Course Details
Petroleum Refinery Processes & Equipment
Introduction
- This seminars will provide an integrated practical overview of petroleum refining processes and major equipment, starting from crude oil feed, through the major process units, and to finished products. Following the overview, guidelines and procedures for the basic mechanical design of the major refinery equipment will be explained. Each of the major refining processes will be presented as individual units, and in the context of the overall refinery, covering its function, configuration, key operating parameters, feedstock, product yields, major equipment used, their materials of construction and degradation mechanisms, and impact of operating variables on mechanical integrity, reliability and availability, and regulatory implications. Utilities and offsite facilities will also be covered including their function, reliability and impact on continuity of safe and efficient operation. The fundamentals of refinery economics will also be presented in practical terms with examples to illustrate the key points. Comprehensive seminars notes and presentation material will be provided and will be valuable for future reference. The key design aspects, design methodology and procedures; rules of thumb; applicable codes, standards, and best industry practices; special design and selection considerations for major refinery equipment will also be presented and enforced with worked examples.
Seminars Objectives
- To provide participants with an integrated practical knowledge on how a refinery operates and produces products, the major equipment used and their materials of construction, and the impact of crude quality and operating parameters on mechanical integrity, reliability, and economic performance to enable you to work with the technical staff of the refinery
Training Methodology
- The seminars combines presentations and discussions of topics covered with relevant examples. It combines sound engineering principles, methods, and applicable codes & standards and best industry practices and enforces the learnings with case studies and Question & Answer workshops to maximize the benefits to the participants
- Participants will be provided with comprehensive seminars notes and copies of presentation material that will be very valuable for detailed study and future reference.
Organisational Impact
- The company will be able to specify and construct fit-for-purpose equipment without excessive design margins, leading to cost effective facilities. The company will be able to achieve measurable improvement in mechanical integrity through effective interaction between various engineering disciplines, operation and maintenance functions. This will also lead to improvement in operating and financial performance.
- Management of Change will be understood better and complied with in the refinery/plant. The company will be able to predict and determine the impact of proposed operating parameters and conditions before such changes are implemented. This will lead to improvement in loss prevention and safety performance.
Personal Impact
- Participant will enhance his/her knowledge about refinery operations and their impact on the equipment integrity and reliability, including predicting impact of operating changes on remaining life of equipment.
- Prticipant will enhance his/her knowledge and expertise in pressure equipment, piping systems, and mechanical equipment design, and will be equipped with structured procedures, effectives guidelines and tips with examples to perform design calculations.
- Participant will gain a sound working knowledge of the interdependence of design, operation, and maintenance on refinery integrity, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
- Participant will extend his/her knowledge of the requirements and application of relevant sections of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and B31 Piping Codes, as well as relevant API Codes, standards, and RPs e.g. 510, 570, 480, 560, 571, 579, 610, and 650 in equipment and piping system design, operation, inspection repairs and alterations.
- Participants will enhance their competence and productivity thereby improving their performance level and making additional value added contributions to their organizations
Competencies Emphasised
Delegates will enhance their competencies in the following areas:
- General understanding of the common refinery processes and their interactions and refinery economics.
- Main corrosion mechanisms in various processes and selection of suitable materials of construction
- Key mechanical design aspects of refinery equipment including pressure vessels and storage tanks, process heaters and boilers, piping systems, pumps and compressors, and related codes and standards.
- Refinery economics
- Impact of operating parameters on mechanical integrity and reliability.
Who Should Attend?
- This seminar is intended for technical and operating personnel involved in petroleum refining and petrochemical processing. It is suitable for engineers, managers, operators, inspectors, maintenance personnel, project engineers, consultants, and suppliers who need clear understanding of refinery operations and the impact of varying crude properties and operating conditions on product yields, regulatory requirements, mechanical integrity and availability, and economic performance. Recent engineering graduates will benefit within the short period of five days from this seminars and the extensive industrial experience of the instructor.
Seminars Outlines
Day 1 - Overview of petroleum refining
Petroleum refining – an overview
- Petroleum Background – nature, origin, sources, current reserves and consumption
- Hydrocarbon chemistry
- Supply, metering, and storage
- Introduction to oil refining - Refinery Flow diagram
- Overview of refinery equipment and materials of construction
- Regulations, Codes, standards, and industry practices
- APPENDIX - Glossary of terms, references and links
Crude oil types and characteristics
- Petroleum chemistry
- Crude oil properties and classification
- Tests, sources, assays
- Impact on refinery equipment, materials of construction, and operation
Refinery products and their properties
- Properties and specifications- liquefied petroleum gases (LPG), gasoline, jet fuel (kerosene), diesel, gas oils, fuel oils, lubricating oils.
- Petrochemical feedstock
- Gasoline – components, octane rating, blending, and additives
Refinery types and configurations
- Basic elements of the refining operation -
- Refinery flow sheet and relationships of process units
- Refinery types and configuration – topping, hydroskimming, full conversion
- Nelson’s complexity index
- Operating flexibility – G/D ratio, specialty products
Utilities and offsite
- Electrical supply and distribution system
- Steam production and distribution; boiler feedwater treatment, storage and handling
- Cooling system – process water treatment, cooling, and distribution
- Plant and instrument air, nitrogen, and hydrogen systems
- Pressure relief, depressuring, and flare system
- Feed stock and products storage, blending, and movement
- Effluent treatment facilities; solid waste treatment
- Q & A session (optional)
Day 2 – Refinery equipment - key design aspects and guidelines
Pressure vessels and storage tanks
- Horizontal and vertical pressure vessels
- Liquid storage tanks – cone roof, floating roof.
