Process and ChemicalRefinery Operations and Process Troubleshooting
A refinery is a set of tightly coupled units where an upset in one propagates through the others faster than most operators can trace it. This course builds the understanding needed to work across that whole. Delegates cover crude characterisation and the distillation train, conversion units including catalytic cracking, reforming and hydroprocessing, and the treating and blending that produce a finished product. Utilities and their role as the common cause of multi unit upsets receive their own treatment. The course then applies a structured troubleshooting method across unit boundaries, working real scenarios where the symptom appears in one unit and the cause sits in another.
Course objectives
- Characterise a crude and explain how it drives the distillation yield
- Describe the conversion units and what each is for
- Explain treating, blending and finished product specifications
- Recognise utilities as a common cause of multi unit upsets
- Trace an upset across unit boundaries to its origin
- Apply a structured troubleshooting method to a refinery scenario
- Assess the economic consequence of an operating decision
Who should attend
- Refinery process and operations engineers
- Panel operators and shift supervisors
- Technical services and planning staff
- Maintenance engineers working across units
- Graduate engineers entering refining
Course outline
- 01Crude characterisation and the distillation train
- 02Catalytic cracking and conversion
- 03Reforming and hydroprocessing
- 04Treating, blending and product specifications
- 05Utilities as the common cause of coupled upsets
- 06Structured troubleshooting across unit boundaries
- 07Worked scenarios where symptom and cause are in different units
- 08Economics of an operating decision
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 to 25 September 2026 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | Register Now |
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Lagos, Nigeria | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | Register Now |
| 4 to 8 January 2027 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate | Register Now |
| 8 to 12 February 2027 | Durban, South Africa | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 22 to 26 February 2027 | Maputo, Mozambique | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | Register Now |
| 15 to 19 March 2027 | Maseru, Lesotho | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | Register Now |