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Refinery & Petrochemicals Hydrocarbon Mass Balance & Loss Course

Consultant/Trainer: Eric-Hans Wolff

Are Hydrocarbon Losses Costing You More Than You Think?
Unlock the Power of Accurate Mass Balancing and Loss Control to Improve Performance and Profitability

Inaccurate or poorly managed hydrocarbon mass balances lead to unaccounted losses, compliance issues, and missed improvement opportunities. If you work in refinery or petrochemical operations, you know that even small inaccuracies can snowball into significant financial and operational setbacks.

This CPD Accredited course gives you practical tools and deep insights to identify, analyse, and reduce hydrocarbon losses. Learn from seasoned industry experts how to build a reliable mass balance, pinpoint inaccuracies, and turn data into action.

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Cost

€3525

Location

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Dates

w/c 09 November

About the Trainer

This course is led by Eric-Hans Wolff, a seasoned refinery professional with over 30 years of experience in oil refining, production optimisation, and performance improvement. Throughout his career, Eric-Hans has held key roles in operations, technical services, and performance management, giving him deep insight into the practical challenges of maintaining accurate hydrocarbon mass balances. He has led numerous site-wide initiatives focused on loss reduction, measurement reconciliation, and plant performance improvement, and brings a clear, structured approach to solving complex balance issues. In this course, Eric-Hans shares not only technical knowledge but also real-world case studies and lessons learned from decades in the field, helping participants connect theory with day-to-day operational realities.

Participants

Who Should Attend?

  • Process Engineers working in refineries or petrochemical plants who want to improve their understanding of plant-wide mass balancing and loss identification.
  • Operations Engineers and Shift Supervisors who need to interpret and act on mass balance data in day-to-day operations.
  • Production Accountants and Loss Coordinators involved in daily/monthly loss reporting and plant performance reviews.
  • Technical and Performance Monitoring Staff responsible for identifying operational inefficiencies or unexplained losses.
  • Control Room and Panel Operators looking to gain a better understanding of how their decisions impact overall material balance.
  • Anyone involved in hydrocarbon loss investigations, audits, or production reporting.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will have a solid understanding of hydrocarbon mass balance principles across refinery and petrochemical operations — from individual processing units to site-wide integration. You’ll learn how to identify and categorise different types of hydrocarbon losses, such as evaporation, flaring, leaks, and measurement inaccuracies. The course will equip you with practical methods to improve the accuracy of daily and monthly mass balance reporting, and you’ll gain hands-on experience in analysing real-world case studies to uncover the root causes of imbalances. You’ll also develop the skills to interpret and reconcile data effectively, support informed decision-making, and communicate your findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Ultimately, you’ll be prepared to contribute to loss minimisation efforts and help drive improvements in operational efficiency and profitability.

Day 1

  1. Refinery & Petrochemicals Introduction
    1. Refinery operation
    2. Petrochemicals operation
  2. Hydrocarbon Mass Balances
    1. The role of a mass balance
    2. The impact of hydrocarbon loss
    3. Basic refinery mass balance
    4. Reconciled refinery mass balance
  3. Hydrocarbon Losses
    1. Physical losses
    2. Paper losses
    3. Accounted losses
    4. Unaccounted losses
  4. Minimising Physical Hydrocarbon Losses
    1. Physical losses mitigating actions
    2. Physical losses checklists
  5. Minimising Paper Hydrocarbon Losses
    1. Paper losses mitigating actions
    2. Paper losses checklists
  6. Ocean Loss
    1. What is ocean loss
    2. Minimising ocean loss
  7. Targets and Benchmarks
    1. Targets & Benchmarks
    2. How to arrive at Best-in-Class
  8. Questions and Answers

Day 2

  1. Key Performance Indicators
    1. KPI Introduction
    2. KPI Dashboards
  2. Governance
    1. Roles & Responsibilities
    2. Reviews Meetings
    3. Auditing
  3. Case Study ‘Flare reduction’
    1. Introduction
    2. Case Study
    3. Best Practices
  4. Questions and Answers

Day 3

  1. HM 31 Guide Topics
    1. Introduction
    2. Weighing & measuring
    3. Loss from process units
    4. Tankage
  2. Miscellaneous Topics
    1. Idea lists
    2. Tools
  3. Summary & Conclusions
  4. Questions and Answers
  5. Examination
  6. Course Feedback & Certification

Programme

Day 1

  1. Refinery & Petrochemicals Introduction
    1. Refinery operation
    2. Petrochemicals operation
  2. Hydrocarbon Mass Balances
    1. The role of a mass balance
    2. The impact of hydrocarbon loss
    3. Basic refinery mass balance
    4. Reconciled refinery mass balance
  3. Hydrocarbon Losses
    1. Physical losses
    2. Paper losses
    3. Accounted losses
    4. Unaccounted losses
  4. Minimising Physical Hydrocarbon Losses
    1. Physical losses mitigating actions
    2. Physical losses checklists
  5. Minimising Paper Hydrocarbon Losses
    1. Paper losses mitigating actions
    2. Paper losses checklists
  6. Ocean Loss
    1. What is ocean loss
    2. Minimising ocean loss
  7. Targets and Benchmarks
    1. Targets & Benchmarks
    2. How to arrive at Best-in-Class
  8. Questions and Answers

Day 2

  1. Key Performance Indicators
    1. KPI Introduction
    2. KPI Dashboards
  2. Governance
    1. Roles & Responsibilities
    2. Reviews Meetings
    3. Auditing
  3. Case Study ‘Flare reduction’
    1. Introduction
    2. Case Study
    3. Best Practices
  4. Questions and Answers

Day 3

  1. HM 31 Guide Topics
    1. Introduction
    2. Weighing & measuring
    3. Loss from process units
    4. Tankage
  2. Miscellaneous Topics
    1. Idea lists
    2. Tools
  3. Summary & Conclusions
  4. Questions and Answers
  5. Examination
  6. Course Feedback & Certification

REGISTRATION

Course name:Refinery & Petrochemicals Hydrocarbon Mass Balance & Loss Course
Course date:w/c 09 November
Delegate Details
Cancellations & Substitutions:

If you are unable to attend the course you can make a substitution. All substitutions and name changes must be received in writing by mail or e-mail no later than one week before the first course date. For cancellations received in writing after the course fee is paid and no later than 21 days before the course start date, Petrogenium will issue a credit note to be considered as a down payment for any Petrogenium courses during next 12 months. For cancellations received after 21 days before the course start date, the course material will be sent but no fees will be refunded.
Programme Changes:

The course content may be subject to changes due to unforeseen circumstances. Petrogenium reserves the right to change the venue and/or lecturers, and to cancel the course, notifying the registrant 30 days before the first course date. Petrogenium accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage to property belonging to, nor for any personal injury incurred by, attendees at our training courses, whether within the training course venue or otherwise.
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