This five-day course is designed for blending engineers, senior operators, product coordinators, refinery planners, refinery lab personnel, and fuels marketers and traders, and provides a comprehensive overview and discussion of gasoline blending techniques, technology and cost/benefits. It addresses contemporary issues such as the latest specifications, ultra-low sulfur fuels, impact of MTBE phase-out, Ethanol blending, and environmental impact of various gasoline specifications. Case studies are used to illustrate the relative importance of each aspect of the gasoline blending operation, together with specific exercises. A complete set of course materials and lunches are included.
Upon successful completion of this course, the delegates will be able to:
- Gasoline Product Specifications, Current and Future
- Components and Additives
- Blending Equipment and Software
- Blending Control and Optimization Techniques
- Blending Non-linear Property Correlation Equations
- Quality Assurance, On-line Analyzers and On-line Certification
- Environmental Issues
- Calculating Costs/Benefits of Blend Automation
- Blend Performance Monitoring and Troubleshooting
- References and Other Material
- INTRODUCTION TO BLENDING
- Types of Blending
- Sequential; Tank to Tank; In-Line Blending
- Linear vs. Non-Linear Blending
- SPECIFICATIONS, COMPONENTS, AND ADDITIVES
- Typical Specs (US, EU, World) for Conventional, RFG, Diesel
- Blendstock Components and Typical Properties
- Additives (Octane & Cetane Boosters, Detergents,
- PP Depressants…) and DyeLinear/Non-Linear Property Blending
- Component Interactions and Effects on Specs
- TYPICAL BLENDING EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE
- In-Line Blenders
- Dye and Additive Injection Systems
- On-Line Analyzers (Conventional, NIR, NMR, Raman) for Octane,
- RVP, Dist, S, Cetane, CP, FP, CFPP, etc. & Typical Performance
- Remote Operated Equipment (MOV, Pumps, Mixers)
- Tank Gauging (Float, Servo, Radar) & Typical Performance
- DCS & Blending Software (Planning, Control,On-Line Optimization)
- HANDS-ON DEMOS OF BLENDING TOOLS (Using Your Computer)
- Linear MON and Cetane Index Calculators
- Linear & Non-Linear Blending Calculators
- Blending LP Gasoline Optimizer
- Comparing Linear/Non-Linear/Optimized Results
- THE BLENDING OPERATION CYCLE
- Types of Optimizers
- Typical Property Correlation Equations for Octane, RVP, Dist, Cetane, CP/PP, CFPP, Visc, etc.
- Planning of Blends / Generating Blend Orders
- Executing a Blend / Quality Control
- Blend Documentation
- QUALITY ASSURANCE
- Laboratory Measurements
- ASTM Methods for Gasoline and Diesel
- On-Line Analyzers
- Advantages vs. Single Lab Analysis
- Improving Measurements with ASTM 2885/3764 Test Methods
- State-of-the-Art NIR & NMR Analyzers for Blend Control
- Criteria for In-Line Blend Certification
- CLEAN FUELS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
- EPA Complex (Emissions) Models
- Impacts of Upcoming USA and EU Regulations
- Phase Out of MTBE
- Ethanol Blending
- Sulfur Reduction with Tier 2
- Bio-Diesels
- Sulfur Test Problems and Contamination
- BENEFITS OF IN-LINE BLENDING
- Typical Benefits Study Content
- Benefits Calculation Methodology
- Inventory Reduction
- Quality Giveaway Minimization
- Use of Least Expensive Components
- Tank age Minimization
- OPEN FORUM Q&A SESSION
- Summary of Each Participant Blending Operation
- Exchanging Problems / Handling of Common Blending Problem
Refinery and unit operating personnel, Engineers with process responsibility, Refinery technical staff.