Leveraging Process Simulation for Modular Refinery Optimization: A Case Study on Water-Box Cooler Retrofit and Crude Distillation Unit Performance Enhancement

The development of modular refineries in Nigeria offers a strategic solution to meet local demand for petroleum products, reduce import dependency, and drive economic growth. However, for these refineries to fulfil this objective, they must operate optimally. This study explores the application of Aspen HYSYS process simulation software in modeling, analyzing, and optimizing Aradel refinery's water-box cooler and crude distillation unit. By leveraging process simulation, the water-box cooler unit at the Aradel refinery was retrofitted through a reconfiguration of the heat exchanger network, reducing the Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) rundown temperature to storage from an average of 214.3 deg F to 169.6 deg F, ensuring a safer and more stable product storage condition. Similarly, the crude distillation unit (CDU) was optimized, leading to an 8.1% reduction in plant energy consumption, along with an increased yield of high-demand products – Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Dual-Purpose Kerosene (DPK) by 12.5% and 64.04% respectively, ensuring a market driven approach to refinery operations. The result of this work highlights the benefit of leveraging process simulation software for troubleshooting operational bottlenecks and enabling data-driven decisions to improve plant performance and reliability, while fostering industry best practices and operations safety.