Petroleum refinery automates expansion with RangeGate

Natref (National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa) has automated its product sample identification process with RangeGate`s barcode and scanning system to improve the accuracy of timestamps in the processing of samples. The automation also accommodates the company`s 20% expansion, which is currently in progress and set to increase its refining capacity from 86 000 to 105 000 barrels per day.

The refinery, which has a 15% market share in SA, needed a system that would provide a clear view of all its refining processes throughout its expanded environment.

Natref expects the automation to contribute to creating a paperless environment. This will in turn increase its competitive advantage and ultimately play a role in Natref`s objective to meet the market`s growing demands for fuel in the inland area.

"We chose RangeGate because it was able to offer a total solution without any help from outside developers," says Wilhelm Wasserman, divisional manager of the production information department at Natref. "The design of the system was kept simple and written in a language that all our staff could understand."

Natref, a 66% - 34% joint venture between Sasol and Total South Africa, is situated in Sasolburg, south of Johannesburg, and is the only inland crude oil refinery in SA.

Crude oil - bought by the two shareholders mainly from producers in the Middle East and West Africa - is shipped by oil tankers and offloaded near the port of Durban into storage tanks at Natcos (another joint venture between Sasol and Total South Africa). It is then pumped via a 670km pipeline to the Sasolburg site.

In a process of distillation and refining, the refinery produces various types of liquid fuels such as petrol, diesel, jet fuel, fuel oil, LPG and bitumen.

Natref refines and converts more than 90% of crude oil to petrol, diesel, jet fuels and other hydrocarbon products for its two shareholders on a daily basis. To monitor their process, samples are taken daily. These are then sent to the laboratory for thorough analysis. Outside readings of local temperature, pressure and flow indicators are currently being captured manually and Natref decided that it needed a system to automate its manual updates on local readings and allow possible application in other areas of the company.

RangeGate wrote the software following the creation of a functional specification document detailing Natref`s requirements. The system, designed for the company`s laboratory and operations department, is used to identify samples, capture sample timestamps electronically and to capture local process readings.

"The system will optimise advance process control and provide accurate handling of test-run samples and timestamping," says Wasserman. "The laboratory will have better control of sample traffic, which means that laboratory personnel will know what samples have been taken, even though these samples have not yet been received by the laboratory."

The barcoding and scanning system will enable Natref to tag laboratory samples with barcodes to enable identification. Also, sample containers will be scanned to link them to specific sample points. This information, with times and dates, will be captured and sent via radio frequency to the company`s laboratory information management system (LIMS).

"Our aim was to ensure that Natref receives information faster," says Fred Hoare, IT director at RangeGate. "The system has proved to be an asset to Natref`s business as it provides the required feedback and support for its business processes. Because of RangeGate`s flexibility and willingness to help with the solution even after implementation, Natref is able to receive continuous business input that will lead to an even better solution."