Kalundborg Refinery joins DFA programme to explore ways to enhance operational efficiency

Kalundborg Refinery, Denmark's largest oil processing facility, has recently joined the Digital Factory Acceleration programme, which is co-financed by Industriens Fond. Located in Kalundborg, the refinery processes up to 5.5 million tons of crude oil, condensate, and blending products annually. With approximately 400 employees, the refinery produces a wide range of products, including propane, naphtha, gasoline, diesel, heating oil and fuel oil. 

Committed to manufacturing the most sustainable fuels for its customers 

Kalundborg Refinery's commitment drives the company to continually seek innovative solutions to optimise its operations. Currently, one of the major operational challenges is maintaining over 800 pumps within the production infrastructure. The existing manual maintenance approach is time-consuming and inefficient.

Smart sensing solutions introduced through Digital Factory Acceleration programme

Introducing smart sensing solutions offers a promising avenue to address operational challenges. The refinery aims to explore cost-effective, scalable methods for enhancing production and maintenance efficiency. Specifically, the programme provides an opportunity to investigate the feasibility of using advanced sensors that could potentially monitor multiple pumps simultaneously, reducing logistical complexity and financial burden.

Kalundborg Refinery has these key expectations from its participation in the Digital Factory Acceleration programme

1. Understanding available solutions: The refinery seeks to gain a comprehensive understanding of the various advanced monitoring technologies available.
2. Quantifying potential Impact: Kalundborg Refinery aims to quantify its potential impact on maintenance operations. Improved maintenance efficiency is expected to enhance overall production efficiency directly.

While the precise impact of integrating advanced monitoring technologies will depend on the outcomes of detailed analyses, the refinery is optimistic about the potential for significant operational cost reductions.