COST-BENEFIT-ANALYSIS OF REFINERY PROCESS DATA - CASE-STUDY

This paper applies the methodology developed previously to quantify th e contribution of process data to performance measures. It describes a refinery case study in which measurements are ranked according to the cost-effectiveness of their contribution to improving refinery perfor mance measures. This provides a means. of evaluating the cost effectiv eness of data collection, data analysis and estimation procedures on a particular refinery unit. The work is of direct benefit to the refine ry as it provides an aid for making business decisions on the procedur es involved in the determination of a: plant's performance. An example of such a decision would be investment in instrumentation since measu rements make: an important contribution to the estimation of performan ce parameters. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.