provides the basis of solutions for oil producers worldwide, enabling them to get more from their assets in a safer manner. PIPEPHASE 9.4 simulation software combines the power of Invensys' fluid flow simulation with CMG's reservoir simulation, enabling customers to manage their assets more effectively and profitably.

Refinery margins improved by up to 25 cents per barrell!

Invensys Operations Management has released its Refinery-wide Performance Optimisation Solution. The company has leveraged and integrated multiple technologies from its solutions portfolio to deliver different aspects of real-time business operations management to the refining industry. From simple control loop performance management and rigorous unit optimisation to LP vector updating for multi-unit planning optimisation, customers will be able to optimise all of their refining assets and reap cost savings and margin improvements of up to 25 cents per barrel.

"Based on the collective feedback from the more than 50 customers who are already using the solution, as well as our own industry expertise, we believe the Refinery-wide Performance Optimization Solution is the most comprehensive refinery performance enabler in the marketplace, capable of delivering millions of dollars in savings each year," said Don Clark, vice president, industry solutions, Invensys Operations Management. "It enables companies to quantify and understand the financial impact of their business decisions in real time and ensures that their technology does not fall into disrepair as they pursue operations excellence related to safety, the environment and asset management. With a sustainable, tuned optimiser, our customers are also able to ensure optimal refinery planning by automatically downloading updated planning model LP vectors that can further drive the profitability of their refining operations."

The solution leverages Invensys Operations Management's SimSci-Esscor(r) ROMeo® optimizer and Wonderware® Intelligence enterprise manufacturing intelligence (EMI) applications. The backbone of their On-line Performance Suite, ROMeo software is the industry's leading unified modeling environment for off-line and on-line optimisation and is being used to optimise operations in refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants worldwide. The Wonderware Intelligence EMI application acquires critical process and optimal performance data from the ROMeo optimiser and models and aggregates it with data acquired from other operational data sources, including laboratory information management systems, enterprise resource planning systems, manufacturing execution systems and refinery process historians, to provide deeper insight and tracking of refinery performance. The Wonderware Intelligence software can calculate and make readily available unique and extremely valuable key performance indicators to all plant personnel, allowing operators and executives to measure the real-time financial impact of the optimiser through flexible web-based dashboards.

With clear, measurable and visible benefits that can total millions of dollars per year, refining companies that utilise the solution can make better decisions about how to deliver long-term, sustainable benefits. Additional attributes of the Refinery-wide Performance Optimization Solution include:

• A scalable software platform that allows incremental, scalable deployment, all within a common architecture that helps ensure rapid ROI and the ability to grow as the benefits grow;
  
• The ability to layer the Wonderware Intelligence EMI solution on top of existing SimSci-Esscor ROMeo optimizer installations;
  
• Refinery-wide modeling to identify the most profitable processing of different crude oil feedstocks, which can help ensure the highest value product pools;
  
• Closed-loop optimisation of individual units and naphtha pools, as well as the refinery's utilities and hydrogen systems;
  
• Refinery-wide mass balance data reconciliation to identify faulty meters and optimal yield accounting;
  
• World-class refinery solutions talent from Invensys that have a proven track record of enabling success.
  

Medium fidelity simulation released

Invensys Operations Management has announced the availability of its SimSci-Esscor® medium-fidelity simulation solution, DYNSIM® Checkout.

Available as part of the new DYNSIM 4.5 software release, the solution provides the industry a new way to quickly identify, validate and resolve control and safety application design errors throughout the project life cycle, while addressing plant operator process-familiarisation needs and clearing obstacles like late-arriving design information.

Medium-fidelity simulation provides a library of unit-operation models (valves, pumps, conveyers, reactors) similar to high-fidelity models, but requires far fewer engineering hours and less specialised expertise to configure and tune. The models can be auto-generated using industry-leading plant life cycle management software that features intelligent piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&ID), thus dramatically shortening the time it takes to construct the model. The SimSci-Esscor medium-fidelity simulation solution also requires significantly less design data to complete the model, with P&ID and process flow diagrams being the key required information.

