The Q&A section of Petroleum Technology Quarterly (PTQ) for Q1 2025 looked at how AI and machine learning are being applied in refining, and at where refiners can expect the fastest return on investment. Imubit's principal hydroprocessing engineer contributed answers on closed-loop process optimization and on the results refiners have reported from it.
Where refiners have reported results
The answer pointed to applications where refiners have presented results from closed-loop optimization in public.
Distillate systems
A medium-sized U.S. refiner reported an improvement in average ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) T90 against its baseline. T90, the temperature at which 90% of the sample has distilled, is one of the specifications that sets how much heavy material the diesel pool can take.
FCC and the debutanizer
A U.S. refiner reported that closed-loop optimization of its fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) system raised debutanizer throughput capacity and overall liquid volume yield. See debutanizer separation and FCC unit optimization.
Coke drum cycles
A large U.S. refiner reported lower coker giveaway after reducing the number of suboptimal coke drum cycles. See delayed coker run lengths.
Hydrocracker flexibility
Hydrocrackers offer a further opportunity, because the unit can move its output between naphtha and diesel as markets change. Traditional closed-loop optimization can be designed to work toward a single yield strategy. An AI-based controller learns from all of the unit's operating history, so the strategy can adjust to changes in feed and product prices and shift yield toward the more valuable product, inside limits set by plant engineers. See hydrocracking yield optimization.
Read the full Q&A
The full Q&A is in PTQ Q1 2025: AI with ROI and more on hydrocrackers.
Imubit's closed-loop applications run on Deep Learning Process Control® (DLPC®), which learns a dynamic model of each unit from its own operating history and writes targets to the existing APC or DCS minute by minute, inside limits set by plant engineers. Imubit is trusted by 7 of the top 10 U.S. refiners.
