Honeywell says it is launching its Forge Plant Cognition system first at Dangote’s Lekki refinery in Nigeria, projecting more than $60 million in gross annual operating benefit under a full-capacity scenario for refinery operations.
The preliminary estimate works out to more than 29 cents per barrel. Honeywell says the figure is not guaranteed and excludes the cost of implementing the platform. The projection may shift with refinery configuration, baseline performance, crude mix, utilization and operating conditions, as well as data quality, product margins and how Dangote implements the system.
Honeywell introduced Forge Plant Cognition as an industrial AI software platform that brings together real-time plant data, process calculations, engineering knowledge and models grounded in refinery physics. The company says the system is meant to help refinery personnel spot production constraints and recognize developing equipment or process problems. It is also designed to guide steps that raise throughput, improve product yield and value, and reduce unplanned downtime.
The computing setup combines NVIDIA AI and accelerated-computing capabilities with Dell Technologies’ AI infrastructure. Honeywell says NVIDIA’s Nemotron models help interpret operational data, while Omniverse libraries underpin digital-twin simulations.
Honeywell says its tools are intended to put specialized process expertise in the hands of Dangote engineers and operators as the refinery works toward a workforce that is 70% Nigerian. David Bird, CEO and managing director of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, said the project supports the company’s efforts to meet world-class operating standards, advance technology and develop Nigerian talent. Honeywell describes its collaboration with Dangote as spanning nearly a decade.
In a separate expansion effort, Honeywell said in April it was helping Dangote increase refinery capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028.
