As refinarias de petróleo utilizam grandes quantidades de água em seus processos e por isso são impelidas a desenvolver fortes programas de redução de seu consumo. O objetivo do presente estudo é a aplicação de metodologia de otimização em problemas de alocação ótima e reuso de água em refinaria de petróleo. Diferentemente dos enfoques tradicionais que buscam tratar os efluentes gerados para atender às legislações ambientais ou para algum tipo de reuso na planta, a metodologia utilizada avalia os processos que usam água, questionando as causas da geração do efluente. Essa abordagem envolve o levantamento de dados industriais, análise dos processos de produção, identificação de oportunidades para aplicar as estratégias de otimização da alocação de água: racionalização, reuso e/ou reciclagem do efluente e, em seguida, a otimização da rede de água. Visando obter uma rede de água que seja aplicável na indústria, desenvolveu-se um procedimento específico baseado em regras heurísticas que representam as restrições reais dos processos. Através deste procedimento, o consumo de água fresca atingido é próximo do valor ótimo encontrado na literatura. As redes de água geradas são simples, com poucas interconexões e, consequentemente, os investimentos necessários para implementação são menores. / Oil refineries consume a large amount of water in their processes and because of that they are urged to develop strong programs to reduce their water consumption. The aim of this study is to apply an water optimization methodology in an oil refinery. Unlike traditional approaches that only search for treating the effluents in order to meet environmental legislation or to reuse in the plant, this methodology evaluates the processes that use water, questioning the causes of the wastewater generation. This approach involves the industrial data collection, analysis of production processes, identification of opportunities to optimize water use: rationalization, reuse and/or recycling of the effluent and, lastly, the water network optimization. Looking for a water network that is applicable in the industry, in this study it was also developed a specific optimization procedure based on heuristic rules representing the constraints of the actual processes. Through this procedure, freshwater consumption was found to be close to that of the theories found in the literature. The water networks generated are simple, with few interconnections and, consequently, the investments required to implement them are small.

Orientador: Maria Regina Wolf Maciel / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T04:26:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ferreira_AnaClelia_D.pdf: 3055436 bytes, checksum: 6cdcc391dbaebe6c4d512b488fcb26ed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido integrando dois conceitos tradicionais de pesquisa operacional e engenharia química, respectivamente: a otimização da cadeia logística e a otimização global de processos. O objeto de estudo é a Refinaria de Paulínia, REPLAN, da PETROBRAS, a qual participa do complexo de abastecimento de petróleo e derivados do País. Existem dois trens de produção na Refinaria; os dois têm unidades de destilação atmosférica e a vácuo, craqueamento catalítico, coqueamento retardado e hidrotratamento de diesel, onde cada unidade de processo é uma planta química completa. Cerca de 170 tanques, 3,2 milhões de m3, 48 produtos finais e 12000 alinhamentos são alguns números que ressaltam a complexidade do sistema logístico interno, para transferências, misturas e estocagem de petróleo, insumos químicos, produtos intermediários e finais. As decisões de produção da REPLAN constituem o nível local de uma estrutura hierárquica de decisões corporativa, de abrangência nacional. O nível local é subdividido tradicionalmente em planejamento mensal, programação de produção, detalhamento operacional e controle da produção. O presente trabalho propõe uma modificação na hierarquia de decisões de produção da REPLAN, acrescentando um nível entre as atividades de programação de produção e detalhamento operacional, para otimizar a produção de dois tipos de óleo diesel com horizonte de alguns dias. Etapa crucial da otimização global, o modelo matemático do sistema é descrito detalhadamente. Ele inclui as possibilidades e restrições físicas das transferências, os balanços de quantidades e qualidades, as transformações através dos hidrotratamentos e as competições por frações e correntes intermediárias. Foram desenvolvidos novos modelos empíricos de mistura para predição de duas propriedades do diesel: curva de destilação e número de cetano. O modelo geral foi implementado em MS Excel e GAMS e resolvido com o algoritmo CONOPT. Um aumento na produção média e uma redução de estoques de diesel na Refinaria, medidos no período de fevereiro a outubro de 2007, comparativamente a 2006, estão associados ao uso diário da ferramenta. / Abstract: This work has been developed integrating two traditional concepts of operational research and chemical engineering, respectively: supply chain optimization and global process optimization. The focus of the study is the PETROBRAS' Paulínia Refinery, REPLAN, which integrates the downstream petroleum and derivatives complex of Brazil. There are two production trains in the Refinery; they both have atmospheric and vacuum distillation, fluid catalytic cracking, delayed coker, and diesel hydrotreating units, whereof each process unit is a complete chemical plant. Around 170 tanks, 3.2 million m3, 48 final products and 12000 lineups are some figures that highlight the off-site local complex, for transfer, blending and storage of crude, chemicals, intermediate and final products. The production decisions at REPLAN are the local level of a corporate countrywide decision hierachy. The local level is again divided into sublevels, traditionally: month planning, daily scheduling, operation detailing and production control. This work proposes a change in the production decision hierarchy of REPLAN, adding a level between scheduling and operation detailing, with the purpose of providing an optimization tool for the production of two specifications of diesel oil along a few days horizon. Crucial step for global optimization, the system mathematical model is described in details. This includes the lineups possibilities and physical constraints, volume and property balances, property behavior through the hidrotreating units and the competition for swing-cuts and intermediate streams. It was developed new empirical blending models to predict two of the diesel properties: distillation curve and cetane number. The whole set of equations was implemented using MS Excel and GAMS, and solved with CONOPT algorithm. An increase in the average diesel production and a reduction in the diesel inventory, measured from February to October 2007, compared to 2006, are related to the daily use of the software. / Doutorado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Doutor em Engenharia Química

