Axens P2

Performance Programs
Generating performance plus
Generating
performance plus

Axens’ Performance Program, P2, provides services for new and P2 can also accompany the investor through to the construction
existing plants in the refining and petrochemical industries. of a new asset by helping in making the right choices, whether
P2 helps you to bring out the best in your assets by boosting during the pre-feasibility, the feasibility or the conceptual
plant operations to new levels and moving your plant toward engineering phase.
its optimum economic potential. P2 applies half a century of Axens’ experience to provide
P provides major cost-effective improvement services for existing
2
best-in-class services to squeeze that extra performance
plants. Such services start with comprehensive plant‑performance from your plant. It combines dedicated teams having strong
surveys incorporating recommendations for improvement technical know-how with a wealth of accumulated engineering
and implementation. These are followed by master plans for experience and advanced computational techniques to provide
modernizing the refinery process scheme and tools to enhance high-quality performance programs.
staff technical competence and response times, thereby limiting
or eliminating costly unscheduled shutdowns.
P2 services

P2 offers a customized approach, including tailored studies,

Software services
audits and consulting services, covering technical and
operational issues in the refining and petrochemical industries. Process operation simulators (webPOS™)
P2 makes a positive economic difference through a variety of Advanced process control (APC)
different services.
Advanced training

Consulting services
Pre-feasibility study
New asset studies
Feasibility study
• Pre-feasibility studies
CONSULTING SERVICES

Conceptual engineering study

• Feasibility studies (technical and bankable)
Feedstock and product market analysis
• Conceptual engineering studies Crude selection study

Existing asset optimization Petroleum terminal study

• Master planning for existing assets Pre-EIA and pre-HA

Site location study Master planning

• Energy efficiency improvement and greenhouse gas (GHG)
Energy efficiency
emission mitigation
GHG emission mitigation

Specific consulting services

Project stage Running units
• Feedstock and product market analysis
SOFTWARE SERVICES

• Crude opportunity studies Process operation simulators (webPOS)

• Site location studies Advanced process control (APC)

• Petroleum terminal studies Advanced training

• Preliminary environmental impact assessments (pre-EIA) and

preliminary hazard assessments (pre-HA)

Powerful consulting tools

 Consulting services
Improving efficiency and asset capabilities

New asset studies Feasibility studies (technical and bankable)

Following the pre-feasibility study, the main process units and
Axens’ proven methodology for project development, backed by the related assets of the selected scheme have to be developed
world-class refining and petrochemical expertise and proprietary in more detail. A feasibility study helps to define the different
tools, provides a comprehensive, customized offer adapted to elements of the project that will satisfy financial institution
clients’ specific requirements. requirements for project evaluation. These studies comprise
Pre-feasibility studies • preliminary design work and defining the

At the onset of a project, investors are faced with a multitude • storage and blending facilities, off-site facilities and
of options that need sorting and clarifying. Axens’ pre-feasibility infrastructure, including marine facilities, seawater intake
studies bring a global and coherent approach to the evaluation and outfall, and freshwater and oil pipelines
process. These studies comprise • utility generation and distribution
• analyzing petroleum product and crude markets • hydrogen production, waste water and flue gas treatment
• reviewing product specification developments facilities, and sulfur recovery units

• assessing local environmental regulation compliance • preliminary identification of environmental impacts and
safety risks
• developing different viable process configuration options adapted
to the available feedstock and the targeted product slate • cost investment estimates based on Association for the
Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE International)
• evaluating auxiliary units, utilities and off-site facilities
Class 4 standards
• making preliminary estimates of capital and operating
• financial and risk analyses
expenditure
• project finance.
• ranking the different project options using the preliminary
financial analysis.
Finally, the pre-feasibility study will deliver all the necessary
information for selecting the best investment option.
Conceptual engineering studies • preparing engineering general documentation as the starting
The P2 conceptual engineering study methodology offers a points for the next phases of the project: basic engineering and
holistic approach that covers the full project development and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC)
aims to bridge the gap between the preliminary studies and the • pre-EIAs and pre-HAs
basic engineering work. These studies comprise • cost investment estimates based on AACE Class 3 standards
• developing technical information on the basis of the • detailed financial analyses and project risk assessments
conclusions from the previous study. The technical • developing the project execution plan
information is sourced from process licensors. • determining the staffing requirements for project execution and
• integrating refinery support units by developing all the asset operation.
utilities, off-site facilities and infrastructure A conceptual engineering study provides P2 clients with all the
documents required to issue the bids for the licensed technologies
and the EPC contractor. This saves significant time and money on
project execution.
Feasibility Feed
Basic
Pre-feasibility
Conceptual EPC

