“Our customers are under increasing pressure to improve profitability and be more efficient,” said Dan Moore, President of ExxonMobil Catalysts and Licensing. “Our InFocus Platform will provide deeper insight into their operations and will enable concrete recommendations on ways to optimise plant performance and minimise interruptions. The platform’s common data view enhances collaboration between the operator and ExxonMobil experts. Access to technical expertise and trusted advice defines our customer experience. This technology enhances this value and we are excited to get it into our customers’ hands.”

Leveraging experience in refinery and chemical plant leadership, the cloud-based platform currently provides two solutions. The predictive tool enables users to quickly and cost-effectively test the impact of feedstock and operational changes on lube product yields and quality. This tool can also be tuned to match actual unit performance, delivering valuable data enabling users to evaluate feed flexibility, optimise product mix and maximise operational value.

The InFocus online lube optimisation model includes lube hydrocracker (LHDC) and MSDW dewaxing technology modules, which can be run independently or linked. Each module predicts process performance, product yields and qualities based on key operating variables such as average reactor temperature, space velocity, pressure, product fractionation cut point and separation efficiency.

The InFocus unit monitoring tool enables timely technical insights to improve process performance. Drawing on ExxonMobil’s technical and operational experience, the monitoring tool provides users with easier access to ExxonMobil expertise, early identification of potential operational concerns and more meaningful analysis.