By the end of this programme, participants will:
- Gain an in-depth understanding of production planning and scheduling within petroleum refineries.
- Explore refinery complexity, configuration, and how integrated refineries impact operational efficiency.
- Learn the various strategies for crude oil selection, scheduling, and capacity utilization.
- Optimize product movements and storage tank management to enhance refinery output and operational cost-efficiency.
- Understand product blending rules and the latest trends in fuel production and environmental impact considerations.
- Gain hands-on experience in refinery planning, scheduling, and applying linear programming principles to improve supply chain and yield optimization.
WEEK 1
Module 1: Production Planning & Scheduling in Petroleum Refineries
Planning and Scheduling in Refineries
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- Overview of planning and scheduling processes in oil refineries.
- Understanding refinery complexity and its impact on operations.
- Examining refinery configurations and the role of integrated refineries.
- Selecting the appropriate crude oil for refinery operations.
- Crude oil scheduling and optimizing its use across refinery processes.
- Enhancing capacity utilization of crude oils for operational efficiency.
- Workshop: Cut-point optimization techniques for refining processes.
Product Movement and Tank Management
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- Analyzing crude assay data to optimize refinery processes.
- Understanding intermediate feedstock characteristics and their impact on yields.
- Evaluating yields and properties of various products.
- Exploring different process units in refining and their contributions.
- Managing storage tanks and optimizing product flow.
- Custody transfer procedures and measurement techniques.
- Class Exercise: Using Excel to optimize yield and product distribution.
Product Blending and Market Trends
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- Defining product specifications and their influence on refinery operations.
- Identifying emerging trends in fuel production and technological advancements.
- Addressing environmental issues and sustainability in refining.
- Understanding crude oil pricing mechanisms and market dynamics.
- Analyzing product netback and its role in profitability.
Refinery Flow Sheets and Control Mechanisms
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- Creating and interpreting refinery flow sheets for process optimization.
- Simplified material balance techniques for effective process management.
- Implementing product inventory control and quality assurance measures.
- Managing fixed composition blends and controlling production.
- Analyzing capacity constraints and optimizing feedstock availability.
Refinery Planning, Scheduling, and Supply Chain Management
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- Managing petroleum product movement and facilitating product exchanges.
- Exploring strategies for marginal depot supply and product movements.
- Effective crude selection strategies to optimize refinery output.
- Introduction to linear programming and supply chain management for refining.
- Refinery planning and scheduling methodologies to maximize efficiency.
- Group discussion and summary of key takeaways.
WEEK 2
Module 2: Refinery Process Yield Optimization
Crude Oil Yields and Refining Technology
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- Introduction to the origins and characteristics of crude oils.
- Understanding crude oil assays and their role in refining.
- Identifying key crude oil products and their significance:
- LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)
- Gasoline
- Kerosene / Jet Fuel
- AGO (Automotive Gas Oil) / Diesel Fuel Oil
- Petrochemical feedstocks
- Examining the overall refinery flow and the interrelationship between refining processes.
Petroleum Refining Processes
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- Exploring the various crude oil processing techniques:
- Desalting crude oils to remove contaminants.
- Atmospheric distillation for separating crude oil fractions.
- Vacuum distillation for further separation of heavier components.
- Processing heavy oils and upgrading the “bottom of the barrel”:
- Coking and thermal processes.
- Delayed coking, fluid coking, and flexicoking techniques.
- Visbreaking for viscosity reduction.
- Understanding intermediate feedstock characteristics and their influence on downstream processes.
Processes for Motor Fuel Production
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- Understanding advanced refining processes for motor fuels:
- Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) to break down heavier hydrocarbons.
- Hydrocracking for producing high-quality fuels.
- Catalytic cracking (Cat cracking) to produce gasoline and other fuels.
- Isomerization for improving fuel quality.
- Alkylation for producing high-octane gasoline.
- Hydrotreating for removing impurities.
- Catalytic reforming for improving gasoline quality.
- Analyzing product specifications for different motor fuels.
Supporting Operations
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- Understanding the role of blending in meeting product specifications.
- Hydrogen production and its importance in refining processes.
- Managing storage tanks and ensuring proper tank farm operations.
- Operating refinery gas plants for handling gas streams.
- Acid gas treating processes to remove contaminants.
- Sulfur recovery plants for managing sulfur by-products and meeting environmental standards.
Refinery Economics
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- Addressing residue reduction and its economic implications.
- Utilizing asphalt and residual fuel in refining operations.
- Understanding refinery complexity and the concept of netback for profitability.
- Economic evaluation techniques for refinery operations.
- Cost estimation for refining projects and process optimization.
- Group discussions on key course takeaways and practical applications.
- Program evaluation and summary of course insights
