Honeywell and TotalEnergies pilot AI-assisted control technology at Port Arthur Refinery, enhancing safety, predictive maintenance, and accelerating industrial autonomy.
Honeywell has joined forces with TotalEnergies to pilot its cutting-edge AI-assisted Experion Operations Assistant at TotalEnergies’ Port Arthur Refinery in Texas. The collaboration marks a significant step toward advancing industrial autonomy by integrating artificial intelligence into control room operations, empowering refinery operators to make faster, data-driven decisions while enhancing safety and efficiency across critical processes.
The Experion Operations Assistant, built upon Honeywell’s renowned distributed control system, serves as an advanced AI-powered platform designed to transform the way plant operations are monitored and managed. By merging real-time operational analytics with predictive insights, the system provides operators with the tools needed to anticipate maintenance requirements and mitigate operational risks. This integration not only improves decision-making accuracy but also helps prevent production disruptions and reduces potential safety hazards, paving the way for more autonomous and resilient industrial environments.
At TotalEnergies’ Port Arthur site, the Experion Operations Assistant has been deployed in the Delayed Coking Unit (DCU) as part of the initial pilot phase. Early results have been promising — the AI system successfully predicted five potential incidents before they occurred. On average, these forecasts came 12 minutes prior to alarm activation, giving operators crucial time to respond and implement corrective measures. This proactive approach helped reduce unplanned downtime, limit production losses, and minimize emissions from flaring, underscoring the tangible benefits of AI integration in industrial operations.
Raphael Duflos, Vice President and General Manager of TotalEnergies’ Port Arthur Platform, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating, “Partnering with Honeywell at our Port Arthur Refinery represents an important step in our journey toward operational excellence. We believe this solution could contribute to safer operations, reduced downtime, and minimized product losses.” His remarks highlight the company’s ongoing commitment to leveraging digital technologies to drive continuous improvement in safety, sustainability, and efficiency.
Honeywell Process Solutions President and CEO Jim Masso also underlined the broader significance of the partnership. “Honeywell’s decades of domain expertise and industry knowledge are helping solve our customers’ toughest challenges with tangible solutions like Experion Operations Assistant,” he said. “This pilot with TotalEnergies represents an important milestone in bridging the gap between autonomous technologies and the human operators who keep these facilities running safely and efficiently.”
Located near the Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas, TotalEnergies’ Port Arthur Platform plays a vital role in refining crude oil into fuels and producing petrochemicals essential for manufacturing plastics, rubber, and pharmaceuticals. The pilot project, developed in collaboration with Honeywell and TotalEnergies’ technology hub, OneTech, demonstrates how AI-driven control systems can revolutionize industrial operations—making them safer, more efficient, and progressively autonomous.
