Moderator: Tommy Sessum, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Speakers:
Justin Newton & Audra Higgins, Phillips 66 - Sweeny Refinery
David Coleman & Jerry Rodriguez, Valero Energy Corporation - McKee Refinery
Woodrow Henderson, Valero Energy Corporation - Three Rivers Refinery
Moderator: Tommy Sessum, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Speakers:
Justin Newton & Audra Higgins, Phillips 66 - Sweeny Refinery
David Coleman & Jerry Rodriguez, Valero Energy Corporation - McKee Refinery
Woodrow Henderson, Valero Energy Corporation - Three Rivers Refinery
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Annual Safety Awards, considered the refining and petrochemical industries’ premier safety awards. They are part of a comprehensive program developed by the AFPM Safety and Health Committee to promote safe operations in our industries and recognize facilities that have outstanding occupational and process safety performance.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) proudly recognizes the winners of the 2024 Annual Safety Awards—widely regarded as the premier safety honors in the refining and petrochemical industries. These awards are a cornerstone of AFPM's comprehensive safety program, developed by the Safety and Health Committee to advance good practices, ensure safe operations, and highlight facilities that demonstrate exceptional occupational and process safety performance.
Safety is the top priority for the refining and petrochemical industries. AFPM’s members are committed to maintaining strong safety records while continuously improving performance to protect their people, communities and the environment.
Nothing is more important to the refining and petrochemical industries than safety. AFPM’s member companies have strong safety records and consistently work to improve performance to take care of our people, communities and environment.
Collaboration is the cornerstone of progress, and when it comes to safety, working together is essential. At AFPM, we believe that sharing knowledge and best practices strengthens our industries and protects the workforce. That’s why we’re proud to participate in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls, May 5 – 9, a dedicated week focused on raising awareness and improving workplace safety.
Speakers:
Darin Foote, CHS Inc.
Chuck Johnston, Marathon Petroleum Corporation LP
Vidyashankar Kuppuraj, Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Johnny Serafin, Phillips 66
Nic Tognetti, CHS Inc.
Advanced process control (APC) has been employed in FCC applications for 40 years. Despite the similarities of FCC Technology and APC platforms the success of these applications varies widely. In this session we will discuss common threads that lead to poor outcomes and how to build a successful APC program on a modern FCC.
In this session we will discuss in detail the continuous improvement in plant profitability achieved by having a holistic approach for advanced automation where applications such as procedural automation, Artificial Intelligence Plant Control (AIPC), control strategy in distributed control system and safety instrumented system all work together in harmony. AIPC, leveraging Reinforcement Learning (RL), offers a transformative approach to process plant optimization, addressing key limitations of traditional Model Predictive Control (MPC).
While MPC has been a cornerstone of advanced process control for decades, its reliance on linear models and manual tuning often struggles to effectively handle complex, nonlinear process dynamics, particularly in scenarios with frequent disturbances or changing operating conditions. AIPC overcomes these limitations by continuously learning and adapting to the plant's behavior. We will share our motivation to develop this product in-house and how easy it is to maintain the application and sustain the benefits by existing operations staff without the need of any AI or MPC expertise.
Participants will:
Understand the benefits of using AIPC over conventional MPC
Learn how Linde has successfully implemented AIPC on their Air Separation Units that include cryogenic distillation and very complex heat integration and recovery process.
Realize the importance of embracing this cutting-edge technology for improving profitability and safety of their plant and also for their personal and professional growth.