Fired heaters and heat exchanger
- Vertical cylindrical and box type heaters
- Shell-and-tube, compact, and air-cooled heat exchangers
Pumps, compressors and drives
- Centrifugal and positive displacement pumps
- Centrifugal, rotary, and reciprocation compressors
- Electric motors
- Mechanical drive steam turbines
Piping systems
- Pressure integrity
- Operating transients
- Layout, flexibility and supports
- Insulation systems
Pressure relief and depressuring system
- Overpressure protection – pressure relieving devices, alternative methods
- Sizing and selection criteria for PRDs
- PRD piping, special design considerations
- Sizing and installation guidelines for flare header and liquid knock facilities; flare stack, tips, and pilots.
- Safe operation of flare systems
Materials of construction in refinery construction and their degradation
- Factors in material selection - type of refinery; type of crude oil processed; service conditions in specific process unit/application, expected service life.
- Areas of major corrosion impact - Water-related corrosion; Processing-related corrosion; Naphthenic acid corrosion and total acid number (TAN); inhibitor injection systems; Sulfur; General and local area thinning.
- Stress corrosion cracking; fatigue cracking; high temperature degradation, creep
- Hydrogen attack – HIC, blistering, embrittlement
- Mechanical integrity - Fitness-for-service; risk-based inspection
- Workshop I – worked examples – mechanical design of a pressure vessel and piping.
Day 3 – Refining processes I
Crude desalting and dehydration
- Contaminants in crude - water, inorganic salts, suspended solids, and water-soluble trace metals.
- Purpose of desalting - reduce corrosion, plugging, and fouling of equipment and prevent poisoning the catalysts in process units
- Methods of desalting – chemical and electrostatic separation
- Major equipment and materials of construction
Distillation (fractionation)
- Function, description of process and technology, feed streams, output streams, major equipment and materials of construction, specific degradation mechanisms, mechanical reliability, availability, and HSE issues.
(e.g. corrosion, fouling)
- Atmospheric distillation
- Vacuum distillation
- Major equipment and materials of construction
- Degradation mechanisms
Conversion processes
- Function, description of process and technology, feed streams, output streams, how it relates to other units, major equipment and materials of construction, specific degradation mechanisms, mechanical reliability, availability, and HSE issues .
- Fluid Catalytic Cracking
- Catalytic Reforming (CR-cyclic, and CCR-continuous), and Aromatics Recovery (solvent extraction)
- Light Oil Processes - Isomerization, Alkylation, and Polymerization
- Workshop II – Case study – For a given crude, simplified calculations are made to estimate yields from each processing unit and their corresponding economic returns
Day 4 – Refining processes II
Hydroprocessing (Hydrotreating)
- For removal and reduction of sulfur, olefins, nitrogen, aromatics, and metals from fuels. Description of process and technology, feed streams, output streams, how it relates to other units, major equipment, mechanical reliability, availability, and HSE issues (e.g. corrosion, catalysts)
- Gasoline Hydrotreating (GHT)
- Distillate Hydrotreating (DHT)
Heavy oil (residue) processing
- Function, description of process and technology, feed streams, output streams, how it relates to other units, major equipment, mechanical reliability, availability, and HSE issues (e.g. corrosion, catalysts)
- Delayed Coking
- Hydrocracking
Treatment processes
- Function, description of process and technology, feed streams, output streams, how it relates to other units, major equipment, mechanical reliability, availability, and HSE issues (e.g. corrosion, key operating factors)
- Sour-water stripping (SWS)
- Acid and tail-gas treatment and sulfur recovery - amine processes, Claus process
- Workshop III – Case study (continued) – For a given crude, simplified calculations are made to estimate yields from each processing unit and their corresponding economic returns
Day 5 – Refining operations – profitability, reliability and impacts
Petroleum refinery economics
- Economic fundamentals and methodologies - gross margin; net margin
- Process Unit Yield Data and Correlations, Process Modeling
- Operating flexibility - optimizing in a changing product demand, crude quality, and product quality requirements
- Operating costs - crude operating costs, non-crude operating costs
- Corrosion and fouling costs
- Impact of processing more corrosive, acidic crude oils
Refinery integrity and reliability
- Hazard analysis and risk management
- Inspection and maintenance program - API 510, 570, 580.
- Fitness-for-service assessments
- Change control Procedures
Refining impacts, risks, and regulations
- Environmental – air emissions; VOC, NOX, SOX, H2S; contamination from leaks and spills; carcinogens (e.g. benzene)
- Regulatory requirements for products – seasonal gasoline formulations
- Hazards and failure risks – regulatory requirements (e.g. HSE,); consequences of failures
Refinery troubleshooting
- Troubleshooting process – methodology and procedures
- Troubleshooting checklists
- Root cause analysis