By providing this simulation facility the early stages of the project, potential control and safety application design errors, omissions and changes can be captured before construction, resulting in higher quality for the automation system, as well as significantly reduced client risk at the plant startup and commissioning phases. Medium-fidelity models, while less complicated than high-fidelity, are also suitable for operator familiarisation training, allowing operators to learn procedures "live" on the new control platform and to attain a level of knowledge that was previously impossible at such an early stage in the project. These models can be efficiently rebuilt many times throughout the life of the project and can therefore remain current with the latest control and safety designs.

"Low-fidelity tieback simulation is a common tool for control checkout, but it is not very realistic, and only basic verification of control system functionality can be performed," said Gregory McKim, principal consulting engineer for simulation, Invensys Operations Management. "On the other hand, high-fidelity operator training simulators are extremely full-featured and highly realistic, but their cost and schedule demands may preclude use for control system validation and checkout. Our SimSci-Esscor medium-fidelity solution bridges the gap between these two extremes: It delivers enough detail to validate the control system design; it is useful as an operator familiarisation tool; it is moderately priced; it can be built within the time to support constrained project schedules; and it serves most process and manufacturing industries."

New website for Invensys

Invensys Operations Management has launched its new corporate website. The new site shows how the company's premier industry brands and solutions offer the most holistic, cost-effective way to optimise and improve the performance and profitability of its clients' business operations.

"Over the past several months, we have made significant investments to create a customer- and visitor-friendly site that supports our open, collaborative approach," said Mark Davidson, vice president, global marketing, Invensys Operations Management. "As a truly integrated company, the combined capabilities of our eight leading brands, including Avantis®, Eurotherm®, Foxboro®, IMServ™, InFusion™, SimSci-Esscor™, Triconex® and Wonderware® are aligned for our clients' long-term success, and the new website has been designed for easy access to information about our unique industry solutions, services and products offerings.
"With more enhancements to come, this is only Phase 1 of our new online presence, but we are pleased to offer a look at the value Invensys Operations Management provides to our clients and the market in general. With an open environment and platform, we help improve the performance of our clients' resources-their people, equipment, energy and materials-in real time, with dramatic, measurable results. Our new site demonstrates that when working with Invensys, the experience will be one of real collaboration with real-time results."

Located at iom.invensys.com, the website features an integrated view of Invensys Operations Management, with sections devoted to specific industries, solutions, products, and consulting and service offerings, along with customer and ecosystem partner support and training. The site is also home to 60 new customer success stories, as well as additional information.

Technology alliance

Invensys Announces Technology Alliance with RWD
Operator training simulators from Invensys and training services from RWD target hydrocarbon processing market

Invensys Operations Management has announced the formation of a global relationship with RWD, a world leader in developing and implementing programs for continuous improvement, advanced learning services and business transformation and change management. RWD will create training programs for Invensys Operations Management's operator training simulators (OTS) for clients in the hydrocarbon processing industries.

"Operating companies worldwide face a daunting dilemma of replacing operators and other personnel quickly and effectively," said Steven Sendelbach, applications consultant, Invensys Operations Management. "Combining RWD's highly effective training methodology with our world-class simulation and modeling technologies provides a complete solution focused on rapidly accelerating the competencies of a shrinking workforce. The end result is an operating team with improved troubleshooting and optimization skills that help plants run more safely with less downtime and lower operating costs."

Together, Invensys and RWD will provide a single, unified and fully integrated training program that will help manufacturers and process companies create better trained, more skilled operators. The initial offering will encompass several Invensys SimSci-Esscor® products, including DYNSIM® software for Operator Training, utilizing a simulator modeling platform, and the EYESim™ 3-D virtual reality field operator training solution. By including professional training services, clients can maximize the benefits they experience from an OTS alone.

"In today's environment, companies want complete solutions for training operators and engineers rapidly and predictably so they can safely operate plants at peak performance with minimal downtime," said Jim Parish, executive vice president of RWD's Energy Solutions Group. "Invensys has proven simulation and modeling technology, and in combination with our RWD TOPS® training programs and eLearning solutions, we can offer high value-add solutions to our clients. RWD looks forward to working closely with Invensys."