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Medical Immunology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Immunology / unrestricted

Dans le contexte de la bioraffinerie végétale pour la production de molécules et d'énergie, des prétraitements sont nécessaires pour augmenter la réactivité de la biomasse ligno-cellulosique. Cette thèse s'insère dans une thématique dont l'objectif général est d'établir les bases d'une raffinerie du végétal par des procédés par voie sèche. Cette étude a pour objectif de développer et comprendre le fractionnement mécanique poussé de la paille de blé jusqu'à des tailles sub-millimétriques et d'évaluer les effets sur des procédés de bioconversions énergétiques. La paille de blé présente une grande hétérogénéité à plusieurs niveaux d'échelle (du cm au µm). Un diagramme de broyage multi-étapes à l'échelle pilote (>1kg) a permis d'obtenir une large gamme de tailles de particules, par 3 modes de sollicitation distincts: i) broyages à grille sélective produisant des tailles du grossier (800 µm) au fin (50 µm), ii) broyage à jet d'air (ultrafin, ~20 µm) et iii) broyage à boulets (ultrafin, ~10 µm). Une méthodologie d'analyse morphologique des particules a été développée par analyse d'images de microscopie optique. La paille soumise aux mécanismes complexes de rupture lors de broyages produit une forte variabilité des formes et compositions des particules. L'analyse multiple de co-inertie a permis d'évaluer de façon globale les morphologies des particules. Globalement, le broyage diminue la taille et les facteurs de forme des particules, avec quelques exceptions dues aux configurations matérielles. La dégradabilité enzymatique (saccharification) des poudres produites a été améliorée par la réduction de la taille des particules. Jusqu'à ~100 µm la solubilisation des polysaccharides augmente puis se stabilise à 36 % des polysaccharides totaux et 40 % de la cellulose. Seuls les échantillons issus du broyage à boulets dépassent cette limite et atteignent 46 % d'hydrolyse des polysaccharides totaux et 72 % de la cellulose. Ceci est lié à une augmentation de l'efficacité enzymatique due à la diminution de la cristallinité de la cellulose (de 22 à 13%). Ces résultats du broyage à boulets sont comparables à ceux de l'explosion à la vapeur, avec une meilleure préservation des hémicelluloses. Cette amélioration d'efficacité enzymatique s'est traduite par des dégradations anaérobies (biogaz) accélérées et légèrement augmentées (cas du broyeur à boulets). La décomposition aérobie dans le sol a été améliorée par le broyage grossier, mais les broyages plus fins n'ont pas entrainé de gain. Les caractéristiques de la paille broyée peuvent varier selon l'intensité et le mode de broyage. Bien que tous les broyages permettent la réduction de la taille, le broyage à grilles et le broyage à jet d'air n'engendrent pas de changements dans la structure fine des polymères pariétaux. Seul le broyage à boulets a engendré des changements de la structure interne des particules notamment en réduisant la cristallinité de la cellulose et en solubilisant partiellement les hémicelluloses. Ces résultats permettent de mettre en évidence que la fragmentation mécanique poussée par voie sèche est une alternative possible aux prétraitements utilisés en raffinerie végétale. / In a context of plant biorefinery for the production of molecules and energy, pretreatments are necessary to increase the reactivity of the lignocellulosic biomass. This thesis is part of a general project aiming to establish the bases for a dry plant refinery. This study aimed to develop and understand advanced mechanical fractionation of wheat straw down to sub-millimeter sizes and to assess its effects on bioconversion processes for bioenergy. Wheat straw exhibited a high heterogeneity at several scale levels (from cm to μm). A multistep diagram of dry grinding at pilot-scale (> 1 kg) produced a wide range of particle sizes by three distinct mode of action: i) sieve-based grinding producing particle sizes from coarse (800 μm) to fine (50 μm), ii) air-jet milling (ultra-fine, ~ 20 μm) and iii) ball milling (ultra-fine, ~ 10 "m). A morphological analysis of particles was developed by image analysis from light microscopy. Subjecting wheat straw to the complex breaking mechanisms