The refining industry is on the cusp of an industry-changing revolution, which has necessitated technological advancements and an overhaul in the way companies function. One area where significant progress has been made is that of data analysis. Running a refinery, there is no shortage of raw data, however most existing software finds it incredibly difficult to convert this data into actionable insights. That is, until Akselos. Its patented RB-FEA (the Reduced Basis Finite Element Analysis) technology is a cutting edge method of structural analysis that offers three advantages: scale, speed, and data.
Scale Up and Down Easily
Akselos employs a parametrized, component-based approach, thus enabling you to create highly detailed models of all your refinery equipment. From furnaces to hydrotreaters to SMR-units, you can create a model of every piece of equipment and analyse them for structural weaknesses. Akselos also allows you to run an infinite what-if analysis so that you can test your plant’s performance in a variety of conditions to identify the optimal operating range.
A condition-based digital twin can help asset operators optimize their inspection, control and management of their critical downstream assets, such as a hydrotreater reactor.
Up to 1000x Faster Than Traditional Technology
The algorithms developed by Akselos work up to 1000x faster than the traditional alternatives. This means that they can easily be used to analyse large models and complexities in real-time. A comparison between traditional FEA and Akselos’ RB-FEA shows that Akselos only takes 15 seconds to solve an issue and less than an hour for processing, while traditional FEA occasionally takes as much as 4 days for the same process.
All the outcomes were also checked against the API-579/ASME standards for compliance. This ensures that the comparison was done in a fair and uniform manner to allow for further analysis. These standards also specify how different tests should be carried out to ensure the highest levels of safety.
Ingesting All Data
Irrespective of what system you currently use, it can be merged with Akselos. Our flexible API has the ability to ingest almost any type or quantity of data from a variety of systems and architectures. Using data from the structure of your refining equipment, in addition to other relevant information such as inspection results and prior maintenance reports, Akselos can create a digital twin for your equipment. This will warn you of any impending repairs or structural weaknesses before they become a serious issue.
Unique Capability for Structural Screening
An Akselos RB-FEA model provides you with a highly detailed representation of an asset. By collecting data from a variety of courses, it is able to analyse the data up to 1000x times faster than traditional technologies. As a result of this analysis, it provides stress test results, which in turn enables fatigue screening and risk ranking. It displays these results in plots of fatigue hotspots, colour-coded based on criticality and superimposed on inspection maps.
A Net-Zero technological solution
The Net Zero Technology Center is an organisation that is committed to paving the way for global economies to achieve Net Zero growth as soon as possible. This also involves researching technological developments that make this transition easier by reducing the effort and time expended on such methods. Rebecca Allison, a part of their Asset Integrity Solution Centre, has said:
Askselos’ digital twin software will speed up data analysis, testing “what if” scenarios to optimize future inspection programmes and allow for improved shut down planning.
– Rebecca Allison, Head of Emissions Reduction, Net Zero Technology Centre
Akselos can be easily set up in your refinery and can work seamlessly in tandem with your existing architecture. At the same time, we also provide training sessions for your engineers so that they’re best equipped to manage the software. For more information on our licensing plans, contact [email protected].