Fuel Oil & Fuel Oil Blending Training Course
Consultant/Trainer: Dr Frans van den Berg
As fuel oil specifications become increasingly stringent, blending processes face rising complexity.
This course provides professionals with the skills to optimize blend recipes, improve compatibility, and troubleshoot quality issues before impacting profitability. Participants gain strategies to reduce re-blending, boost consistency, and increase value.
Designed for technical staff, supervisors, and managers, the program delivers a practical approach to blend quality challenges, cutter stock selection, margin loss reduction, and consistent, specification compliant fuel oil production.
Participants
This Petrogenium course can be tailored for awareness/inexperienced staff, for intermediate and for experienced personnel. Furthermore the course can be customized for a specific refinery, plant or unit. The option for post-course consultancy/help-desk support is also available.
Participants may include: technical staff, supervisors and managers in refining, marketing, trading, economic planning and laboratories who need better technical understanding of bunker fuel and bunker fuel blending; it is also highly suited for Fuel oil traders as well as bunker operators.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you’ll be equipped to diagnose and resolve fuel oil blend quality issues using a structured troubleshooting approach. You’ll know how to optimise cutter stock selection to improve compatibility and stability, quantify and reduce blend margin losses through better recipe design, and apply blend models to support operational decisions and ensure consistency. The course provides a practical framework for evaluating and managing fuel oil stability, compatibility, and key product specs using both lab and field data. You’ll leave with proven tools you can apply immediately—on your site, with your team, and in your blend system.
1st day
Introduction to Fuel Oil
- What is fuel oil, brief history; Manufacturing routes
- Blendstock components & their properties; Supply & demand trends towards 2022
Specifications, Components & Test Methods
- ISO 8217 & latest changes; Relevance of individual properties & test methods
- Fit-for-purpose vs on-spec; Developments & future changes
Stability & compatibility of bunker fuel
- Fundamentals of asphaltene stability, Current test methods; Prediction of stability & compatibility
- Best practices; Exercise on fuel oil stability; Case studies on bunker oil stability problems
Bunker fuel blending, components & tools
- Why blending is necessary; Blending systems (in tank, in-line, in-line with ratio control)
- Linear & non-linear blending rules; unusual blending components; blending software & equipment
- Exercise on viscosity blending
2nd day
Blend control & quality assurance
- Quality management; documentation; MARPOL samples
Storage & handling of bunker fuel
- Fuel oil tanks; mixing systems; additives
Laboratory testing & on-line testing
- Role of the laboratory (including repeatability & reproducibility);
- Benefits laboratory testing & on-line testing; types of on-line testing methods
- Lab testing standards (ISO9001/17025, ASTM/IP/ISO test methodology)
Blending economics
- Blending tools & optimisation; single & multi-blend optimisation
- Quality give-away; ensuring the maximum profit from a blend
Blending for 0.5% sulphur compliance (MARPOL)
- Current status; impact on bunker fuel customers; impact on fuel quality & pricing
- Necessary components for 0.5% VLSFO blending; challenges & problems;
- Ensuring stability & compatibility; avoiding off-spec fuel from blending operations
Bunker fuel complaints
- Survey fuel oil complaints; examples of problem fuels; ISO 4259 for dispute handling
- Complaint handling exercise
Liability & claims handling
- Responsibilities for bunker fuel quality; warranties under bunker supply contract
- Contamination of bunkers & blend incompatibility; BIMCO bunker quality & liability clause; ISO 8217
- Potential legal claims (Charterers vs Contractual Bunker Suppliers vs Physical Bunker Suppliers vs Owners); Claims and claims handling; Bunker supplier defence
Bunker fuel HSE aspects
Course evaluation
Programme
1st day
Introduction to Fuel Oil
- What is fuel oil, brief history; Manufacturing routes
- Blendstock components & their properties; Supply & demand trends towards 2022
Specifications, Components & Test Methods
- ISO 8217 & latest changes; Relevance of individual properties & test methods
- Fit-for-purpose vs on-spec; Developments & future changes
Stability & compatibility of bunker fuel
- Fundamentals of asphaltene stability, Current test methods; Prediction of stability & compatibility
- Best practices; Exercise on fuel oil stability; Case studies on bunker oil stability problems
Bunker fuel blending, components & tools
- Why blending is necessary; Blending systems (in tank, in-line, in-line with ratio control)
- Linear & non-linear blending rules; unusual blending components; blending software & equipment
- Exercise on viscosity blending
2nd day
Blend control & quality assurance
- Quality management; documentation; MARPOL samples
Storage & handling of bunker fuel
- Fuel oil tanks; mixing systems; additives
Laboratory testing & on-line testing
- Role of the laboratory (including repeatability & reproducibility);
- Benefits laboratory testing & on-line testing; types of on-line testing methods
- Lab testing standards (ISO9001/17025, ASTM/IP/ISO test methodology)
Blending economics
- Blending tools & optimisation; single & multi-blend optimisation
- Quality give-away; ensuring the maximum profit from a blend
Blending for 0.5% sulphur compliance (MARPOL)
- Current status; impact on bunker fuel customers; impact on fuel quality & pricing
- Necessary components for 0.5% VLSFO blending; challenges & problems;
- Ensuring stability & compatibility; avoiding off-spec fuel from blending operations
Bunker fuel complaints
- Survey fuel oil complaints; examples of problem fuels; ISO 4259 for dispute handling
- Complaint handling exercise
Liability & claims handling
- Responsibilities for bunker fuel quality; warranties under bunker supply contract
- Contamination of bunkers & blend incompatibility; BIMCO bunker quality & liability clause; ISO 8217
- Potential legal claims (Charterers vs Contractual Bunker Suppliers vs Physical Bunker Suppliers vs Owners); Claims and claims handling; Bunker supplier defence
Bunker fuel HSE aspects
Course evaluation