The Evolution of Texaco’s Blending Systems: From OMEGA to StarBlend

Billy Rigby, Leon S. Lasdon and Allan D. Waren
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Billy Rigby: Texaco Refining and Marketing, Inc., Division of Information Technology Manufacturing, 6464 Savoy Drive, Houston, Texas 77036
Leon S. Lasdon: Department of Management Science and Information Systems, College of Business Administration, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1175
Allan D. Waren: Computer and Information Science Department, James J. Nance College of Business Administration, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio 44115

Interfaces, 1995, vol. 25, issue 5, 64-83

Abstract: Gasoline blending is a critical refinery operation. In the 1980s, Texaco developed OMEGA, an optimization-based decision support system, to assist in planning and scheduling its blending operations. OMEGA ran primarily on minicomputers and on a mainframe computer system. In 1990, Texaco began replacing OMEGA with StarBlend, a Microsoft Windows application, running on personal computers and client-server networks. StarBlend uses a multi-period extension of OMEGA’s blending model written in the GAMS modeling language and extracts model data from relational databases. Its improved features make it easier to use and it enables blenders and blend planners to more readily incorporate future requirements into current blending decisions. Currently, StarBlend is operational in all Texaco refineries. As federal and state regulations on auto emissions become more complex, StarBlend’s importance will continue to increase.

Keywords: industries: petroleum/natural gas; decision analysis: applications (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1995
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