Abstract
This paper addresses the design of optimal integration and coordination of a refinery and petrochemical network to satisfy given chemical products demand. The refinery and petrochemical systems were modeled as a mixed-integer problem with the objective of minimizing the annualized cost over a given time horizon among the refineries and maximizing the added value of the petrochemical network. The main feature of the paper is the development of a methodology for simultaneous analysis of process network integration within a multisite refinery and petrochemical system. This approach provides appropriate planning across the petroleum refining and petrochemical industry and achieves an optimal production strategy by allowing appropriate trade-offs between the refinery and the downstream petrochemical markets. The performance of the proposed model was tested on industrial-scale examples of multiple refineries and a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) complex to illustrate the economic potential and trade-offs involved in the optimization of the network. The proposed methodology not only devises the integration network in the refineries and synthesizes the petrochemical industry, but also provides refinery expansion requirements, production levels, and blending, levels. The use of mathematical programming on an enterprise-wide scale to address strategic decisions considering various process integration alternatives yields substantial benefits. These benefits of process integration materialize in terms of economic considerations and improvements in the understanding of the process interactions and systems limitations.