during grinding produced particles highly variable in shapes and compositions. A multiple co-inertia analysis allowed the evaluation of the overall particle morphologies. Generally, grinding reduced the size and shape descriptors of particles, with some exceptions due to equipment configurations. The enzymatic degradability (saccharification) of produced powders was improved by reducing their particle size. Until ~ 100 μm the polysaccharides solubilisation was increased and then stabilised at 36% total polysaccharides and 40% cellulose. Only samples from ball milling overcome this limit and attained hydrolysis yields of 46% total polysaccharides and 72% cellulose. This is due to an increase in enzymatic efficiency by the reduction of cellulose crystallinity (from 22 to 13%). These results of ball milling are comparable to those of steam explosion process, with a better preservation of hemicelluloses. This improved enzymatic efficiency resulted in faster and slightly more extensive (ball milling case) anaerobic degradations (biogas). Aerobic decomposition in the soil was improved by coarse grinding, but finer grinding did not result in a further increase. The characteristics of ground straw varied depending on grinding intensity and mode. Although all grindings could reduce the size, sieve-based grinding and air-jet milling did not allow changes in the fine structure of cell wall polymers. Only ball milling led to changethe internal structure of particles especially reducing cellulose crystallinity and partially solubilising hemicelluloses. These results demonstrate that advanced mechanical fragmentation by dry processes is a possible alternative for pretreatments in a plant refinery

Energy carriers, such as coal, natural gas and biomass, can be converted by Fischer-Tropsch technology into synthetic crude (syncrude). Fischer-Tropsch derived syncrude can then be refined to transportation fuels, such as motor-gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel. These fuels meet the same specifications as crude oil derived transportation fuels. Conventional refining technologies have to be adapted to deal with Fischer-Tropsch syncrudes, because they differ significantly from crude oil with respect to composition. Some of the key differences are the high concentration of oxygenates and olefins and absence of sulphur in Fischer-Tropsch syncrude. Imposing a crude oil refining methodology on syncrude can lead to unwieldy and expensive refineries. Yet, despite an abundance of literature of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, there is little literature that deals with the refining of Fischer-Tropsch syncrude. The present study investigated current refining practice for both crude oil and Fischer-Tropsch syncrude in order to identify fundamental differences in their refining focus and conversion behaviour. This was followed by a critical evaluation of the compatibility of syncrudes from high temperature Fischer-Tropsch (HTFT) and low temperature Fischer-Tropsch (LTFT) synthesis with the chemistry and catalysis of various conversion processes. The conversion processes that were evaluated include isomerisation, oligomerisation, etherification, alkylation, metathesis, hydrogenation, hydroisomerisation, hydrocracking, catalytic cracking, coking, thermal cracking, catalytic reforming and dehydration. The recommendations from the technology evaluation provided the foundation for the development of Fischer-Tropsch syncrude based refinery designs. Refinery designs were developed to determine configurations that would maximise the production of on-specification motor-gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel respectively. It could be shown that less complex refinery designs were required to refine Fischer-Tropsch syncrude to motor-gasoline and jet fuel, than were required for crude oil refining. It was also shown that on a molecular level Fischer-Tropsch syncrude is unsuited for maximising the production of Euro-4 type diesel fuel. The present study illustrates the advantage of considering fundamentals in developing refineries specifically for Fischer-Tropsch syncrude, rather than imposing crude oil design practises on Fischer-Tropsch syncrude refinery designs. / Thesis (PhD (Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

