Hydroprocessing: Hydrotreating and Hydrocracking

Overview

Hydroprocessing units are at the centre of every modern refinery. Hydrotreaters remove sulphur, nitrogen and metals to meet clean fuel specifications, and hydrocrackers convert heavy gas oils into high-value diesel and jet fuel. Both operate at high pressure and temperature with hydrogen, so they demand careful operation to protect catalyst life, product quality and safety. This course explains how these units work and how to run them well. Participants study reaction chemistry and kinetics, catalyst types and their deactivation, reactor design and internals, and the hydrogen, recycle gas and separation systems around the reactors. The course then covers start-up, catalyst activation and sulphiding, monitoring weighted average bed temperature and pressure drop, temperature runaways and emergency depressurisation, and the troubleshooting of common problems such as maldistribution, fouling and product off-specification.

Objectives

• Explain hydrotreating and hydrocracking reactions and their effect on products
• Describe catalyst types, activity, selectivity and deactivation
• Understand reactor internals and the causes of maldistribution
• Operate hydrogen, recycle gas and separation systems effectively
• Carry out start-up, catalyst sulphiding and shutdown safely
• Recognise and respond to temperature runaways
• Monitor unit performance and troubleshoot common problems
• Plan catalyst life and cycle length

Who should attend

Training methodology

The course is built around a typical diesel hydrotreater and a single-stage hydrocracker. Participants calculate hydrogen consumption, weighted average bed temperature and catalyst deactivation rates from operating data, and use simple models to see how feed, pressure and temperature affect product quality. Incident reviews of hydroprocessing runaways and fires show why procedures matter. Troubleshooting cases from operating units are solved in groups, and the course ends with a written assessment.

Programme outline

Dates and fees

Certificate

Frequently asked questions