(76a) Detailed Asset Optimization for Saudi Aramco Refineries

In addition to producing crude oil Saudi Aramco is the key of refined products for domestic consumption.  Production of crude oil to delivery of refined products to the end consumer is a complex supply chain, of which refining is key part.  Saudi Arabian refineries are owned and operated by Saudi Aramco or its joint ventures and are optimized as a system. Detailed mathematical programming models are developed to determine the optimal operation of refineries and distribution systems.  These business models in turn interface with detailed operational asset models to account for current processing constraints.  In this presentation we will describe our experience in developing detailed asset models for different refinery process units along with the business problems that these asset models are intended to solve for different end users.  We will also share some of our experience gained in the maintenance and deployment of these models to our end users.