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

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.