Introduction to the petrochemical industry

Definition and scope of the petrochemical industry. The role of chemical engineering in the refining and petrochemical sectors. Basic types of raw materials: crude oil, natural gas, refinery fractions. Main products: fuels (gasoline, diesel oil, LPG, aviation fuels), basic petrochemicals (ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene), plastics, synthetic fibres, detergents.

Raw materials and their characteristics 

Structure and composition of crude oil. Physical properties of crude oil fractions: gasoline, kerosene, gas oil, oil fractions, heavy residues (fuel oil, asphaltenes). Natural gas: composition (methane, ethane, propane, butane, hydrogen sulphide), purification methods.

Fundamentals of fluid mechanics

1. Physical properties of fluids. Viscous stresses in real fluids. Basic rheological models of fluids. Equations of fluid motion and Navier–Stokes equations. Flow of viscous fluids in pipes and liquid film flow on walls.
2. Continuum hypothesis. Material point and fluid element. Forces acting in fluids. Hydrostatic pressure. Fluid equilibrium equations. Potential of body forces. Equipotential surfaces. Static pressure force. Buoyancy force and conditions of floating bodies.
3. Fundamentals of fluid dynamics: Euler equation, Bernoulli equation for ideal and real fluids. Characteristics of laminar and turbulent flow. Reynolds hypothesis and turbulence intensity. Averaged transport equations. Reynolds stresses. Universal velocity distribution of fluids.

Construction, operating principle and performance characteristics of centrifugal pumps 

Characteristics of pump systems connected in series and parallel. Pump selection for pipelines. Gas flow in pipelines. Characteristics of hydraulic systems: pump–pipeline, pressure tank–pipeline, and pump–pressure tank–pipeline systems.

Extraction and pipeline transport processes 

• Extraction from wells
• Oil washing from shales
• Transport of non-Newtonian liquids
• Generalised Reynolds number, calculation of flow resistance for non-Newtonian fluids, etc.

Fundamentals of heat transfer 

• Heat transfer mechanisms
• Heat conduction through flat and cylindrical walls, single- and multilayer
• Heat transfer coefficient
• Heat exchangers, methods for calculating the logarithmic mean temperature difference

Fundamentals of mass transfer

Refinery processes – physical processes of crude oil processing

• Atmospheric distillation
• Vacuum distillation
• Binary and multicomponent rectification
• Solvent extraction
• Absorption and adsorption

Refinery processes – conversion processes of crude oil processing

• Thermal cracking
• Catalytic cracking (FCC)
• Catalytic reforming
• Isomerisation
• Alkylation
• Steam cracking – basis for ethylene and propylene production

Key apparatus and equipment used in the petrochemical industry

• Distillation columns (tray and packed)
• Reactors: tubular, fluidised bed (FCC), catalytic reactors
• Heat exchangers
• Process furnaces (pyrolysis, reforming)
• Separators and tanks
• Compressors and pumps

Fundamentals of petrochemical process design

• Mass and energy balances
• Phase equilibrium in multicomponent systems
• Selection and modelling of chemical reactors
• Reaction mechanisms and chemical kinetics
• Role of process simulation (e.g. Aspen Plus, HYSYS)

Fluid mechanics module

• Rheometry and rheology of Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids
• Determination of pressure drops in straight and branched pipelines and local resistances
• Study of solid particle settling in liquids
• Study of parameters of two-phase gas–liquid flow
• Determination of characteristics of centrifugal pumps and pump sets connected in series and parallel
• Study of liquid outflow from a tank and determination of the discharge coefficient Pneumatic transport
• Water hammer

Heat transfer module 

• Study of heat exchangers, temperature distribution for co-current and counter-current exchangers
• Liquid boiling

Mass transfer module

• Mass transfer in the gas phase
• Rectification in a packed column
• Drying process kinetics

Calculation of flow and local resistances 

Flow of Newtonian fluids in fully filled pipes and open channels. Characteristics of single pipelines and pipeline systems connected in series and parallel.

