Türkiye Petrol Rafinerileri : Processing the Data like Oil, Tüpraş Adds Value to its Refinery Operations with Data Analytics Centers in ITU and METU

12 August 2021

Tüpraş Grows Stronger in its Digital Transformation Journey by Creating Value from Big Data

Tüpraş, which has implemented various innovative operations in parallel with its Industry 4.0 principles that are available in the foundations of its manufacturing processes, such as online tracking systems, wearable technologies, field implementation of wireless and mobile solutions, robotic technologies and artificial intelligence applications, prioritizes safety with 'human-first' approach in all of its digitalization efforts.
The company, which processes the data like oil, supports its refinery operations by reinforcing its investments for creating value from data together with Data Analytics Centers in ITU ARI Technocity and METU Technocity.

While continuing on its innovative and pioneering works in its digital transformation journey, Tüpraş reinforces its investments for creating value from data. The company transforms its operations to a sustainable phase, integrated with external sources, thanks to its collaborations with Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Middle East Technical University (METU), ITU ARI Technocity and METU Technocity.

Tüpraş enables effective use of data with 'Data Scientists' of Data Analytics Centers of both technocities, who interpret the digital data. The aim is to make the culture and skill of creating value from data permanent in Data Analytics Centers, where big data infrastructure and data analytics projects are managed. Expert Data Scientists also play an important role in democratizing data, by supporting the development of leading business application teams, known as 'Civil Data Scientist', in each department as a part of 'Analytic Tüpraş' program. In the meantime, the priorities to support and plan the works at Tüpraş refinery sites and minimizing potential risks in production and process safety are also performed, successfully.

Data is processed like oil
Approximately 650 million lines of data, received from 150 thousand sensors, are being processed every day in the refineries of Tüpraş, which has set off to be one of the refineries that has the best data analytics team of the world, and these data are processed in the company's big data infrastructure for a sustainable added value. The company processes the data collected from production activities as a part of its Industry 4.0 principles that form the foundational structure of the company's production processes, same as it processes oil and develops projects to maintain its profitability and sustainability with artificial intelligence algorithms. The power of such collected data are used to manage a project portfolio in the value chain of Tüpraş, ranging from supply and production to the collection of sales, with a measurable potential of hundreds of millions of Liras.

'We take leading steps to reinforce the collaboration between universities and industry in data analytics'
Stating that they have made long discussions on site in order to understand the requirements and problems of refinery staff as a part of data analytics works, Doğan Korkmaz, Assistant General Manager of Tüpraş said: 'As Tüpraş, we have seen that we can make a difference in early stages of decision making by using data analysis systems on a very large Big Data archive. We aim to access qualified resources and to be closer to universities and start-ups through the data analytics centers we established in METU and ITU. Our data scientist teams, composed of doctorate/post-graduate students, are working in these centers to implement several important projects.

In addition to sensor, alert and laboratory data generated on site, our data scientists have the opportunity to access the data that touch every stage of chain of values, such as finance, sales and logistics, and to develop projects for these areas. The portfolio of projects being implemented includes projects that add value directly to production phases, such as estimation of product properties and analysis of alert data, and applications, such as financial business intelligence systems and sales estimation systems' and added,

We achieve results to prevent disruption of our production processes with the projects developed by these centers. But more importantly, we achieve very meaningful data for occupational health and safety, which is our main priority. Although data analytics is an issue being handled in companies for a long period throughout the world, it is very important for us, the industrial corporations, to be around such ecosystems.' We, as Tüpraş, are very happy to take such pioneering steps to reinforce the collaboration between universities and the industry in data analytics.'

'We will perform joint projects in technocity ecosystem together with relevant departments of ITU and METU'

Highlighting that, as Tüpraş, they have already been performing joint works with ITU and METU for long years, Korkmaz stated that he has hundreds of colleagues graduated from different faculties of ITU and METU working in various positions and departments of Tüpraş.

'We have moved our works with ITU and METU in energy industry to digital transformation, which has a significant place in the agenda of leading companies of the world and which has deeply affected all industries, and we have strengthened our collaboration with them. For this purpose, we are performing various technology projects, ranging from digital transformation applications that will change the business life to Industry 4.0 approach that will affect our production processes. We are also performing joint works with university - industry collaboration together with related academicians in our data analytics centers for our fields of operation. We also aim to perform joint projects in technocity ecosystem with relevant departments of ITU and METU and to organize training programs and events. Developing start-up programs for entrepreneurs or participating in existing programs, accessing qualified human resources that will support our research activities and establishing collaborations to form industrial Technocity Incubation Centers and other similar structures are among our plans.'

Number of ''Data Citizens' increasing in each unit of Tüpraş'

Emphasizing the importance of accessibility of data by everyone as data based decision processes are much more important, Korkmaz said, 'At this stage, use of data by every employee and taking decision based on such data will be very valuable even in the smallest business units. We aim to democratize the data, ensuring that it is not used only to prepare reports to senior executives, but also in every stage of decision mechanism. We intend to put the same data in the center of decision in every stage in order to ensure that they are used not only by data scientists, but also all our company staff. We continue to get stronger in our digital transformation journey by offering special data analytics trainings that we designed completely by ourselves for our colleagues in Tüpraş, which we call them 'Data Citizens'.