Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations
Maximise Refinery Yields, Desalter Efficiency & Distillation Control
Course Schedules
Training Course Overview
Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations Training Course fundamentals represent the critical front-end foundation of petroleum refining efficiency. This Refinery Distillation Training Course delivers deep insights into optimizing raw feed preparation and atmospheric distillation processes to directly improve yield, cut energy costs, and minimize equipment degradation.
By mastering effective crude desalting, personnel eliminate harmful salts, water, and particulate contaminants that trigger severe corrosion, equipment fouling, and catalyst poisoning. The Crude Desalting Training Course material guides delegates through accurate crude oil property evaluations, vapor-liquid equilibrium, heat integration preheat trains, and precise fractionation control within atmospheric columns.
Through practical diagnostic tools and performance-balancing strategies, participants learn to interpret complex operational data and resolve performance bottlenecks. Attending this Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations Training Course empowers professionals to maintain product quality, safeguard asset integrity, minimize energy footprint, and significantly maximize bottom-line refinery profitability.
Training Course Objectives
This Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations Training Course provides essential knowledge to boost unit performance, prevent system corrosion, and ensure overall refinery process safety. Delegates acquire practical skills needed to optimize crude separation, resolve operational upsets, and enhance operational efficiency.
- Analyze crude oil properties, assays, and contaminants affecting unit processing.
- Master single- and two-stage electrostatic desalting operations and emulsion control.
- Optimize desalter parameters including wash-water ratios, chemical demulsifiers, and temperature.
- Control atmospheric distillation variables to maintain product cut points and specification quality.
- Troubleshoot tower operational issues including weeping, flooding, carryover, and tray damage.
- Enhance preheat train efficiency, fired heater combustion, and energy recovery systems.
- Implement robust corrosion control, dew-point monitoring, and overhead system protection strategies.
Designed for
This specialized Refinery Distillation Training Course is designed for technical professionals seeking to enhance their operational, engineering, and maintenance expertise in crude processing units. The practical focus ensures immediate applicability across operational and technical support functions.
- Crude Distillation Unit process operators, shift supervisors, and operations staff.
- Refinery process, operations, production, and technical service engineers.
- Process control, instrumentation, and automation specialists managing tower variables.
- Maintenance, integrity, corrosion, and inspection engineers dedicated to asset reliability.
- Laboratory analysts, quality control teams, and energy optimization professionals.
- Entry-level chemical engineers and technical specialists transitioning into refinery operations.
Learning Methods
This dynamic Crude Desalting Training Course utilizes an interactive blend of detailed technical lectures, engineering calculations, and actual process flow diagrams. Delegates analyze real-world operating scenarios to master unit adjustments, heat exchanger monitoring, and fractionation control.
Hands-on practical workshops focus on diagnosing complex unit upsets, evaluating desalter efficiency metrics, and interpreting atmospheric tower performance data. Interactive group discussions allow participants to share field experiences, troubleshoot real site challenges, and establish proactive strategies for optimizing refinery performance and profitability.
Course Content
Crude Oil Characteristics and Refinery Processing Fundamentals
- Composition, classification and origins of crude oil
- Crude oil assays and key physical and chemical properties
- API gravity, viscosity, sulphur, acidity and pour point
- Light, medium, heavy, sweet and sour crude oils
- Crude contaminants: salts, water, sediments and metals
- Impact of crude quality on refinery selection and profitability
- Crude blending, compatibility and stability considerations
- Overview of refinery crude processing and product streams
Crude Oil Desalting Principles and Operations
- Purpose and importance of crude oil desalting
- Sources and types of salts in crude oil
- Formation, stability and breaking of crude oil emulsions
- Single-stage and two-stage electrostatic desalting systems
- Desalter equipment, internals and electrical systems
- Wash-water quality, quantity and injection practices
- Effects of temperature, pressure, mixing and residence time
- Measuring desalter efficiency and salt-removal performance
Desalter Optimisation and Troubleshooting
- Optimising mixing-valve differential pressure
- Controlling the crude-water interface and emulsion layer
- Selection and application of demulsifier chemicals
- Causes of high salt and basic sediment and water content
- Troubleshooting unstable interfaces and poor water separation
- Resolving desalter carryover, oil undercarry and rag-layer formation
- Preventing corrosion, fouling and wastewater-system upsets
- Practical desalter performance improvement workshop
Atmospheric Crude Distillation Operations
- Fundamentals of vapour-liquid equilibrium and fractionation
- Crude preheat train, heat exchangers and heat integration
- Fired-heater design, operation and combustion control
- Atmospheric distillation column equipment and internals
- Flash zone, stripping sections, side draws and pump-around circuits
- Overhead system, reflux control and heat removal
- Production of naphtha, kerosene, diesel and atmospheric gas oil
- Controlling product cut points, yields and specifications
Distillation Control, Troubleshooting and Optimisation
- Key operating variables affecting tower performance
- Temperature, pressure, reflux and steam control
- Recognising flooding, weeping, entrainment and foaming
- Troubleshooting off-specification distillate products
- Crude preheat-train fouling and exchanger performance
- Heater efficiency, tube coking and high-stack-temperature problems
- Overhead corrosion, salt deposition and water-dew-point control
- Optimising energy consumption, product recovery and unit throughput
The Certificate
- Anderson Certificate of Completion for delegates who attend and complete the training course
In Partnership With
Learn more about this course
The course is suitable for mechanical maintenance engineers, reliability engineers, maintenance technicians, field service engineers, plant operators, production supervisors, condition monitoring specialists, and technical personnel responsible for industrial hydraulic machinery and fluid power equipment.
Yes. Participants who successfully complete the Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations training course will receive a Anderson Certificate of Completion, demonstrating their commitment to professional development and continuous learning. This certificate provides formal recognition of the knowledge and skills gained during the course and can support professional growth and career progression.
Yes. The Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations training course can be customised and delivered exclusively for organisations seeking a tailored learning solution. Course content can be adapted to address specific business objectives, operational challenges, industry requirements, and organisational priorities. Customised training allows teams to focus on the topics most relevant to their roles while supporting wider organisational development goals.
Participants attending the Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations training course gain access to valuable industry insights, practical techniques, and internationally recognised best practices. The course helps professionals improve performance, strengthen confidence, broaden their perspective, and develop skills that contribute to both personal and organisational success. It also provides an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with professionals from diverse sectors and backgrounds.
No. The Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations training course is open to professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and experience levels. The course content is structured to provide value to both those who are new to the subject and experienced practitioners seeking to deepen their expertise. While some prior knowledge may enhance understanding of certain concepts, it is not a requirement for participation
The Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations training course combines practical knowledge, current industry practices, and expert guidance to create a highly relevant learning experience. Rather than focusing solely on theory, the course emphasises practical application, enabling participants to develop skills and approaches that can be implemented directly within their organisations. This balance of knowledge and practical relevance helps participants achieve meaningful and lasting professional impact.
The Crude Oil Distillation & Desalting Operations training course uses a variety of learning approaches to maximise participant engagement and knowledge retention. These may include expert-led presentations, practical exercises, case studies, group discussions, scenario-based activities, and collaborative learning opportunities. This approach encourages active participation and helps participants translate learning into practical workplace results.
Yes. Industrial hydraulic systems are widely used across manufacturing plants, process facilities, heavy machinery, marine operations, utilities, and other industrial environments. The principles covered are relevant to professionals responsible for operating, maintaining, inspecting, or troubleshooting hydraulic equipment across a broad range of applications.
Still Have Questions?
Can’t find what you are looking for? Contact us and we’ll be happy to assist you with course details, corporate bookings, or technical support.