AACE Class 5 4 3 2 1 Start-up

100%
Project definition level
80%

60%

40%
ACCURACY
20%
PROJECT PROGRESS
0%

–20%

–40%

–60%
Optimization of existing assets Energy efficiency improvement
Energy is a major contributor to operating costs. P2 provides
As well as offering engineering services for new projects, a world-class expertise to help identify potential gains and
P2 program provides strategic reviews of existing operations, implement a road map for minimizing energy consumption
including master planning of existing assets and energy in refining and petrochemical plants.
efficiency improvement and GHG emission reduction services.
Improving energy efficiency is currently the main lever used
Master planning for existing assets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, it being the main GHG
Existing assets are subject to evolving constraints, such as emission from refining activities. P2 extends its energy efficiency
feedstock changes, tightening product specifications, changing improvement expertise to the identification and economic
product slates or new environmental regulations. P2 can help aspects of GHG reduction through tools such as the Clean
Axens’ clients to adapt their existing assets to a new business Development Mechanism or Joint Implementation.1
environment. The company’s expertise covers all refining and As defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
1

petrochemical process technologies and provides a reliable

source of data for reviewing process configuration options and
maximizing the potential of existing assets.
Specific consulting services Petroleum terminal studies
Aside from the tank farms that are part of refinery construction
Site location studies projects, P2 can design standalone petroleum terminals for
Site selection is based on a multi-criteria analysis that starts crude oil and final products, either for regional consumption,
with identifying the requirements that influence the location of trading business or strategic purposes.
the new plant, followed by an assessment of the surroundings’
Preliminary environmental impact and hazard assessments
physical, biological and socioeconomic impacts on the project.
The client receives a ranking of the possible sites with the To cover all aspects of a project at the initial stage, P2 produces,
appropriate justifications. within the framework of the feasibility and concept studies, a
review and analysis of the projected plant’s potential safety and
Feedstock and product market analyses environmental risks, for example, hydrocarbon leaks, noxious
Axens has extensive knowledge of the crude oil, petroleum gases and hazardous products.
product and petrochemical markets. Its economists can provide The main issues addressed during the pre-EIA and pre-HA are
customized market surveys for clients and valuable information, • preliminary evaluation, global analysis and cartography of
such as future product specifications, core product markets and impacts
export opportunities, for optimizing their assets.
• potential technologies and actions to avoid or mitigate the
negative impacts of the project on the surroundings.
Crude opportunity studies
P2 has access to a large crude assay database covering all
the crude supply markets. This database, when combined
with expertise in oil markets and refining and petrochemical
technologies, enables P2 to provide Axens’ clients with a multi-
criteria feedstock selection study. From these analyses, it is
possible to identify an optimum crude slate based on all the
current or future refinery characteristics.
P2 consulting tools
Powerful tools, such as rigorous process modeling and linear
programming (LP), are combined with in-house expertise to
support strategic decision making. A multi-step methodology
is applied:
1. data collection and validation
2. benchmarking
3. recommendations and implementation.
This approach provides reliable and customized solutions.

Health, safety and environment Risk analysis

• Pre-HA • Risk assessment software
• Pre-EIA • Stochastic

Crude selection Economics

• Extensive crude assay database • AACE recommended practices
• Crude assays management P2 consulting tools for cost estimation
system • Financial software tool
• Crude price database

Tools for complex analysis LP software

• Pinch analysis • All commercial LP software
• Equipment design tools is supported
• Excel refinery-wide model • Utility management optimizer
• Utilities model
Software services

Process operation simulators Axens’ knowledge is shared with its clients through access to
accurate and reliable tools that enable off-line optimization of
Maximize performance through your operating and operating plants.
process engineering personnel webPOS programs are offered as Web-based applications that
Operations and process engineers are a plant’s frontline resources; are easy to maintain and to update. They can be dedicated to
high-quality performance from them depends on the quality of individual units or cover a group of units, such as a complete
their knowledge and tools. aromatics complex.

Process operations simulators (webPOS) boost an engineer’s

effectiveness to the next level. They offer the right solutions to
help engineers analyze what-if scenarios, catalyst service life,
utility costs, yields and equipment performance.

webPOS on Web server Axens core tools

customer screen

Web

Process simulations

Authentification
and data transfer
management
Rigorous
proprietary models
Advanced process control (APC) Advanced training
Fast payback with APC Advanced training software is designed to support Axens’
regular training sessions. The aim is to use interactive
As a process licensor and catalyst supplier, Axens has first-hand
techniques to familiarize unit operators and support staff
knowledge of the best strategies and approaches for APC projects.
with process behavior when feedstock quality changes and/or
P2 makes clients’ plants perform better and more safely with product characteristics are modified.
APC by
The advanced training software consists of steady-state
• extending catalyst performance and service life
simulators based on rigorous models fully customized to
• reducing utility and logistics costs
clients’ specific cases.
• saving energy and decreasing carbon dioxide emissions
• avoiding the problems caused by off-specification products.
As product qualities become more and more constrained, APC
can pay off handsomely. Axens combines the ability to manage
all phases of APC projects with the use of
Production specification – 10ppm
powerful computational resources, which
include inferential modules, proprietary
software packages, multivariable Control with APC – 7ppm
Measured component (ppm)

predictive controllers and an

extensive database of chemical
reaction kinetics and thermodynamics. Range of over-
hydrogenation

Control without APC

Time Frequency
The performance
improvement specialists

Performance Programs - 04/2011/1000 - Photos Axens - tes

Single source
technology and
service provider
ISO 9001 • ISO 14001 • OHSAS 18001
www.axens.net
For more information
Axens HQ, France +33 1 47 14 21 00 Email information@axens.net
Bahrain +973 172 163 73 Houston +1 713 840 1133 New Delhi +91 11 43399000
Beijing +86 10 85 27 57 53 Moscow +7 495 933 65 73 Tokyo +81 335 854 985