Mumbai, NFAPost: BPCL, a leading player in the energy industry, has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Aspen Technology.
This partnership aims to integrate Aspen Tech’s process simulation solution with BPCL’s BPMARRK® software, enabling the generation of complete assay data within a fraction of the time it would traditionally take using laboratory methods. Assay, a comprehensive chemical analysis of crude oil, plays a vital role in predicting the volume and quality of refined products resulting from refining processes.
The groundbreaking BPMARRK® technology predicts a detailed Crude Oil Assay for any unknown crude oil within an impressive timeframe of 2 to 5 minutes, utilizing just four physical parameters as input. By providing comprehensive crude characteristics, the tool empowers refiners to anticipate the volume and quality of refined products with utmost accuracy.
During the MOU signing event, BPCL also unveiled K Model®, an innovative web-based software that enables swift and precise prediction of crude oil blend compatibility and optimisation for any number of crude oils within minutes.
K Model empowers refiners to select the most suitable crude oil blend based on economics, availability, and processing feasibility in real-time. This allows for simultaneous evaluation of multiple blend options, enabling optimal decision-making.
BPCL Director (Refineries) Sanjay Khanna said refiners often process mix of crude oils, for which accurate assay is not available on real-time basis.
“Variations in crude quality as well as lack of reliable crude assay information makes the task of real-time optimization extremely challenging if not impossible. BPMARRK® generates the entire assay within one hour as compared to several weeks through conventional laboratory methods, and it predicts detailed Crude Oil Assay with more than 500 data information of any unknown crude oil within 2-5 minutes making it extremely useful for real-time applications,” said BPCL Director (Refineries) Sanjay Khanna.
Further, BPCL Head (R&D) Ravi Kumar V said BPMARRK® will benefit its community of users with faster and more accurate decision-making for the characterization of crudes and maximize the refinery profitability.
AspenTech Senior Director Solution Consulting Sunil Patil said AspenTech is pleased to expand its long-standing partnership with BPCL to ensure operational excellence and generate sustainability advances from more informed feedstock selections and value additions to its accurate processing in crude distillation units.
“In addition, the integrated solution will enable real-time decisions in response to changing operating conditions. Combining the power of BPMARRK® with Aspen Technology’s digital twin models, this collaboration is set to revolutionize crude oil sourcing and real-time optimization. The integrated solution can be seamlessly implemented in any refinery configuration, empowering real-time applications across the industry,” said AspenTech Senior Director Solution Consulting Sunil Patil.
K Model® – another major initiative from BPCL – brings unique capabilities in predicting crude oil blend compatibility, thereby significantly impacting profit margins for refiners dealing with large crude mix parcels. Refiners processing mix parcels comprising 4 to 10 crude oils from different sources will find K Model® indispensable, as it allows for the selection of crude mix parcels with more constituents, ultimately increasing overall profitability.
BPCL remains committed to adopting cutting-edge technology solutions to enhance refinery operations, ensuring optimal performance, profitability, and environmental responsibility. The integration of K Model® and BPMARRK® digital twin models in Aspen online interfaces marks a transformative milestone in crude oil sourcing and real-time optimization.
About Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL):
Fortune Global 500 Company, Bharat Petroleum is the second largest Indian Oil Marketing Company and one of the premier integrated energy companies in India, engaged in refining of crude oil and marketing of petroleum products, with a significant presence in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. The company attained the coveted Maharatna status, joining the elite club of companies having greater operational & financial autonomy.
Bharat Petroleum’s Refineries at Mumbai, Kochi and Bina Refinery have a combined refining capacity of around 35.3 MMTPA. Its marketing infrastructure includes a network of installations, depots, energy stations, aviation service stations and LPG distributors. Its distribution network comprises over 21,000 Energy Stations, over 6,200 LPG distributorships, 525 Lubes distributorships, 123 POL storage locations, 53 LPG Bottling Plants, 70 Aviation Service Stations, 4 Lube blending plants and 4 cross-country pipelines.
Bharat Petroleum is integrating its strategy, investments, environmental and social ambitions to move towards a sustainable planet. The company has chalked out the plan to offer electric vehicle charging stations at around 7000 energy stations over next 5 years.
With a focus on sustainable solutions, the company is developing a vibrant ecosystem and a road-map to become a Net Zero Energy Company by 2040, in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Bharat Petroleum has been partnering communities by supporting innumerable initiatives connected primarily in the areas of education, water conservation, skill development, health, community development, capacity building and employee volunteering. With ‘Energising Lives’ as its core purpose, Bharat Petroleum’s vision is to be the most admired global energy company leveraging talent, innovation & technology.
