Why Choose FCC Unit Troubleshooting & Catalyst Optimisation Training Course?
The Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit is one of the most important and profitable conversion units in a modern refinery. Its performance directly affects gasoline production, light olefin yields, refinery energy balance and overall profitability. However, FCC operations involve complex interactions between feedstock properties, catalyst activity, reaction severity, regenerator performance, equipment condition and operating constraints.
Operational problems such as poor conversion, excessive coke production, catalyst losses, regenerator afterburn, wet gas compressor limitations and product-quality deterioration can significantly reduce unit performance. Effective troubleshooting requires a systematic understanding of process variables and their effects across the reactor, regenerator, fractionator and gas concentration sections.
This FCC Unit Troubleshooting & Catalyst Optimisation Training Course provides participants with the knowledge and analytical techniques required to troubleshoot FCC unit problems, evaluate catalyst performance and optimise operating conditions. It focuses on improving conversion, selectivity, product yields, energy efficiency, equipment reliability and safe operation.
What are the Goals?
By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:
- Explain FCC reaction chemistry and process fundamentals
- Evaluate the influence of feedstock properties on unit performance
- Analyse reactor, riser and regenerator operating conditions
- Identify the causes of reduced conversion and poor selectivity
- Assess catalyst activity, circulation and inventory management
- Optimise fresh catalyst and equilibrium catalyst performance
- Troubleshoot regenerator afterburn and combustion problems
- Diagnose fractionator and gas plant operating constraints
- Reduce catalyst losses, erosion, fouling and equipment damage
- Improve FCC yields, energy efficiency and operational reliability
Who is this Training Course for?
This training course is suitable for:
- FCC unit operators and supervisors
- Refinery process and operations engineers
- Production and shift engineers
- Process control and instrumentation engineers
- Catalyst and technical-services specialists
- Refinery maintenance and reliability personnel
- Inspection, mechanical integrity and corrosion engineers
- Laboratory and product-quality personnel
- Refinery optimisation and planning professionals
How will this Training Course be Presented?
The course combines technical presentations with process-flow diagrams, operating data analysis, catalyst-performance evaluation, troubleshooting exercises and refinery case studies. Participants will examine common FCC operating problems and develop practical corrective and preventive actions.
The Course Content
- Role of the FCC unit within the refinery configuration
- FCC reaction mechanisms and catalytic cracking chemistry
- Overview of reactor, regenerator and fractionation systems
- Riser cracking, reaction time, temperature and catalyst-to-oil ratio
- Feedstock properties affecting conversion and selectivity
- Effects of Conradson carbon, sulphur, nitrogen and metals
- Feed preheating, atomisation and injection performance
- FCC material balance, conversion and yield calculations
- Feed and catalyst contacting within the riser
- Influence of riser outlet temperature and reaction severity
- Catalyst circulation and catalyst-to-oil ratio optimisation
- Feed nozzle performance and atomisation problems
- Reactor cyclone operation and catalyst separation
- Causes of low conversion and poor product selectivity
- Dry gas, LPG, gasoline, light cycle oil and slurry yield control
- Troubleshooting riser, reactor and disengager performance
- Coke combustion and regenerator heat balance
- Full-combustion and partial-combustion operating modes
- Air distribution, combustion efficiency and flue-gas analysis
- Dense-bed temperature and dilute-phase temperature control
- Causes, consequences and prevention of regenerator afterburn
- Troubleshooting high carbon on regenerated catalyst
- Cyclone efficiency, catalyst losses and particulate emissions
- Regenerator constraints, erosion and refractory concerns
- FCC catalyst composition, properties and performance functions
- Zeolite activity, matrix properties and pore structure
- Fresh catalyst, equilibrium catalyst and catalyst inventory
- Catalyst deactivation by steam, metals and contaminants
- Effects of nickel, vanadium, iron, sodium and calcium
- Catalyst additives for octane, SOx reduction and combustion control
- Equilibrium catalyst sampling, testing and data interpretation
- Optimising catalyst addition and withdrawal strategies
- Main fractionator operation and heat-balance management
- Troubleshooting flooding, foaming, entrainment and slurry problems
- Wet gas compressor performance and operating limitations
- Gas concentration and LPG recovery-system troubleshooting
- Product-quality problems and corrective operating actions
- Identifying unit bottlenecks and throughput limitations
- Energy efficiency, emissions reduction and reliability improvement
- Integrated FCC troubleshooting and optimisation case study
Certificate
- AZTech Certificate of Completion for delegates who attend and complete the training course
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