COURSE OVERVIEW:

This course will help participants learn the fundamentals of fractional distillation as applied in refinery crude unit operations. It explains how crude oil and condensate streams are stabilized, separated, and processed into different product fractions, and how operating conditions and equipment design affect product quality, energy consumption, and unit reliability. The course introduces the physical principles of vapor-liquid equilibrium, the properties of produced hydrocarbon fluids, and basic mass and energy balances, and links these to practical operation, monitoring, and troubleshooting of distillation and fractionation systems in refineries and production facilities.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

After completion of this course, the participants will be able to:

1. Describe the role of crude distillation and fractionation within the overall refinery and production processes.
2. Explain the purpose of crude stabilization and how it affects downstream fractionation and product handling.
3. Describe the basic configuration and operating principles of fractional distillation columns used in crude and condensate units.
4. Identify key properties of produced hydrocarbon fluids and explain how they influence separation and product specifications.
5. Explain the basic physical principles of vapor-liquid equilibrium and their impact on tray and packing performance.
6. Apply simple mass and energy balance concepts to distillation and fractionation systems.
7. Describe the main mass transfer operations involved in distillation and related refinery processes.
8. Explain the basic purpose of hydrotreating and hydrocracking units and their relationship to crude fractionation.
9. Recognize common operating problems in distillation systems and outline systematic troubleshooting approaches for systems and equipment.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

-Professional operations in refineries and oil and gas processing facilities

-Field and panel operators working on crude, condensate, and stabilization units

-Junior process and production engineers supporting distillation operations

-Utilities and offsite operators handling associated streams and products

-Maintenance technicians who need operational insight into distillation equipment

-Any technical personnel requiring a basic understanding of distillation and fractionation operations

TRAINING COURSE METHODOLOGY:

A highly interactive combination of lectures and discussion sessions, as well as case studies, will be managed to maximize the amount and quality of information, knowledge, and experience transfer. The course will be intensive but practical and highly interactive. The sessions will start by raising the most relevant questions and motivating everybody to find the right answers. The attendants will also be encouraged to raise more of their questions and to share in developing the right answers using their analysis and experience. There will also be some indoor experiential activities to enhance learning. Course material will be provided in PowerPoint, with necessary animations, learning videos, and general discussions.

The course participants shall be evaluated before, during, and at the end of the course.

COURSE CERTIFICATE:

National Consultant Centre for Training LLC (NCC) will issue an Attendance Certificate to all participants completing a minimum of 80% of the total attendance time requirement.