Mastering Operations in Oil Refineries Training Course

Develops the skills to run refinery process units safely and reliably, from crude oil characteristics and process control to product quality and energy use.

DOW · Downstream Operations, Refining, Petrochemicals & Industrial OperationsAll Levels#1805ClassroomEnglish , Arabic

Duration

5 Days

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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Oil & GasCategories:Downstream Operations, Refining, Petrochemicals & Industrial Operations

Course Overview

The Mastering Operations in Oil Refineries Training Course is an advanced professional program designed to develop the operational, technical, analytical, and managerial capabilities required to manage modern refinery operations safely, efficiently, and reliably. The course provides a comprehensive understanding of refinery process operations, production systems, process units, operational controls, product quality, energy efficiency, and performance optimization. Modern oil refineries operate within increasingly demanding environments where safety, reliability, production efficiency, energy consumption, environmental compliance, and product quality must be managed simultaneously. Effective refinery operations therefore require professionals who can understand process interactions, identify operational risks, respond to process deviations, and make sound decisions under both normal and abnormal operating conditions. The program covers the major principles of refinery operations, crude oil processing, atmospheric and vacuum distillation, conversion processes, treating and blending operations, utilities, process control, equipment performance, energy management, operational troubleshooting, maintenance coordination, and refinery performance optimization. Strong emphasis is placed on practical operational decision-making and the integration of process, equipment, safety, and production considerations. The course is particularly suitable for professionals working in oil refineries, petroleum processing facilities, energy companies, and downstream operations. It is designed for refinery managers, operations managers, process engineers, shift supervisors, production specialists, control-room personnel, maintenance professionals, technical specialists, and other professionals involved in refinery performance and operational excellence.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Analyze the overall configuration and operational relationships of major refinery process units.
Evaluate crude oil characteristics and their influence on refinery processing and product yields.
Apply operational principles for atmospheric and vacuum distillation processes.
Analyze the operating requirements of major conversion and upgrading processes.
Evaluate process conditions, equipment performance, and operational constraints affecting refinery productivity.
Apply systematic troubleshooting techniques to identify and address refinery operating problems.
Optimize refinery operating parameters to improve production efficiency, product quality, and energy performance.
Strengthen coordination between operations, maintenance, process engineering, laboratory, and safety functions.
Assess operational risks associated with process deviations, equipment failures, and abnormal conditions.
Apply effective process monitoring and performance indicators to support operational decision-making.
Develop approaches for improving energy efficiency, reliability, throughput, and operational stability.
Prepare a practical refinery operations improvement plan focused on safety, reliability, efficiency, and sustainable performance.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for professionals involved in refinery operations and downstream petroleum processing. It is particularly suitable for Refinery Operations Managers, Production Managers, Shift Supervisors, Process Engineers, Operations Engineers, Process Technologists, Control Room Operators, Production Engineers, Technical Services Professionals, and Refinery Performance Specialists. The program is also valuable for maintenance engineers, reliability professionals, inspection specialists, laboratory and quality personnel, HSE professionals, and managers responsible for coordinating refinery production and operational performance. It is suitable for both experienced professionals seeking advanced operational perspectives and professionals preparing for broader refinery management responsibilities.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
Explain the overall refinery process configuration and interactions between major process units.
Evaluate crude oil properties and their impact on refinery processing.
Understand and monitor atmospheric and vacuum distillation operations.
Analyze the operational principles of major refinery conversion processes.
Evaluate process conditions and identify deviations that may affect production or product quality.
Apply structured troubleshooting approaches to refinery operating problems.
Assess the interaction between process conditions and equipment performance.
Improve coordination between refinery operations and maintenance activities.
Monitor key refinery operating and performance indicators.
Identify opportunities to improve throughput, energy efficiency, reliability, and product quality.
Respond more effectively to abnormal and changing operating conditions.
Apply operational risk-management principles within refinery environments.
Develop practical improvement initiatives for refinery operational performance.
Prepare an integrated refinery operations improvement plan.

Course Outline

Day 1

Refinery Operations Fundamentals & Crude Oil Processing

Understanding the role and structure of modern oil refineries.
Refinery configurations and major processing pathways.
Crude oil properties and crude assay fundamentals.
Relationship between crude characteristics and refinery economics.
Crude oil receipt, storage, blending, and feed preparation.
Crude desalting and pre-treatment operations.
Fundamentals of heat integration in refinery operations.
Introduction to refinery process flow and material balance.
Understanding production objectives and refinery operating constraints.
Key operating parameters and refinery performance indicators.
Coordination between operations, technical services, laboratory, and maintenance.
Practical application: Analyze a simplified refinery process configuration and identify critical operational interfaces and performance drivers.

Day 2

Distillation Operations & Process Optimization

Principles of atmospheric crude distillation.
Main equipment and operational functions within the crude distillation unit.
Feed preheating and furnace operation.
Column temperature, pressure, and reflux management.
Product draw management and separation efficiency.
Understanding operating constraints and process limitations.
Atmospheric distillation troubleshooting.
Principles of vacuum distillation.
Vacuum generation and operating considerations.
Optimizing vacuum tower performance and product recovery.
Managing fouling, pressure-drop, and heat-transfer challenges.
Practical application: Evaluate distillation operating conditions, identify performance deviations, and develop corrective operating actions.

