The BP petrochemical facility at Grangemouth, Scotland, reports $2.5 million annual savings by using AMS Suite: Real-Time Optimiser from Emerson Process Management.

This includes $1.5 million energy savings from utilities optimisation, and $1 million benefit driven by a 4 per cent increase in plant throughput from the KG Ethylene optimization application.
A key component of Emerson’s efficiency-increasing PlantWeb(r) digital plant architecture, the AMS Optimiser has also enabled BP to achieve consistent plant operation, improve control of daily Key Performance Indicator’s and enhance the planning process through improved equipment selection.
“Following the installation of Emerson’s AMS Optimiser package on the power station, we have been able to realise and improve our plant operations,” said Tim Desmond, Utilities Optimization Engineer, BP.
“The optimiser has been instrumental in reducing our energy costs, which is a strategic goal for the site, saving us approximately $1.5m per year and reducing our CO2 emissions by up to 25 kilotonnes.
BP has worked very closely with Emerson on several optimisation systems and this project reaffirms why they are a key supplier of optimisation technology at the Grangemouth site.”
The utilities optimiser delivers operational benefits by reducing fuel usage and increasing generation of electricity.
AMS Optimiser, a component of Emerson’s AMS Suite, provides recommendations for the optimal steam and power generation. The recommended set points are displayed for the operators including the amount of opportunity that is lost (i.e. the difference in cost between current and optimal operation).
The cumulative opportunity lost on a shift-by-shift basis is also calculated and used by management at each start-of-day meeting.
The KG Ethylene closed-loop optimiser generates the optimal operating set points based on current operating conditions.
These are sent directly to the DCS controllers. Operators are able to open and close the loop between the optimizer and plant controllers at any time. Engineers also have the facility to use an open-loop optimizer that specifies the operating margin assuming that each variable has moved to its full range of operation.
This optimiser has been upgraded with each plant expansion. This is the third closed-loop optimiser commissioned by Emerson on the KG site and has been instrumental in increasing throughput and improving operational performance.
“The AMS Optimiser has increased plant throughput by 4per cent, resulting in benefits of over $1m per year on the recently expanded KG ethylene plant,” said Simon Lopez, Lead Control Engineer - Commercial & Optimization Team, BP.
“The optimiser has been instrumental in pushing the operating boundaries of the plant, specifically the compressor trains that were a major constraint on throughput.
By selecting the loading on each of the operating cracking furnaces, the AMS Optimiser is able to achieve improved product yields from the available feed stocks and, based on the product prices on the day, targets the optimal product spectrum.
Since the optimiser is closed loop, we are able to achieve maximum benefit with no delay in the implementation of the set points.”
“The plant operators and management, who see the AMS Optimiser as an integral part of the plant control system and operating procedures, have embraced the technology. We are committed to this leading-edge technology and have formed a close working relationship with Emerson over the last 10 years.
This has been evident with the success of the optimisers on the KG and G4 plants which were instrumental in a third optimizer recently being commissioned on the site’s utility station. AMS Optimiser from Emerson has been, and will continue to be, a success across the Grangemouth site.”
“Emerson’s strong relationship with BP around the world is based on delivering solid results like they’ve experienced in these projects, “ said Craig Llewellyn president of the Asset Optimization division of Emerson Process Management. “As companies face the challenge of managing operations in more dynamic environments, it is mission-critical to use the most advanced technologies and services to maximize throughput at best cost. The enhanced visibility into all aspects of operations provides the necessary foundation to help companies gain the most from their production facilities.”
AMS Suite is an integrated family of applications for predictive maintenance, performance monitoring and economic optimization. AMS Suite enables companies to dramatically improve availability, plant throughout and, product quality, while reducing operations, maintenance and utility costs..
Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the refining, chemical, oil and gas, pulp & paper, power, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and other industries. The company combines superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management, and maintenance services. Emerson brands include: PlantWeb(r); Fisher(r); Micro Motion(r); Rosemount(r); DeltaV(tm); Ovation(r); AMS(tm) Suite; MDC; and CSI.
St. Louis-based Emerson is one of the global leaders in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers in process control; electronics and telecommunications; industrial automation; heating, ventilating and air conditioning; and appliances and tools. Their sales in fiscal 2003 were estimated at $14 billion.

Latest product
The Real-Time Optimiser is one of Emerson's latest product releases, aimed at increasing plant economic performance by solving  complex problems faster.
It includes enhanced modeling, greater accuracy and speed, and web services for wider corporate access.
Emerson announce the new, enhanced version 3 of its AMS(tm) Suite: Real-Time Optimizer at the end of last year.
The AMS Optimiser is a flexible, modular application that combines the capabilities of plant modeling, data reconciliation, and real-time optimisation in a single package.
It benefits users by optimizing operations on-line and in real-time, based on changing plant conditions and business constraints.
By using a model of the assets, plant and/or process, and applying optimisation techniques, the AMS Optimiser powers Emerson’s PlantWeb(r) digital plant architecture, enabling process manufacturers to achieve maximum economic return from available resources.
Version Three delivers many significant improvements and features including a new optimizer designed specifically to handle complex problems more efficiently.
The AMS Optimiser now supports web services, allowing integration with the AMS Suite: Asset Portal(tm), Emerson’s decision-support application that provides secure real-time access to information on the health and performance of mechanical equipment, process equipment, field instruments and valves through a web browser.
Other features of the AMS Optimizer version 3 include/: updated arithmetical library for greater accuracy and speed;  faster, more accurate physical property calculations; improved interface to the scheduling tool that enables model and optimizer processes to be planned more easily; improved diagnostics - a new multi-level diagnostic model that can be included within larger models, and switched on and off according to circumstances and data; improvements to unit models and screens, making them more flexible and easier to use; full support for Microsoft XP operating system.
The AMS Optimiser is firmly established as a leading optimisation system, having been successfully deployed in a wide variety of processes.
It continues to deliver dramatic improvements in plant efficiency, leading to improvement in operating margins. Typical benefits from this technology include: Improved production and operating margins of 2 - 8 per cent;  increases in sustained equipment capacity of 3 - 10  per cent; reduction in energy costs; management of the plant to achieve optimal throughput; increased utilization of the most efficient equipment based on current operating conditions; improved demand allocation during load changes; validation of measurement inaccuracies and identification of failed instruments; ability to perform “what-if” optimisation including the effects of equipment changes, cost fluctuations and system changes, for the purposes of maintenance planning.
“This improved model and optimiser engine of this version of AMS Optimiser will provide our customers with faster, more significant performance enhancements,” said Peter Hodgson, Products Director at Emerson.
“It enables our users to more quickly produce a robust on-line optimization system that solves problems and delivers benefits.”
AMS Suite is an integrated family of applications for predictive maintenance, performance monitoring and economic optimization. AMS Suite enables companies to dramatically improve availability, plant throughout and, product quality, while reducing operations, maintenance and utility costs.