Heat transfer calculations

• Heat conduction through flat and cylindrical walls, single- and multilayer; heat flux and temperature distribution calculations
• Convective heat transfer; calculation of heat transfer coefficients for multilayer flat and cylindrical walls
• Heat exchanger calculations, methods of logarithmic mean temperature difference

Calculations related to mass transfer:

Representation and conversion of concentration units. Diffusion coefficients in the gas and liquid phases. Equimolar counter-diffusion. Diffusion of one component through a stationary (inert) second component. Mass transfer and mass penetration. Mass transfer and mass penetration coefficients. Absorption equilibrium. Counter-current absorption, co-current absorption, mass balance. Humidification and drying of air, relative humidity and absolute humidity. Distillation and rectification, process mass balance, determination of the number of theoretical stages, determination of the height equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP).

Written examination based on the lecture. A prerequisite for passing is obtaining a positive grade, i.e. achieving at least 60% of the total available points.

The requirement for passing the practical classes is obtaining a positive grade (minimum 60% of the total available points) in each of the two written tests conducted during the semester.

• The first test covers fluid statics and fluid dynamics, and the grade obtained accounts for 40% of the final grade for the practical classes.
• The second test covers basic heat transfer calculations (energy balances, determination of heat transfer and heat penetration coefficients, fundamental calculations of heat exchangers) as well as mass transfer topics (conversion of concentrations, determination of diffusion coefficients, mass balances of absorption, distillation, and rectification processes, and basic calculations of equipment used in mass transfer operations), the grade from the second test constitutes 60% of the final grade for the practical classes.

The requirement for passing the course is obtaining a positive grade from:

• Oral assessments for all laboratory experiments performed. The averaged grade from the oral tests constitutes 15% of the final course grade (60% of the laboratory grade).
• A positive grade for a substantive laboratory report prepared in laboratory groups, which constitutes 10% of the final course grade (40% of the laboratory grade).
  The instructor may differentiate the final report grades by taking into account ongoing observation of the student’s performance during laboratory classes, including, among others, active participation in laboratory work and contribution to the development and analysis of results.

Written examination (test)
A positive grade is awarded when the student:

• is able to correctly define basic concepts of fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and mass transfer;
• is able to define a problem and perform basic calculations in the field of fluid statics;
• is able to define a problem and perform basic calculations in the field of fluid dynamics;
• is able to define a problem and perform basic calculations in the field of heat transfer;
• is able to define the fundamental relationships required to perform energy balances and heat exchanger calculations;
• is able to define a problem and perform basic calculations in the field of mass transfer;
• selects appropriate separation and purification processes for raw materials in the petrochemical industry (e.g. filtration, extraction, distillation, rectification, crystallization, centrifugation, etc.) and justifies the selection based on differences in the physical properties of the raw materials;
• selects appropriate separation and purification processes for products in the petrochemical industry (e.g. filtration, extraction, distillation, rectification, crystallization, centrifugation, etc.) and justifies the selection based on differences in the physical properties of the products.

A positive grade is awarded when the student:

• is able to define the fundamental requirements for the safe operation of petrochemical processes, including the identification of key process parameters (e.g. temperature, pH, pressure, time, heating and mixing intensity, concentrations, flow rates) and describes how these parameters affect process safety;
• takes into account industrial-specific aspects, including scale-up, process safety, quality requirements, and the risk of contamination, particularly in the context of production of petrochemical products.

A positive grade is awarded when the report:

• includes a comparison of experimental results with at least one literature source and/or a theoretical model (presented in the form of tables and/or graphs);
• presents the comparison methodology (e.g. relative error, uncertainty intervals, curve fitting) along with correct calculations;
• includes an interpretation of discrepancies, taking into account the influence of experimental conditions, model simplifications, measurement quality, uncertainties, and systematic errors;
• formulates conclusions, addressing whether the results are consistent within an acceptable range and what this implies for the validity of the research and/or the applied method;
• interprets the results with respect to the aim and hypothesis of the study and indicates their scientific and practical significance.

Processing and analysis of experimental results
A positive grade is awarded when the student:

• is able to work effectively in a group and, through joint discussion, interprets the results with respect to the aim and hypothesis, while indicating their significance;
• actively participates in laboratory classes as well as in the processing of the obtained results and the preparation of the report, as assessed on the basis of the instructor’s observation.