Oil Refining Courses

Refineries perform a vital role in the oil and gas value chain. They convert crude oil into the familiar products which fuel much of the world’s transportation, industry and residential and commercial activity. Refiners face many pressures – increasingly stringent environmental requirements, challenging business environments, decreased demand in a post-COVID society. However, refining remains key to our modern lives and new refineries are being built in many areas of the world.

This course provides an introduction to the processes and economics of refining. The material is easily accessible for those from a non-technical background and also provides an excellent overview of the whole refining business for those who want to expand their understanding.

Overview
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Refining – Processes and Economics

Length – 4 sessions of approx. 2.5 hours, typically provided over 4 consecutive days.

A course focusing on the process of refining crude oil into marketable products. The course looks at the processes utilised and the economics of refining. It is suitable for students from a non-technical background.

Subjects covered include:

• Introduction to Refining
• Physical Processes
○ Atmospheric distillation
○ Vacuum distillation
• Conversion Processes
○ Cracking (hydrocracking, catalytic cracking, coking, visbreaking)
○ Reforming, Isomerisation and Alkylation
• Hydrodesulphurisation and other Treatment Processes
• Base Oils and Lubricants
• Product Specifications and Blending of Refined Products
• Storage and Terminals
• Economics of Refining
○ GPW
○ Netback Pricing
○ Refining Margins.