Petroleum Refining Processes and Economics for Technical Professionals
Introduction
Petroleum Refining Processes and Economics for Technical Professionals
This technical course provides a comprehensive overview of petroleum refining processes, unit operations, economics, and troubleshooting, aimed at optimizing refinery performance, product recovery, and safety. Key areas include crude oil characterization, distillation, conversion processes (FCC, cracking, alkylation), treating processes, product blending, and economic evaluation of refinery margins.
- Refinery Engineers, Operation Supervisors, Process Engineers, Maintenance personnel, and Technical Professionals working in the oil and gas industry.
Course Outline: Petroleum Refining Processes and Economics
1. Introduction to Refining Industry & Fundamentals
- Overview: Global refining industry trends and economic drivers.
- Petroleum Chemistry: Hydrocarbon molecules, paraffins, naphthenes, aromatics, and asphaltenes.
- Crude Oil Characteristics: Crude types, assays, physical/chemical properties, and sampling.
- Refinery Configurations: Primary, intermediate, and complex refineries.
2. Physical Separation Processes
- Atmospheric Distillation (CDU): Desalting, furnace operation, fractionation, and cut points (Naphtha, Kerosene, Diesel, Residue).
- Vacuum Distillation (VDU): Deep-cut operations, vacuum tower design, and heavy gas oil production.
3. Conversion Processes (Refining Technologies)
- Catalytic Cracking (FCC): Reaction mechanisms, catalyst types, and residue conversion.
- Hydroprocessing: Hydrotreating (sulfur/nitrogen removal) and Hydrocracking.
- Reforming: Catalytic reforming and Naphtha treating.
- Residue Conversion: Coking (delayed/fluid), visbreaking, and asphalt units.
- Alkylation and Polymerization: High-octane blending component production.
- Isomerization: Light straight-run naphtha upgrading.
4. Product Blending and Specifications
- Fuel Specifications: Gasoline (octane, RVP) and Diesel (cetane index).
- Blending Processes: Final product blending techniques.
5. Refinery Economics and Optimization
- Refinery Margin Analysis: Cash flow, OPEX, and capital expenditure (CAPEX).
- Process Optimization: Energy integration, heat recovery, and yield optimization.
- Economics of ULSG/ULSD: Costs of ultra-low-sulfur fuels.
- Future Trends: Sustainability, AI-driven process control, and digital twins.
6. Safety, Troubleshooting, and Maintenance
- Process Safety: Safety management, incident review.
- Troubleshooting: Distillation, conversion unit problems, and root cause analysis.