A Digital Scheduling Hub for Natural Gas Processing: a Petrobras Case-Study Using Rigorous Process Simulation

To address the dynamic operational demands of the gas processing sector, which is continuously evolving due to gas market opening, increase in natural gas production, and the growing challenge of upstream-midstream integration in a competitive environment, this work presents the Integrated-Gas-Scheduling-System, IntegraGAS. The proposed methodology innovates by using first principles rigorous process simulation coupled with a scheduling tool for short/medium/long-term, enabling gas plants to swiftly adapt to varying operational conditions and meet the requirements of this new market. IntegraGAS was implemented in Petrobras and has significantly enhanced scheduling efficiency, reducing execution time by up to 99.2% and avoiding approx. US$ 2.3 million in annual labor costs, optimizing resource utilization. By integrating Excel for the frontend, Aspen HYSYS for process simulation, VBA for automation, and Microsoft PowerBI for real-time data visualization, IntegraGAS improves decision-making, regulatory compliance, and operational agility. Its key functionalities include alerts for operational limit violations, automated mass and energy balance calculations, optimized gas allocation, integration with maintenance shutdown plans and KPI monitoring. With an intuitive interface and a robust architecture driven by digital transformation, IntegraGAS eliminates manual inefficiencies, ensures seamless coordination among stakeholders, and enables rapid responses to market dynamics.