The continuous search to improve productivity leads organizations to rationalize and manage better their available resources. The benefits are huge and recognized. But, each organizational component must be engaged to reach better productivity levels, helping the whole organization result. And within this context, the present study was developed. It concerns about the results analysis of a productivity improvement program implemented in a physical and chemical analysis lab of a petroleum refinery, located in São Paulo state. Three aspects were analysed: management adjust of lab labor, costs minimization and client service improvement. The methodology of this program was based on PDCA Cycle and also on Productivity Cycle. Five productivity measures were used to follow the program analysis, with two physical indexes, related to labor, and three monetary indexes, related to labor, materials, and service. It was used a production measure as well, the standard time applied in assays, focused in the client service. These indexes were calculated monthly, before and after the productivity program start. Than, the results of these two periods were compared and analyzed. The conclusion was that the introduction of the productivity program reached partially the expected goals, bringing positive results as the better profitability of laboratory labor and the better attendance for laboratory clients. Related to costs, the benefit of interrupting the labor costs increase tendency was obtained, but it is still necessary to continue with this program, in order to pursue better results. / A busca contínua pela melhoria da produtividade remete as organizações a um esforço de racionalização e melhor aproveitamento dos recursos disponíveis. Os benefícios são amplos e reconhecidos. Contudo, cada componente organizacional deve estar engajado na obtenção de melhores níveis de produtividade na organização contribuindo para o resultado do todo. É neste contexto que o presente trabalho foi desenvolvido. Este trata da análise dos resultados de um programa de produtividade implantado em um laboratório de análises físico-químicas, integrado a uma refinaria de petróleo, localizada no estado de São Paulo. Três aspectos foram analisados: a adequação do aproveitamento da mão-de-obra do laboratório, a minimização dos custos e o aprimoramento do atendimento aos seus clientes. Para a estruturação do programa utilizou-se como metodologia o Ciclo PDCA combinado ao Ciclo da Produtividade. Visando o acompanhamento e a avaliação do referido programa, foram utilizados cinco indicadores de produtividade, sendo duas medidas físicas, relacionadas a mão-de-obra, e três medidas monetárias, relacionadas a mão-de-obra, materiais e serviços. Também foi utilizado um indicador de produção, o tempo padrão aplicado em ensaios, voltado ao atendimento dos clientes. Estes indicadores foram apurados mensalmente, antes e após o início de implantação do referido programa. Os resultados dos dois períodos foram então comparados e analisados. Concluiu-se que a implantação do programa de produtividade atingiu parcialmente os objetivos propostos, trazendo como resultados positivos o melhor aproveitamento da mão-deobra e a melhoria no atendimento aos clientes do laboratório. Em relação aos custos, obteve-se o benefício da interrupção da tendência de aumento dos custos de mão-deobra, sendo necessária a continuidade do programa para se buscar melhores resultados.

