Core Capabilities:
Machine Learning
Symbolic AI
Optimizers
Context-Aware AI
Agentic AI
PlantGPT
Process-Aware Knowledge Graph
Clusters & High-Impact Use Cases
Crude blending
In the oil & gas world, it usually refers to the practice of mixing different grades of crude oil to achieve a target quality—say, adjusting sulfur content, viscosity, or API gravity—so the final blend meets refinery requirements or market specs. Refineries often do this to optimize processing costs and product yields.
In a general sense, “crude blending” could just mean any rough or unrefined mixing—like combining things without much precision.
CDU Cut-point optimization
CDU = Crude Distillation Unit.
When we talk about cut-point optimization, we’re essentially talking about where we decide to “cut” between different product streams in the distillation column.
In a CDU, crude oil is separated into fractions like naphtha, kerosene, diesel, gas oil, residue, etc. Each fraction has a boiling range. The “cut point” is the temperature (or boiling range boundary) where one product ends and the next begins.
FCC/HCU severity
When we talk about FCC (Fluid Catalytic Cracking) or HCU (Hydrocracking Unit) severity, we’re basically talking about how “hard” we run the unit — the operating intensity that drives how much cracking, conversion, or upgrading actually happens.
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In FCC → severity is tied to reactor temperature, catalyst-to-oil ratio, and contact time. Higher severity = more gasoline and LPG, less heavy cycle oil, but also more coke and dry gas.
Catalyst
Catalyst: A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process. In refining, catalysts are crucial in conversion units such as FCC, hydrocracking, reforming, and hydrotreating. They enable reactions like cracking, hydrogenation, desulfurization, and reforming to occur at lower temperatures and pressures than would otherwise be required, improving efficiency and selectivity.
Hydrogen Management
Hydrogen management is one of those refinery topics that looks boring on paper but is actually the lifeline of the whole downstream business .
Here’s the plain truth: hydrogen is like oxygen for a refinery—without it, all the upgrading units choke.
Why hydrogen matters?
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Desulfurization (HDS): Stripping sulfur out of fuels (for clean diesel, gasoline, jet fuel) eats hydrogen.
Purity
Purity in Process Industries: In process industries such as oil refining, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food processing, purity refers to the extent to which a material or product is free from contaminants, by-products, or undesired compounds. Maintaining high purity is essential because even small amounts of impurities can damage catalysts, reduce process efficiency, or cause a product to fail quality specifications. For example, in refining, hydrogen purity must be maintained at very high levels to prevent catalyst poisoning in hydrocrackers and hydrotreaters.
Routing
Routing in Process Industries: Routing refers to the planned path or sequence through which raw materials, intermediates, or finished products flow within a plant or system. In manufacturing and refining, routing determines how feedstocks move across equipment, pipelines, and processing units to achieve the desired conversion or treatment. For example, in a refinery, crude oil may be routed first to the CDU, then specific fractions are routed to units like FCC, hydrocracker, or reformer depending on product requirements.