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Energy saving measures from their cradle to full adoption with verified, monitored, and targeted performance: a look back at energy audit at Catalytic Naphtha Reforming Unit (CCR)

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Abstract

Intending to contribute to the discourse about industrial energy efficiency and barriers to its improvement, deep insight into the scope and methodology and achievements of an energy audit on a Catalytic Naphtha Reforming Unit are provided. The audit of this particular unit was a part of the audit of the whole SLOVNAFT refinery in 2010–2012. The audit itself is the preparation of saving proposals’ implementation and post-implementation monitoring and targeting that lasted until spring 2016 covered in retrospective as the auditors were involved in all post-auditing phases as well. Several saving ideas emerging from the performed audit were rejected or have still not been implemented due to either technical issues or non-technical factors. Implemented proposals included improvement in the condensates’ management system, boiler feedwater preparation, and increased exploitation of the cogeneration potential. A cumulative 3-year benefit of over 600 k€ is reported which is close to the targeted value. The post-audit cooperation of auditors with the refinery’s staff enabled to define the non-technical barriers to saving proposals’ adoption that are of general nature. These included (1) short payback period requirement, (2) possibility of implementation of changes during the turnaround/general revisions, (3) conflicting relationships between local micro-economies of production units and the net-economy of the whole refinery, (4) internal processes and communication, and (5) personnel policy. Long-term cooperation, winning the trust and support of the staff and managers, and regular monitoring and targeting of implemented measures are seen as essential parts of sustainable industrial energy efficiency improvement in any industrial energy auditing.

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Notes

  1. HydroCOM system from Hoerbiger Corporation of America Inc.

Abbreviations

AC:

Air cooler (air condenser)

AD:

Adsorber

CCR:

Catalytic Naphtha Reforming Unit

CHP:

Central heat and power unit

CIC:

Conductivity indication and control

CW:

Cooling water

c:

Cost, €/kWh, €/GJ

DCS:

Distributed control system

EE:

Electric energy

F:

Furnace

FC:

Frequency converter

HB:

Hourly benefit

HX:

Heat exchanger

IF:

KPI keeping indicator, adopts values 0 or 1

K:

Compressor

KPI:

Key performance indicator

M&T:

Monitoring and targeting

ON:

Octane number

PU:

Production unit

P&ID:

Process and instrumental design

R:

Reactor

RC:

Rectification column

S:

Saving, €/h

SD:

Steam drive

SV:

Spill back valve

V:

Vessel

VSD:

Variable speed drive

WC:

Water cooler

Δh:

Enthalpic difference, GJ/t

Δe:

Cogenerated electric energy, kWh/t

e :

Electric energy

s :

Steam

1 to5 :

Related to proposal numbers

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Acknowledgment

The authors of this paper would like to kindly acknowledge the support from the SLOVNAFT staff who greatly contributed to the success of both the audit elaboration itself as well as the post-auditing phases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GRUCON s.r.o., Nezábudková 24, 821 01, Bratislava 2, Slovak Republic

    Miroslav Variny & Otto Mierka

  2. Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, FCHPT STU, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava 1, Slovak Republic

    Miroslav Variny, Marek Blahušiak & Otto Mierka

  3. SLOVNAFT a.s., Vlčie hrdlo 1, 824 12, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

    Štefan Godó & Tibor Margetíny

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  1. Miroslav Variny
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Variny, M., Blahušiak, M., Mierka, O. et al. Energy saving measures from their cradle to full adoption with verified, monitored, and targeted performance: a look back at energy audit at Catalytic Naphtha Reforming Unit (CCR). Energy Efficiency 12, 1771–1793 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12053-019-09808-9

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