Day 3

Conversion, Upgrading, Treating & Product Quality

Overview of refinery conversion and upgrading processes.
Fundamentals of catalytic cracking operations.
Hydroprocessing and hydrotreating principles.
Hydrocracking process fundamentals and operating considerations.
Reforming and octane improvement.
Sulfur removal and product treating processes.
Gas processing and recovery operations.
Hydrogen management within refinery operations.
Product blending principles and specification control.
Managing product quality and laboratory-operational coordination.
Identifying operational factors affecting yield and product quality.
Practical application: Analyze process-unit interactions and determine how operating conditions can influence product yield, quality, and refinery profitability.

Day 4

Operational Control, Reliability, Safety & Troubleshooting

Principles of refinery process control and monitoring.
Understanding distributed control and operational instrumentation.
Monitoring critical operating parameters and process trends.
Detecting abnormal process conditions.
Systematic refinery troubleshooting methodologies.
Identifying root causes of process deviations.
Equipment reliability and operational integrity.
Coordination between operations and maintenance.
Managing equipment-related operating constraints.
Process safety principles in refinery operations.
Managing abnormal, emergency, and upset operating conditions.
Practical application: Conduct a refinery troubleshooting exercise involving process deviation, equipment constraints, operational risks, and corrective actions.

Day 5

Refinery Performance Optimization & Operational Excellence

Measuring refinery operational performance.
Throughput, yield, utilization, reliability, and efficiency indicators.
Energy management and refinery energy efficiency.
Heat recovery and process integration opportunities.
Reducing energy losses and operational inefficiencies.
Optimizing refinery operating conditions and production constraints.
Improving equipment availability and operational reliability.
Integrating operations, maintenance, engineering, and HSE objectives.
Developing continuous improvement initiatives.
Operational risk assessment and performance improvement.
Establishing effective operational review and performance-management mechanisms.
Final practical workshop: Develop an integrated Refinery Operations Improvement Plan covering process performance, operating parameters, throughput, energy efficiency, product quality, reliability, troubleshooting, safety, operational risks, performance indicators, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Amsterdam · 22 – 26 Feb 2027 · Classroom

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City	Dates	Price per Participant	Early Bird
AmsterdamScheduled	2 – 6 Nov 2026	€6,000	—	Select Download Brochure
DohaScheduled	2 – 6 Nov 2026	€4,700	—	Select Download Brochure
MadinahScheduled	2 – 6 Nov 2026	€4,800	—	Select Download Brochure
DubaiScheduled	8 – 12 Nov 2026	€4,700	—	Select Download Brochure
BakuScheduled	9 – 13 Nov 2026	€5,300	—	Select Download Brochure
MadridScheduled	9 – 13 Nov 2026	€6,000	—	Select Download Brochure
ParisScheduled	9 – 13 Nov 2026	€6,700	—	Select Download Brochure
BangkokScheduled	16 – 20 Nov 2026	€6,700	—	Select Download Brochure
FrankfurtScheduled	16 – 20 Nov 2026	€6,200	—	Select Download Brochure
MakkahScheduled	16 – 20 Nov 2026	€4,800	—	Select Download Brochure
RabatScheduled	16 – 20 Nov 2026	€4,700	—	Select Download Brochure
BarcelonaScheduled	23 – 27 Nov 2026	€6,000	—	Select Download Brochure
GenevaScheduled	23 – 27 Nov 2026	€7,300	—	Select Download Brochure
ManamaScheduled	23 – 27 Nov 2026	€5,300	—	Select Download Brochure
RomeScheduled	23 – 27 Nov 2026	€7,000	—	Select Download Brochure
BerlinScheduled	30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026	€6,300	€5,670until 9 Nov	Select Download Brochure
IstanbulScheduled	30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026	€5,300	€4,770until 9 Nov	Select Download Brochure
MarrakeshScheduled	30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026	€4,700	€4,230until 9 Nov	Select Download Brochure
ViennaScheduled	30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026	€6,400	€5,760until 9 Nov	Select Download Brochure
CairoScheduled	7 – 11 Dec 2026	€3,800	€3,420until 16 Nov	Select Download Brochure
Kuala LumpurScheduled	7 – 11 Dec 2026	€4,700	€4,230until 16 Nov	Select Download Brochure
MilanScheduled	7 – 11 Dec 2026	€7,000	€6,300until 16 Nov	Select Download Brochure
CasablancaScheduled	14 – 18 Dec 2026	€4,700	€4,230until 23 Nov	Select Download Brochure
LisbonScheduled	14 – 18 Dec 2026	€6,000	€5,400until 23 Nov	Select Download Brochure
MunichScheduled	14 – 18 Dec 2026	€6,000	€5,400until 23 Nov	Select Download Brochure
AmmanScheduled	21 – 25 Dec 2026	€4,000	€3,600until 30 Nov	Select Download Brochure
DammamScheduled	21 – 25 Dec 2026	€4,800	€4,320until 30 Nov	Select Download Brochure
LondonScheduled	21 – 25 Dec 2026	€5,800	€5,220until 30 Nov	Select Download Brochure
MuscatScheduled	21 – 25 Dec 2026	€6,300	€5,670until 30 Nov	Select Download Brochure
OnlineScheduled	27 – 31 Dec 2026	€2,700	€2,430until 7 Dec	Select Download Brochure
AmsterdamScheduled	22 – 26 Feb 2027	€6,000	€5,400until 1 Feb	✓ Selected Download Brochure

Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

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