The Detection-to-Decision Gap

Jun 03, 2026

Improving hydrocarbon release response through process twins and dispersion modeling.

Hydrocarbon releases remain a persistent safety challenge facing refiners. While leak detection technologies continue to improve, operators often lack the information needed to rapidly assess severity, understand dispersion behavior, and classify ignition risk after a release occurs. The result is a critical detection-to-decision gap that can delay response and increase operational uncertainty.

This whitepaper explores how integrating Petro-SIM® process twins with Flaretot® dispersion modeling software helps narrow that gap through a six-stage digital workflow for hydrocarbon release assessment.

Using five leak scenarios within a naphtha reformer stabilizer system, the paper demonstrates how composition estimation, dispersion analysis, and AI-enabled hazard assessment can improve operational visibility, accelerate risk evaluation, and strengthen coordination between operations and HSE teams.

Inside this whitepaper:

  • A six-stage digital workflow for hydrocarbon release assessment
  • Five hydrocarbon leak case studies using Petro-SIM process twins with Flaretot dispersion modeling
  • Analysis showing how composition influences flammability risk and response urgency
  • A framework for improving coordination between operations and engineering teams
  • Future applications of AI-enabled hazard assessment using drones, robotics, and orchestration layers

To explore how process twins and dispersion modeling can help close blind spots around hydrocarbon releases, download the whitepaper.