Hydrotreating Fundamentals Training
Consultant/Trainer: John Baric
Tackle Today’s Hydrotreating Challenges with Proven Process Expertise
Hydrotreating remains a critical unit operation in modern refineries, directly influencing product compliance, unit uptime, and margin performance. Engineers tasked with designing, operating, or optimizing hydrotreaters face increasingly complex challenges—ranging from variable feedstocks and stringent sulphur specifications to catalyst deactivation and corrosion control.
This Hydrotreating Fundamentals course equips professionals with the technical knowledge and practical tools required to optimize hydrotreating operations across Naphtha, Distillate, and VGO units.
Participants
Recommended for:
- Process Engineers
- Unit Supervisors
- Operations Support Staff
- Catalyst and APC Specialists
Prerequisites:
- Background in chemical or process engineering
- Operational experience in refining or petrochemical units preferred
- Familiarity with basic refinery process flow schemes
Learning Objectives
After completing the course, participants will be able to:
- Evaluate and select appropriate catalysts for given feedstocks and product targets.
- Calculate and optimize key operating parameters to improve desulfurization efficiency by up to 20%.
- Identify and mitigate root causes of pressure drop and corrosion, reducing unplanned downtime.
- Extend catalyst run lengths by 6–12 months through improved monitoring and loading strategies.
- Develop and justify changes to reactor internals or APC tuning that improve product yield and reduce energy consumption by measurable margins.
Day 1
Hydrotreating Basics
- Process configurations; NHT, HDS, CFH
- Feedstocks; SR, Coker, FCC
- Mechanisms of reactions
- Products; ULSD, Bio-diesel, SAF, FCC feed
- Dewaxing & aromatics saturation
Design Considerations
- Key process variables; LHSV, H2pp, GOR
- Heat integration
- Major equipment design
Day 2
Reactors & Reactor Internals
- Reactor design parameters
- Reactor Internals; supports, V/L distribution, thermography, bed supports, quench
Turnarounds
- Planning
- Catalyst selection
- Catalyst loading, activation, start-up
- Shut-downs & catalyst unloading
Margin Improvements
- Cycle optimisation
- Energy/CO2 reduction
- Yields & properties improvements
- Longer Cycles
- Increased feed, expansion
Day 3
Optimising Catalyst Performance
- Performance Monitoring
- Advanced Process Control
- Troubleshooting & process upsets
- Fouling/corrosion mechanisms
Programme
Day 1
Hydrotreating Basics
- Process configurations; NHT, HDS, CFH
- Feedstocks; SR, Coker, FCC
- Mechanisms of reactions
- Products; ULSD, Bio-diesel, SAF, FCC feed
- Dewaxing & aromatics saturation
Design Considerations
- Key process variables; LHSV, H2pp, GOR
- Heat integration
- Major equipment design
Day 2
Reactors & Reactor Internals
- Reactor design parameters
- Reactor Internals; supports, V/L distribution, thermography, bed supports, quench
Turnarounds
- Planning
- Catalyst selection
- Catalyst loading, activation, start-up
- Shut-downs & catalyst unloading
Margin Improvements
- Cycle optimisation
- Energy/CO2 reduction
- Yields & properties improvements
- Longer Cycles
- Increased feed, expansion
Day 3
Optimising Catalyst Performance
- Performance Monitoring
- Advanced Process Control
- Troubleshooting & process upsets
- Fouling/corrosion mechanisms