ORLEN Unipetrol, the refining and petrochemical group, is steadfast in its commitment to upgrading production technologies. The latest digitalisation project involves the implementation of Digital Twin in its refinery in Kralupy nad Vltavou. The almost CZK 50 million investment allows the company to replicate real operations in a virtual environment, which will streamline the production process and simplify production planning. The Digital Twin, a computer program that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning, uses real-world data to create a simulation and predict process outcomes. The Group also has plans to implement the Digital Twin of production units in other production locations.
“The digitalisation of all segments is a crucial part of the strategic development plan of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group and its transformation towards sustainability and net zero. We introduce new principles and digital solutions both in production and across processes within the entire Group. Implementing the Digital Twin project, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, will significantly boost production safety and efficiency,” says Mariusz Wnuk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ORLEN Unipetrol Group.
The Digital Twin operates by mirroring a real-world production process in a virtual environment. This allows for the simulation of workflows that the operator intends to implement in real operations. By simulating a workflow in the Digital Twin’s virtual environment, the operator can verify its efficiency. Real-world implementation only occurs after the efficiency and safety of the planned technology intervention are checked and evaluated. This process of creating a digital representation of the production process and verifying the plan’s efficiency reduces the error rate caused by the real-world implementation, thereby increasing production efficiency.
The computer program of the Digital Twin, a virtual replica of real-world operations of the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit at the Kralupy Refinery, currently runs the ‘model debugging’ process. The program’s test period will continue for several months. Then it will be launched in full-fledged operations. The real-time mirroring of the technological process allows to verify and try technological processes on for size, set an optimal operating mode and unveil any operational deviations in time.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group plans to spend up to CZK 5 billion on digitalisation until 2030. It gradually implements new principles and digital solutions in the production, business, logistics, and administrative segments. Digitalisation is part of a gradual transformation towards sustainability, a circular economy and a zero-emission future.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. It belongs among the key players on the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, REMAQ in Otrokovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN network of filling stations in the Czech Republic and the ORLEN network in Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It employs more than 6,000 people. ORLEN Unipetrol is also a socially responsible company, particularly in the areas of supporting sustainable development, education, local communities and the environment. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the ORLEN Group, the largest oil refiner in Central Europe.
Contact details: Pavel Kaidl, spokesperson, telephone: +420 736 502 520, email: pavel.kaidl@orlenunipetrol.cz