During the pilot on the Port Arthur delayed coker, Honeywell’s Experion Operations Assistant forecast five potential events, an average of about 12 minutes before an alarm incident[1][2]. Trade coverage reports pressure-dip predictions 10–18 minutes earlier than before[3], while Honeywell’s later launch release says 5–10 minutes across its pilots[4]. The companies credit it with helping reduce downtime and flaring, but have published no downtime hours or flaring volumes.
01.What was tested
TotalEnergies and Honeywell announced the pilot on November 11, 2025[1]. It ran on the refinery’s delayed coking unit, reported at 56,000 b/d within a 238,000-b/d refining and petrochemical platform[5]. Honeywell’s system sits on its Experion control system and combines historical and live data to warn board operators before problems escalate[4].
The use cases went beyond a single alarm: predictive alerts for steam disturbances, spalling events and drum filling, plus alarm decision support for operators[3]. A coker suits this kind of test because it runs in repeated batch cycles, and BIC Magazine describes it as among the most dynamic areas in refining[2].
The tool is described as supporting operators rather than replacing their judgment[2]. It warns; people decide. Nothing published says that it acts on the plant by itself.
02.Three warning times, three contexts
| Figure | What it describes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| About 12 minutes (average) | Time before an alarm incident, across five forecast events at Port Arthur | TotalEnergies and Honeywell[1] |
| 10–18 minutes earlier | Prediction of pressure dips compared with before | Control Global[3] |
| 5–10 minutes (average) | Time before alarm incidents in pilots with Chevron and TotalEnergies | Honeywell launch release[4] |
We report these side by side because they measure different things or different groups of events. We have not seen the underlying data.
- Small sample. Five events are enough to justify more testing, not to set a reliable hit rate.
- Missing denominators. We found no published false-alarm rate, missed-event rate or pilot duration.
- No measured savings. “Helped reduce downtime and flaring” is not a figure. No avoided hours, volumes or dollars have been released.
- Vendor-reported. The results come from the companies and event coverage. We found no independent review.
A correction: some summaries say AI “avoided trips.” The published wording is that it forecast potential events and helped reduce downtime and emissions. Still, a warning of ten minutes or so is meaningful if it gives a board operator time to respond before a pressure dip spreads (our view).
03.From pilot to product
Oil & Gas Journal reported that Port Arthur has since expanded its use of the technology[5]. The coverage we could review does not list the added units, so we do not name any. BIC Magazine suggests crackers, hydrotreaters and reformers as possible future candidates, but that is outlook rather than an announced plan[2].
On March 19, 2026, Honeywell launched the product commercially, naming Chevron and TotalEnergies as pilot partners[4]. Its CEO also pointed to a real driver: retiring operators are taking site knowledge with them[4].
04.Why turnaround people should care
| Issue | Possible effect | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer unplanned upsets | Less emergency work between turnarounds | Whether the site tracks the avoided events |
| Better event history | Stronger evidence for scope and run-length decisions | Whether alerts and outcomes are saved and reviewed |
| Changing behavior after an outage | Models trained on old data may misjudge a modified unit | Whether models are reviewed after major scope changes |
| Startup and shutdown | Not reported as tested at Port Arthur | Ask directly; do not assume coverage |
Our assessment. None of these effects has been measured publicly at Port Arthur.
If you are judging a similar tool, ask for the events it caught, the ones it missed, its false alarms, and what operators did differently. For how plant data affects outage timing, see predictive maintenance and turnaround timing.
05.Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Port Arthur AI pilot achieve?
TotalEnergies and Honeywell say Experion Operations Assistant forecast five potential events on the delayed coking unit, an average of 12 minutes before an alarm incident, helping reduce downtime and flaring emissions. No downtime or flaring figures have been published.
How much warning does the AI give?
Published figures differ by context: about 12 minutes on average at Port Arthur, 10 to 18 minutes earlier for pressure dips in trade coverage, and an average of 5 to 10 minutes in Honeywell's later launch release covering its pilots.
Does the AI control the coker by itself?
Nothing published says so. It is described as supporting operators, who decide what action to take.
Is Experion Operations Assistant commercially available?
Yes. Honeywell announced its commercial launch on March 19, 2026, naming Chevron and TotalEnergies as pilot partners.
Has the Port Arthur program expanded beyond the coker?
Oil & Gas Journal reported an expansion at the complex, but the coverage we could review does not list the added units.
Sources
- [1] TotalEnergies — TotalEnergies and Honeywell pilot AI-assisted control room (Nov 11, 2025)
- [2] BIC Magazine — TotalEnergies pilots control room AI (Jan 30, 2026)
- [3] Control Global — Honeywell AI pilot aids coker unit operations at TotalEnergies refinery
- [4] Honeywell — Commercial launch of AI-powered control room assistant following successful pilot (Mar 19, 2026)
- [5] Oil & Gas Journal — TotalEnergies Port Arthur complex expands use of AI-assisted technology
All sources accessed November 7, 2026. Fees, course names and schedules change; confirm with the issuing body or your employer before you pay or travel.