Case Study: Saudi Aramco achieves 100,000 barrels/day capacity increase and upgrades bottom-of-the-barrel products with Aspen Technology (Aspen HYSYS & Aspen PIMS)

Saudi Aramco Increases Capacity by 100,000 barrels/day and Upgrades Bottom of the Barrel Products

Saudi Aramco, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, faced low margins at a semi‑conversion refinery that was producing excessive low‑value fuel oil. To evaluate a revamp—adding residue and VGO hydrocrackers, new distillation columns and modifications to the CDU/VDU—Saudi Aramco used Aspen Technology solutions, notably Aspen HYSYS® Petroleum Refining and Aspen PIMS™, to study feasibility and develop reactor and unit models.

Aspen Technology’s Aspen HYSYS was used to rigorously simulate the hydrocracker, CDU, VDU and related units, develop a kinetic reactor model and equipment sizing, and debottleneck existing units, while Aspen PIMS provided refinery‑wide optimization and blending analysis. The combined solution enabled heat, material, sulfur and hydrogen balances and generated design and financial inputs; the proposed reconfiguration projects a 100,000 barrels per day increase in processing capacity, a substantial reduction in fuel oil and a significant boost in diesel production and margins.

Saudi Aramco