Patent ID: 11921476
Assignee: MARATHON PETROLEUM COMPANY LP
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  C  E  Y | IPC C  E  G

Claim 18:
19. An ethanol integration controller to operate one or more ethanol plants for distribution of a low carbon intensity (CI) ethanol therefrom and for blending with a refined transportation fuel and obtained through one or more targeted reductions of carbon emissions (CE) associated with various available fermentable feedstock to be supplied to the one or more ethanol plants, various selected fermentable feedstock transportation and blended fuel distribution pathways, and various ethanol production processes, the ethanol integration controller comprising:
a first input/output in signal communication with a procurement computing device, such that the ethanol integration controller is configured to:
(a) determine a selection of one or more available feedstock, a selection of one or more feedstock transportation pathways, a selection of one or more ethanol production processes at one or more ethanol production sources, a selection of one or more utilities, and a selection of one or more ethanol distribution pathways, each selection based on:
(1) a determination of fermentable feedstock CI of one or more blends of the one or more available fermentable feedstock based on volume and type of fermentable feedstock and based on a CI associated with procuring a fermentable feedstock,
(2) a determination of fermentable feedstock transportation CI of one or more fermentable feedstock transportation pathways based on delivery distance and fuel type of the fermentable feedstock transportation pathway,
(3) a determination of ethanol production process CI of one or more ethanol production processes at one or more ethanol plants based on the type of ethanol production process, the volume and type of feedstock, and the length of time of the ethanol production process,
(4) a determination of utility CI of one or more utilities based on the type of utility utilized to operate the one or more ethanol production processes and a distance the one or more utilities travel to the one or more ethanol production processes,
(5) a determination of ethanol distribution CI of one or more ethanol distribution pathways based on delivery distance and fuel type of an ethanol distribution pathway, and
(6) a determination of one or more total CIs less than the threshold CI, the total CIs based on varying combinations of the determinations of CI,
(b) in response to the selection of the one or more available fermentable feedstock, the selection of one or more fermentable feedstock transportation pathways, the selection of one or more ethanol production processes at one or more ethanol plants, the selection of one or more utilities, and the selection of one or more ethanol distribution pathways,
transmit a fermentable feedstock request to the procurement computing device, the fermentable feedstock request including the selection of the one or more available feedstock and the selection of the one or more feedstock transportation pathways;

a second input/output in signal communication with an ethanol plant controller, the ethanol plant controller to control one or more various ethanol production processes to be operated at the one or more ethanol plants, such that the ethanol integration controller is configured to:
(a) in response to a determined reception of the selected one or more available fermentable feedstock at the one or more ethanol plants, determine actual fermentable feedstock CI and actual fermentable feedstock transportation CI,
(b) in response to a determination that the actual fermentable feedstock CI and actual fermentable feedstock transportation CI has increased in relation to the determined fermentable feedstock CI and determined fermentable feedstock transportation CI, determine one or more of a new selection of one or more ethanol production processes, a new selection of one or more utilities, and a new selection of one or more ethanol distribution pathways to maintain total CI, and
(c) initiate, at the ethanol plant controller, the selected one or more ethanol production processes at the one or more ethanol plants and the selected one or more utilities to operate the selected one or more ethanol production processes at the one or more ethanol plants thereby to transform the selected one or more available fermentable feedstock to ethanol; and

a third input/output in signal communication with a distribution computing device such that the ethanol integration controller is configured to:
(a) in response to determination of completion of the selected one or more ethanol production processes at the selected one or more ethanol plants, determine an actual ethanol production process CI and an actual utility CI,
(b) in response to a determination that the actual ethanol production process CI and actual utility CI has increased in relation to the determined ethanol production process CI and determined utility CI, determine one or more new selections of one or more ethanol distribution pathways, and
(c) transmit a delivery request of the ethanol via the selection of the one or more ethanol distribution pathways to the distribution computing device.