KBC, a Yokogawa company, has launched Petro-SIM® 7.7, an advanced process simulation, optimization and digital twin platform designed for engineers and safety specialists across the refining, petrochemical, chemical and process industries. Drawing on nearly 50 years of refinery and process engineering expertise, Petro-SIM 7.7 combines AI/ML-enabled hybrid modelling with
first-principles simulation within a single platform. By bringing together engineering physics and machine learning, the solution enables engineers to make safer, data-driven decisions while maintaining high-fidelity digital twins and optimizing large-scale operations across both traditional and emerging energy systems.
AI/ML Brings Engineering Intelligence to Process Simulation
The growing adoption of industrial AI is increasing the need for domain-specific models. Gartner predicts that more than half of enterprise generative AI models will be domain-specific by 2027, highlighting the value of AI solutions built around industry expertise. “Industrial AI delivers the greatest value when it’s grounded in engineering physics,” said Philippa Hayward, Product Manager for Petro-SIM. She added that the platform gives process engineers an accessible way to develop and apply hybrid models within a trusted simulation environment, without requiring specialist data science expertise.
Key Petro-SIM 7.7 Capabilities
Embedded AI/ML for Engineering WorkflowsPetro-SIM 7.7 integrates AI/ML capabilities directly into engineering workflows through its embedded ML Utility Hub. Engineers can use the hub to:
*Generate synthetic data
*Develop and train hybrid models
*Deploy AI/ML models within the Petro-SIM environment
*Apply machine learning without requiring extensive specialist data science skills
*Advanced Optimization for Refinery Operations
The platform also expands its optimizer library and introduces new optimization algorithms. As a result, engineers can improve the performance of complex refinery processes and make more effective operational decisions.
Higher-Fidelity Refinery and Value-Chain Modelling
Petro-SIM 7.7 enhances modelling capabilities for refinery units and integrated value chains through an expanded range of reactor models and physical property methods. The update includes a new lube hydrocracker model, helping engineers represent complex refinery processes with greater fidelity.
Support for Emerging Energy Technologies
Furthermore, the platform supports both conventional and emerging energy technologies. Its capabilities cover areas such as:
Bio-oil processing
Electrolysis
Decarbonization correlations
Pyrolysis modeling
Biomass gasification
These capabilities provide engineers with a simulation foundation for evaluating new energy pathways while continuing to optimize existing process operations.
Foundation for Process Digital Twins
Petro-SIM 7.7 provides the engineering foundation for process digital twins and supports KBC Acuity™ Process Twin Pro, a digital twin application designed to continuously monitor model health and identify deviations from plant performance. The application also helps keep process models updated throughout their lifecycle. Consequently, Petro-SIM 7.7 and KBC Acuity Process Twin Pro can support more accurate monitoring, optimization and operational decision-making across refinery and petrochemical value chains.
Building Trust in Industrial AI
According to Simon Rogers, Chief Technology Officer, industrial AI delivers value only when engineers can trust its results. He emphasised that this trust depends on transparency, engineering rigor and results that engineers can validate. The company’s approach is therefore to use AI as a tool that strengthens engineering judgment rather than replacing it. By embedding intelligent technologies across its software portfolio, KBC aims to help engineers address increasingly complex industrial challenges with greater confidence.
AI-Driven Process Engineering for the Energy Industry
With its combination of first-principles simulation, AI/ML hybrid modeling, process optimization and digital twin capabilities, Petro-SIM 7.7 strengthens the digital toolkit available to process engineers. As per the press release, the platform can help industries improve operational performance while supporting the transition toward emerging energy technologies, decarbonization and smarter process operations.
