Wazoku Crowd Prize Challenge: Optimisation of Petrochemical Assets Using Linear Programming

Innovation challenge seeking to use Linear Programming to optimise petrochemical assets during refinery processes.

Wazoku Crowd is a global innovation hub that hosts a range of innovation challenges for the wider benefit of humankind. Commercial, governmental, public sector, non-profit and humanitarian organisations (“Seekers”) can engage with the Wazoku Crowd community to solicit solutions to innovation or development challenges by offering financial awards.

Individuals, groups and organisations can register as “Solvers” to take part in the various innovation challenges.

This Wazoku Crowd Prize Challenge – Optimisation of Petrochemical Assets Using Linear Programming – is seeking a Linear Programming solution to optimise petrochemical assets during refinery processes.

Linear Programming (LP) software is used to optimise petrochemical assets during refinery. The software uses certain parameters (prices, feedstock availability, product demands, unit constraints, etc.) to identify the optimal refinery operation and feed-product mix. This optimisation also includes predicted time spent producing fuels products and time producing lubricants products.

LP software, however, has certain limitations in solving multiple equations simultaneously. As a result, attempts to optimise complex operations of a modern-day refinery require extended computing time, making the whole process inefficient.

An ideal solution to this Challenge will be an LP model demonstrating time optimisation of different modes of operations, with a clear description of the equation structure and explanation of how such a model should be used to achieve the desired objective.

A preferred solution would be immediately applicable to optimising petrochemical assets, although innovative solutions based on other types of asset optimisation would also be considered, with guidance to customise the proposed solution to the specific challenge requirements.

Regardless of the approach, the proposed solution should meet the following Solution Requirements:

• The proposed solution should be able to manage a refinery having at least 15 processing units and working in three different modes.
• The proposed solution should have a matrix size which is less than replicating the whole model for each mode. Obviously, the lower the level of the increase, the more favorably the solution will be judged.
• Any proposal should include a description and/or LP model of the situation before and after the applied solution.
• Ideally, the proposed solution should be scalable to handle models of higher complexity (increased numbers of processing units and modes).

Solutions with Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 3-6 are invited.