KBC (A Yokogawa Company; Houston, Tex.; kbc.global) was awarded the prestigious Gulf Energy Excellence Award for Energy Project of the Year (Downstream) for its flagship Profit Improvement Program® (PIP) at the annual Gulf Energy Information Excellence Awards held in Houston, Texas, on October 16, 2025. KBC was selected as one of 11 distinguished finalists for advancing operational excellence, digitalization, and decarbonization via its partnership with Acelen at Brazil’s 75-year-old Mataripe Refinery.
In 2022, Acelen and KBC launched a multi-year PIP to identify, evaluate and implement high-impact operational opportunities. This structured approach combined digitalization with automation to deliver sustained improvements in energy efficiency, reliability, and long-term profitability.
“Our work with KBC has been pivotal” said Rafael Rebouças de Araujo, Value Chain Optimization Leader at Acelen. “Integrating PIP results with real-time optimization, automation, and energy management has improved our refinery margins, reliability and energy performance while preparing the facility and its workforce for the next phase of digital operations.”
The results have been transformative, including:
- Over USD 100 million in cumulative annualized benefits, including USD 30 million per year from improved crude selection and linear programming optimization.
- Up to a 6.5 vol% increase in middle distillate production through improved crude unit operations and diesel hydrotreater optimization – all realized without major capital expenditure.
- 30% reduction in flare emissions and zero hydrogen flaring, achieved via rigorous emissions tracking and loss minimization opportunity implementation.
- 10% reduction in energy in the first two years, all done without major Capex, through strategic opportunity implementation and digital technology implementation.
- Enhanced reliability and cost efficiency, including reduced downtime and USD 3 to 5 million in avoided labor costs through optimized maintenance planning and execution.
KBC supported the transformation via its Petro-SIM® process simulation software, Visual MESA® Energy Real-Time Optimization, HX-Monitor, and TUV Rheinland-certified Visual MESA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management software to deliver real-time visibility, predictive insights, and continuous optimization across the refinery’s production and energy systems.
“Our collaboration with Acelen exemplifies how true partnership and digitalization achieves meaningful results,” said Sanjay Bhargava, Global Director of Process Optimization at KBC. “Together, we’re redefining the future of refining in Latin America while Bringing Decarbonization to Life®.”