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Customer service, smart operations in action
Since its inception in 1996, Graz, Austria-based BDI-BioEnergy International—a global leader in feedstock pretreatment and biodiesel process technologies—has offered cutting-edge solutions to meet the growing demand for biofuels from waste. Central to BDI’s success for nearly 30 years has been the company’s unwavering commitment to customer service. And in this age of artificial intelligence and machine learning, BDI’s groundbreaking Smart Operations technology leads the way in optimizing production facilities to face tomorrow’s challenges today.
Reliability and efficiency are paramount in commercial-scale biodiesel manufacturing. Even the most advanced technologies of any given period eventually require updates and support to ensure optimal performance. BDI-BioEnergy International understands this and has been supplying its customers with world-class service since its founding.
Customer service
With a dedicated team of knowledgeable experts and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence software tools, BDI ensures the most efficient plant operations and reduced downtime resulting in high-yielding, high-quality fuels and coproducts.
For nearly three decades, BDI has offered a wide range of tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of its clients.
From plant-fitness checks to process-debottlenecking analysis and continuous process improvement, BDI empowers its customers to increase profitability and competitiveness in the market.
With a 24/7 hotline, troubleshooting services, preventive maintenance and spare-parts supply, BDI ensures that its clients’ plants operate in optimum condition, minimizing downtime and maximizing efficiency.
Efficient plant operation requires more than just cutting-edge technology—it demands knowledgeable employees and comprehensive support.
BDI’s team of highly trained specialists provides on-site operation support, online process coaching, technical information exchange, and laboratory training and analysis management.
These instruments of success are standard equipment in BDI’s service-after-the-sale customer-care package.
Ultimately, the company’s customer-service protocols help make certain its clients receive the expertise they need precisely when they need it.
Moreover, BDI’s comprehensive care extends beyond plant operation, encompassing safety checks, safety integrity level (SIL) inspections, hazard and operability (HAZOP) analyses, and electrical audits to ensure the integrity and safety of the plant and its personnel.
Smart Operations
In an era defined by rapid technological advancements, BDI leads the charge with its innovative Smart Operations technology.
At the heart of these operations lies a commitment to driving efficiency, reducing energy consumption and enhancing product quality.
As biofuel production performance depends heavily on plant control, intelligent control systems are indispensable investments in the future.
BDI’s Smart Operations ensure reduced energy consumption, more efficient use of personnel and increased quality, paving the way for the most profitable biodiesel manufacturing possible.
BDI’s Smart Operations encompass a wide array of solutions designed to address the complex challenges facing biofuel producers today.
From potential analysis and batch protocols to process-based optimizations and equipment monitoring, these solutions offer a holistic approach to maximizing plant efficiency and profitability.
By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, BDI empowers its clients to stay ahead of the curve, driving continuous improvement and innovation.
Case study
In 2008, BDI was commissioned by Green Biofuels Ireland to build the latest-generation multifeedstock plant in Wexford, Ireland, to produce about 30,000 tons (approximately 9 million gallons) of biodiesel per year from used cooking oil and animal fat.
An important process step in biodiesel production involves the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) distillation column in which the FAME is distilled into high-quality biodiesel.
Some of the FAME refluxes back into the process and has a strong impact on the quality of the finished product as well as the plant’s overall energy consumption.
Although the operators were running the plant very close to its design limits, an initial analysis identified the potential for efficiency increases at the distillation stage.
Existing control loops showed strong variances and oscillations and most control valves were already close to their end positions, limiting room for further improvements.
Most controllers’ setpoints were manually adjusted and therefore not dynamically adapted.
Operating the plant so close to its design limits resulted in the need for numerous operator interventions in the process-control system.
Smart solutions
An automated batch protocol was used to collect the necessary analysis data from Green Biofuels Ireland’s esterification and to combine it with data from the process-control system.
Based on this information, various opportunities to optimize the process were identified.
Additionally, several state-of-the-art model predictive controllers (MPCs) were implemented to manage the process in order to optimize the distillation column.
Mathematical models developed in-house by BDI resulted in increased efficiency, optimized quality and stable output.
Now, the customized controllers receive all the relevant data, return the setpoints to the process-control system and thereby regulate the optimal operation of the column.
By adjusting the reflux and other pertinent process parameters, the efficiency of the plant is increased.
Furthermore, through implementation of the MPCs, additional operator interventions are reduced to a minimum.
By expanding the Irish plant with BDI Smart Operations, the reflux from distillation has been optimized, resulting in greater plant profitability.
Beyond that, with the implementation of MPCs, additional operator interventions are minimized, and operating costs are further reduced.
“Using BDI’s Smart Operations technology helps us to keep our plant at the cutting edge of technology,” the Irish biodiesel producer said. “Thanks to the automation of the FAME distillation, we are operating more efficiently, we are managing an increase in production capacity and, thus, we are making an even greater contribution to Ireland’s GHG savings.”
The partnership between BDI-BioEnergy International and Green Biofuels Ireland serves as a testament to the transformative power of Smart Operations.
Facing challenges such as fluctuating feedstock quality, volatile market conditions and operational complexities, Green Biofuels Ireland turned to BDI for solutions.
Through its commitment to customer service and the company’s pioneering Smart Operations technology, BDI delivered—and Green Biofuels Ireland’s decision to leverage the extensive knowhow of the Styrian biodiesel technology provider paid off.
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