[pt] As companhias petrolíferas dedicam grande esforço para manter sua rentabilidade e melhorar sua eficiência, principalmente frente às incertezas presentes neste negócio. As empresas que pretendem manter a competitividade precisam planejar suas operações cada vez melhor e com maior segurança. Em face destas oportunidades e desafios, foi proposta no âmbito desta tese uma abordagem estocástica para o problema de planejamento operacional de refinarias. Neste sentido foi desenvolvido um modelo não-linear (NLP) de programação estocástica com dois estágios. O modelo proposto representa os processos de natureza não-linear presentes em uma refinaria, como as transformações químicas e o cálculo de qualidade dos derivados. Devido ao elevado nível de complexidade do problema NLP formulado, foram avaliados cinco métodos de solução associados aos principais solvers comerciais. Uma metodologia de geração de cenários e medidas de qualidade para árvore de cenários também foram definidas para representar adequadamente as incertezas presentes neste problema. A abordagem estocástica proposta neste trabalho foi avaliada considerando dados reais de uma refinaria brasileira. Os resultados finais desta pesquisa devem proporcionar avanços no processo de planejamento operacional de refinarias, explorando a técnica de programação não-linear (NLP) e os novos solvers disponíveis para problemas do tipo NLP. Pretende-se também gerar contribuições na área de programação estocástica, definindo medidas de qualidade para árvore de cenários que permitam uma melhor representação das incertezas e consequentemente um melhor uso da abordagem estocástica. / [en] Oil companies make a great effort to maintain profitability and improve efficiency, especially given the uncertainties present in this business. Companies that intend to remain competitive need to plan their operations better and with greater safety. In light of these opportunities and challenges, this thesis proposes a stochastic approach to the refinery operational planning problem. In this sense, a two-stage nonlinear stochastic programming model (NLP) developed. The proposed model is intended to adequately represent nonlinear processes encountered in a refinery, such as chemical transformations and calculations of the properties of the oil derivatives. Due to the high level of complexity of the NLP problem formulated, five solution methods associated with major commercial solvers were evaluated. A methodology for generating scenarios and quality measures for scenarios tree were also defined to properly represent the uncertainties present in this problem. The stochastic approach proposed in the present study was evaluated based on actual data from a Brazilian refinery. The final results of this research should provide advances in the processes of refinery operational planning exploiting the technique of nonlinear programming (NLP) and new solvers available for NLP-type problems. Another objective was to generate contributions in the field of stochastic programming by defining quality measures for scenario trees that allow a better representation of uncertainties and, consequently, better use of the stochastic approach.

This project is about a transformation of an existing factory in Paraguay to a local sustainable refinery. The project aims to combine local knowledge and material and modern but low tech technology, this in combination with a contemporary form and new use of bricks in Paraguay.

The Renewable Fuel Standard requires US oil refineries to blend biofuels into domestic transportation fuels. To ensure that compliance costs under this mandate don’t disproportionately affect any subset of refiners, the regulation includes a compliance credit program, whereby refiners blending excess biofuels can sell their excess compliance to refiners that do not blend enough. The price of these credits can be interpreted as the marginal cost of compliance with the mandate. I measure how changes in the prices of these compliance credits affect the stock prices of oil refining firms. There are a number of ways one might expect these compliance credits to affect firms. Much economic research finds that oil refiners are able to pass the costs of RFS compliance to consumers quite easily, suggesting that changes in the compliance cost should not affect firms’ value at all. Large refiners tend to claim that the RFS imposes a large cost and drags down their profits. Perhaps the most interesting claim is that of the “merchant refiners”—generally small refiners who do not own the infrastructure to blend biofuels on their own and are thus forced to comply with the mandate completely with compliance credits. They claim that larger refiners are able to hoard the credits and sell them for windfall profits at the expense of the merchant refiners. My results indicate that positive shocks in compliance credit prices are associated with stock losses only among large, non-merchant refiners, and that even this association is small. This discredits the claims of merchant refiners, but opens a new puzzle: why are large, integrated refiners the only ones affected? I conclude my paper with a number of potential explanations, though I am not able to test between them using my data.

The aim of the thesis is to create a strategy for the gradual integration of the dilapidated area into the city's cultural hub. This project is primarily focused on harnessing the lucrative position of a sugar factory in the center of the city and trying to create the ideal conditions for the emergence of a commercially viable urban environment within it. The area has the potential to create a much needed city center. The location is convenient and the existences of monumental former storage halls, which are among the oldest buildings in the city, would encapsulate the industrial heritage of Břeclav for this venture. Thus, the revitalization can assess both the area's location and surroundings, and more broadly even the more expansive imagery of the whole city. The task of the thesis is not to determine the final form of the area but rather to determine the direction in which the revitalization could go. Emphasis is placed on the process and methodology of renewal.