Fundamentals of Petroleum Refining Technology

The Refinery is the engine of the oil industry where Crude is converted into fuels and lubes available for consumption by it’s customers. This needs to be done safely and efficiently. This course gives an overview of the elements of the refining process and provides an insight into the criteria used to size and rate the individual components. Starting with the feedstock, the student is gradually introduced to the various processes used to convert the crude into finished product. Troubleshooting of the processes and components is then introduced to allow the student to analyze a system and restore it to a safe and operable state. The course is designed to complement and supplement material presented in other ICTD conferences and training courses.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the delegates should have:

• A comprehensive overview of the Refining process from crude sourcing and analysis to product specifications and applications
• Knowledge of fractionation of heavy and light hydrocarbon systems
• Knowledge of hydro processing catalytic systems
• Knowledge of conversion and octane processes.

In addition the unit operations of mass, heat and momentum transfer as applicable to refining are also developed including selection and sizing of heat exchangers, pumps, compressors, piping and control valves. Finally a systematic approach to troubleshooting of refining processes is developed including a section on root cause analysis.

Who Should Attend?

This course is intended for all professionals dealing with all aspects of the refining industry. The course will be highly valuable to all engineers involved in the design, operation and troubleshooting of Refining facilities.

Course Outline

Day 1
Crude Oil Introduction

• Origin, production and transport of crude oil

Crude Oil and Product Types

• Classification of crudes
• Product specifications of crude oil cuts

Day 2
General Refinery Processes

• Refinery overview and organization
• Distillation basics
• Refinery distillation schemes

Conversion Processes

• Fixed bed hydrocracking
• Ebullating bed hydrocracking
• Visbreaking
• Thermal cracking
• Delayed coking
• Fluid coking
• Fluid catalytic cracking
• Solvent deasphalting

Day 3
Octane Processes

• Alkylation
• Reforming
• Isomerisation
• MTBE

Hydrotreating Processes

• Catalysts
• Product yields and properties
• Operating conditions and process variables

Day 4
Unit Operations

• Heat exchangers
• Pumps
• Compressors
• Control valves
• Drums

Process Control

• Instrumentation
• Regulatory control
• Constraint control
• Optimization

Day 5
Linear Programming

• What is an LP?
• Why do we need LPs?
• Common uses of LPs
• LP structure
• Planning and scheduling

Troubleshooting

• Root cause analysis
• Troubleshooting aids
• Distillation
• Fouling / coking
• Pump failures
• Incident causation
• Control systems
• Case studies

Course Methodology

A variety of methodologies will be used during the course that includes:

• (30%) Based on Case Studies
• (30%) Techniques
• (30%) Role Play
• (10%) Concepts
• Pre-test and Post-test
• Variety of Learning Methods
• Lectures
• Case Studies and Self Questionaires
• Group Work
• Discussion
• Presentation

Course Fees

This rate includes participant’s manual, Hand-Outs, buffet lunch, coffee/tea on arrival, morning & afternoon of each day.

Course Timings

Daily Course Timings
08:00 - 08:20       Morning Coffee / Tea
08:20 - 10:00       First Session
10:00 - 10:20       Coffee / Tea / Snacks
10:20 - 12:20       Second Session
12:20 - 13:30       Lunch Break & Prayer Break
13:30 - 15:00       Last Session