Operator Training Simulator and Training Solutions for STRATCO® Alkylation
Training of refinery personnel is often the most cost-effective investment you can make in your alkylation unit operations. Ask any operations manager what describes their best operators and you’ll get the same answer: knowledge and confidence. The best operators know what to do and when to do it, with confidence that is honed by years of experience and deep process knowledge. Cost pressures, employee churn, and the threat of the “boomer retirement wave” are challenging companies to find new ways to train and develop their teams more quickly than ever. Operations teams must turn good operators into great operators in months, not years.
To help our customers address this challenge, we have developed an operator training program that combines experienced alkylation experts with best-in-class training tools which can be tailored to meet customer needs, budgets and time constraints. In addition to traditional classroom-style training, we offer programs that leverage our proprietary operator training simulator to deliver a high-impact experience that translates to faster skills development, better long-term skills retention and deeper process understanding than conventional methods.
Each class can be tailored to focus on subjects of specific interest to the customer, from basic topics such as introduction to alkylation to advanced topics such as process optimization, troubleshooting and emergency response. Classes can be geared for both operators and engineers and cover a wide scope of activities.
Combining Experienced Alkylation Subject Experts with Best-in-Class Training Tools
Customized Operator Training Courses
Our on-site operator training provides a catalyst to help you identify areas for operations improvements. The objective of the STRATCO® alkylation operations training course is to review best practices for sulfuric acid alkylation operation with refinery operations personnel. The goal of this training is to achieve improved operating and monitoring techniques, increased unit efficiency, and better-trained staff who will be a source of ideas for continued improvement of facilities and operations.
For grassroots units or operation teams new to the alkylation process, our initial operations training program (provided prior to the mechanical completion and start-up of a new alkylation unit) is designed to be conducted in two phases, but can be tailored to your specific needs. Following the successful start-up and operation of the alkylation unit, we recommend periodic refresher training for refinery personnel to reinforce correct practices and procedures and to identify and change incorrect habits that may have been adopted over time.
In every engagement, our expert team works directly with customers to develop an operations training program that meets their specific needs. This can include traditional classroom training, field training and simulator-enhanced training.
Classroom Training Topics and Activities:
Introduction to the alkylation process
Key process variables and their effect on product quality
Major process instrumentation
Unit process description (detailed review of each section in the unit)
Alkylation unit operations and principles
Unit monitoring and surveillance of all major systems and equipment
Startup procedures
Normal shutdown procedures
Emergency shutdown procedures
Safety procedures and proper handling of acid
Prevention and detection of an acid runaway
Lessons learned from emergency scenarios witnessed at other sites
Review and enhancement of site-specific startup procedures
Review of site-specific P&IDs and equipment descriptions
Field Training Topics and Activities
Field training is performed while walking through the unit with a small group of operators and reviewing the following:
Identifying critical unit components such as equipment, valves, and instrumentation, and describing operational significance of each
Reviewing normal tasks associated with field operations, providing guidelines on safety, purpose of tasks, and impact on plant performance
Recognizing unit upset conditions and the appropriate response to such conditions
World Class Process Dynamic Simulators for STRATCO® Alkylation Technology
At Elessent, we believe that people learn the most when they put their skills into practice using high-fidelity training tools in realistic environments.
With that specific goal in mind, we developed the TMODS modeling software to train operators to anticipate and respond to a variety of situations using a realistic operator interface with a robust process simulator that accurately models the behavior of the alkylation processes from feed inlets to product storage.
The STRATCO® alkylation OTS includes preconfigured operator training scenarios and objective tasks to make it easy to tailor your training strategy to your particular needs and prepare your operators for successful startup and operation of actual units.
Each OTS combines STRATCO® subject matter expertise with the Elessent world-class training and safety culture. Our training simulators can be fully customized to match plant configuration, conditions, compositions, control schemes, safety interlocks and user interfaces. Each OTS is:
Designed for immediate impact
Configured using best-in-class training tools
Customizable for immediate benefits
Developed, tested and taught by subject matter experts
Engineered for integrity
Designed for realistic “cause and effect” experiences
Incorporates STRATCO® subject matter expertise
Built on a robust software platform (TMODS)
Fully supported for long-term value
Provided with regularly scheduled software updates
Designed for inclusion of new scenarios (regular releases or customized)
Offered with refresher training
Offered with technical support (software and training)
OTS-Enhanced Training Topics and Activities
A typical dynamic simulator training session is one week with up to two instructors and can accommodate up to 15 personnel. Topics can include the following:
Simulator familiarization and overview
Full unit startup from unit filling to introduction of olefin feed
Troubleshooting and emergency scenarios
Power failure
Compressor trip
Acid runaway
Cooling water failure
Reactor tube bundle leak
Demonstration of “cause and effect” in the alkylation unit