HTRI's digital transformation solutions help members move beyond standalone simulations to connected, operational digital twins. By combining HTRI's validated models with live plant data, engineers, operators, technology service providers, and consultants can more effectively track performance, troubleshoot issues, optimize energy use, and support long-term operational decisions.
Making digital transformation practical and reliable
Digital transformation often falls short when it merely digitizes existing processes. HTRI takes a different approach. We connect engineering knowledge directly to plant operations by linking HTRI's trusted physics-based models with your plant data through seamless, two-way integration with your existing data historian.
The result is a single, reliable source of truth. Engineering services, operations, maintenance, and management groups can access the same validated information anytime, anywhere—improving collaboration, accelerating decision-making, and increasing organizational agility without disrupting established workflows.
A solution-driven framework built for real-world use
HTRI's digital transformation approach integrates
- proven thermal-hydraulic, physics-based models built on decades of research and engineering expertise
- direct connectivity to plant historians and operational data systems
- hybrid predictions that combine first-principles methods with machine-learning insights
- embedded workflows for monitoring, troubleshooting, and continuous optimization
Together, these capabilities move your organization from isolated simulations to fully connected digital twins that monitor, predict, and optimize equipment performance.
Two complementary solutions: HTRIconnect™ and HTRI SmartPM™.
HTRI offers two digital-twin solutions, designed to meet different operational needs.
- SmartPM manages networks of heat exchangers and associated equipment (e.g., pump, flash components and fired heaters), taking into account complex interactions in both historic and predictive modes. Performance improvements (e.g., exchanger cleaning, flow split optimization, retrofitting exchangers, or revamping networks) can be investigated, combining HTRI's industry-standard physics-based digital twin models with machine-learned dynamic fouling models.
- HTRIconnect specializes in seamless plant data integration to enhance automation, particularly for individual units or cases where real-time data connectivity is crucial. Additionally, HTRIconnect serves as a file management and housekeeping repository, ensuring efficient data organization as part of achieving these digital transformation goals.
This decision map helps members determine which digital twin approach best fits their scope, analytics requirements, and system complexity—ensuring you deploy the solutions that deliver the greatest operational value.
| Capability | HTRIconnect | HTRI SmartPM | HTRIconnect + HTRI SmartPM |
| Connection to plant data historian | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Connection multiple to isolated heat exchanger and fired heater digital twins | ✓ | ||
| Connection to multiple heat exchanger and fired heater networks | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Management of multiple Xchanger Suite® files | ✓ | ||
| Automated execution of HTRI models | ✓ | ✓ | |
| System level energy optimization | ✓ | ||
| Predictive capabilities (machine learning and physical fouling model fitting) | ✓ | ||
| Emission reporting | ✓ |