Automatic plant operation by Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Amid a decrease in the number of experienced operators, ENEOS is developing automatic plant operation by AI independent of human skills in collaboration with Preferred Networks, Inc. to improve industrial safety by establishing stable and efficient petrochemical plant operations.
This AI system has been put into regular operation on butadiene extraction unit and atmospheric distillation unit inside the petrochemical plant at the ENEOS Kawasaki Refinery, achieving higher economy, stability, and efficiency than manual operations. With 24 key operational factors to control and as many as 930 sensors to monitor, the atmospheric distillation unit especially requires a high level of skills and experience. AI-based, continuous autonomous operation of an atmospheric distillation unit is the world’s first^*.

^* According to a consulting firm Globe-ing Inc.