Italy’s Saras SPA has let a contract to Aspen Technology Inc., Bedford, Mass., to provide software aimed at improving business performance and drive operational excellence at its 300,000-b/d, high-conversion refinery in Sarroch, on the southwestern coast of Sardinia.
Aspen Technology will deliver its proprietary Aspen Mtell prescriptive maintenance software to drive reliability for the refinery’s capital and asset-intensive operations, the service provider said.
Part of the aspenONE Asset Performance Management (APM) software suite combining big data, machine learning, and process knowledge expertise to maximize performance across the design, operations, and maintenance asset lifecycle, Aspen Mtell mines historical and real-time operational and maintenance data to discover the precise failure signatures that precede asset degradation and breakdowns, predict future failures, and prescribe detailed actions to mitigate or solve problems.
Saras selected Aspen Mtell based on its speed of deployment, accurate early detection of asset failures, avoidance of false alarms, and ability to scale the solution system-wide during a competitive proof-of-concept vendor selection process focused on critical refinery equipment, such as large compressors and pumps.
“Improving reliability positively impacts a wide range of issues, from reducing current maintenance costs to planning for abnormal process conditions, avoiding emergency or unplanned shutdowns, and successfully managing unpredictable feed and demands,” said Alessandro Zucca, Saras’ digital platform manager for operations and assets.
The operator expects to achieve savings following implementation of the software, which is part of an important digitalization project at the refinery, according to Zucca.
Saras plans to use sister engineering firm and industrial automation specialist Sartec SRL to implement Aspen Mtell throughout the Sarroch refinery, Aspen said.
The service provider disclosed neither a value of the contract nor a timeline for when the project will be completed.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
