Training on Wellhead to Refinery: Crude Oil Logistics and Quality Management

Module 1: Crude Oil Properties and Quality Parameters

• Key crude properties: API gravity, sulfur content, TAN (total acid number), and metals (Ni, V).

• Distillation yields: naphtha, kerosene, diesel, gas oil, residue.

• Unconventional crudes: heavy, sour, acidic, and high-metals.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Interpret crude assay data for three different crudes, comparing yields and potential refinery value.

Module 2: Crude Oil Gathering and Field Logistics

• Wellhead to satellite station to central gathering point.

• Flowlines, manifolds, test separators, and LACT units.

• Storage at field tank batteries: tank types and vapor control.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Design a crude oil gathering system for a field with 50 wells, including piping, separators, and storage tanks.

Module 3: Pipeline Transport of Crude Oil

• Crude trunk lines and gathering lines.

• Batched crude transport, interface detection, and contamination management.

• Dragging and heating for heavy crude.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Plan a batched pipeline shipment of three different crude grades, optimize sequencing to minimize interface contamination.

Module 4: Rail and Truck Transport of Crude Oil

• Rail terminal design and loading/unloading of crude unit trains.

• Truck loading and unloading, vapor recovery, and safety.

• Advantages and constraints of rail vs. pipeline vs. truck.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Compare the delivered cost of crude by pipeline vs. rail for a refinery 500km from the field, considering volume, capital, and operating costs.

Module 5: Crude Oil Marine Transport

• VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax, and coastal tankers.

• Crude oil washing (COW), inert gas systems, and vapor emission control.

• Loading, transit, and discharge operations.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Plan a VLCC loading operation at an export terminal, including berth allocation, loading rate, quantity, and quality sampling.

Module 6: Crude Oil Storage and Tank Management

• Floating roof tanks for crude oil storage.

• Tank blending: online vs. batch blending.

• Sediment and water (BS&W) control, sludge management, and tank cleaning.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Design a crude oil blending strategy at a terminal to achieve a target sulfur and API gravity for refinery delivery.

Module 7: Crude Oil Quality Management and Certification

• Sampling protocols: manual, automatic, and composite.

• Laboratory testing: ASTM methods and rapid analyzers (NIR).

• Quality certificates and chain of custody.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Review a crude oil quality certificate for a cargo, identify off-spec parameters, and assess the financial penalty.

Module 8: Custody Transfer Measurement and Metering

• Metering systems: turbine, ultrasonic, Coriolis, and PD meters.

• Proving meters and meter factor calculations.

• Sampling, density measurement, and water cut determination.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Calculate a crude oil custody transfer quantity using meter factor, temperature correction, and water cut.

Module 9: Crude Oil Losses and Inventory Reconciliation

• Types of losses: evaporation, measurement error, theft, and sludge.

• Mass balance reconciliation from wellhead to refinery.

• Loss investigation and corrective actions.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Conduct a crude oil loss analysis from field production to terminal receipts, identify significant discrepancies, and investigate causes.

Module 10: Crude Supply Optimization and Refinery Integration

• Selecting crude slates to maximize refinery margin.

• Spot vs. term cargoes, and crude oil trading basics.

• Managing crude supply disruptions and alternatives.

• Case Study/Hands-on Exercise: Optimize a monthly crude supply plan for a refinery, selecting from available crude grades and transport modes to minimize cost and meet refinery constraints.