Training Course Agendas

All of our training courses are provided at no charge.

These course agendas are a representation of the course material presented for the specific classes. All material is subject to change depending on the specific needs of the clients at each course. Please contact Bryan Research & Engineering for additional information on any training session.

BRE 211: Refinery Operations

Objectives:

The Refinery Operations course offers an immersion into the simulation of Refinery Process Technologies using ProMax®. This course focuses on "how-to" efficiently model separation and conversion processes such as Fractionation, Blending, Isomerization, Hydrotreating, and Reforming among others.

Attendees will learn:

  • Process applications used in the refining industry
  • Specific applications of ProMax and its features with regards to Refining processes
  • Capabilities and features of ProMax simulation software for Oil characterization
  • Plant modeling techniques and methods, specifically towards fractionation, conversion and blending processes

Prerequisites:

  • Any 100 level course or equivalent experience
  • Understanding of ProMax specifiers, solvers, and Scenario Tool

Methods:

  • Instructor-led demonstrations
  • Hands-on simulation
  • Question-Answer
  • Open floor discussion

Agenda

Introduction and Installation of ProMax

The first step in all courses is to verify that ProMax is properly installed on each attendee’s computer. An overview of the different process engineering aspects of the Refining industry will also be provided.

Part 1: Crude Unit Modeling

  • Exercise 1: Oil Characterization – Introduction to ProMax and defining oils using crude oil assay data.
  • Exercise 2: “What Happens in the Flash Zone…” – A study of alternative approaches to modeling the crude tower at and below the flash zone.
  • Exercise 3: Basic Distillation – An introduction to column model specification while discussing topics such as degrees of freedom, overflash, stripping steam usage, and cutpoint specifications.
  • Exercise 4: Modeling Side Draws and Pumparounds – Product side draws and pumparound duties are specified.
  • Exercise 5: Side Strippers – Product side draw stripping columns are added to the system. The effect of stripper operation on product quality, yields, and distillation efficiency (gap/overlap) is reviewed.
  • Exercise 6: Defined Pumparounds – Pumparound circuits are further defined to optimize heat integration, column hydraulics, and product quality.

Part 2: Refining Conversion Processes

  • Exercise 7: Oil speciation – Attendees will perform molecular speciation of oil cuts from the ProMax Crude Oil database and estimate relevant fuel properties for each mixture.
  • Exercise 8: Naphtha Hydrotreater – A case study on the conceptual design of a naphtha hydrotreater. From a base case, attendees will evaluate the impact of processing increasing volumes of cracked naphthas on performance, while keeping a constant target on sulfur for the de-C5 bottom product.
  • Exercise 9: Catalytic Reformer – A case study on how to model a catalytic reforming unit. Attendees will analyze the effect of changes in operating conditions on product yield, octane, and hydrogen production for different feed compositions.
  • Exercise 10: Naphtha Splitter – Attendees will create a model of a naphtha splitter downstream of a FCC unit and determine olefin and sulfur distributions for product streams.
  • Exercise 11: Caustic Treater – This exercise is designed to perform the optimization of a light naphtha caustic treater. Attendees will determine the influence of different caustic/feed ratios on re-entry sulfur and light naphtha sulfur.
  • Exercise 12: Selective Hydrotreater – From a base case including integration with the naphtha splitter and caustic treater from exercises 10 and 11 attendees will apply strategies aimed at maximizing octane preservation for a constant target on product sulfur of the FCC post-treater.

Notes About the Agenda:

Our agenda is provided to give the approximate material to be covered in the course, in the approximate order it will be covered. All courses we provide will be tailored to the needs of the host company providing the training accommodations, as well as the needs of the course attendees. Some courses may cover additional topics, while some may cover less than indicated in the agenda.

Some courses may be shortened to one or two days when represented by a three-day agenda. These courses will typically cover both process simulation and process optimization topics, but will exclude several exercises. Please contact our training team here: Contact Training, or through the consulting engineer for your region, for specific information for any course.