Complete Online Global Petrochemical Industry Training
This course is perfect for those just joining the business, transferring from other areas or for professionals who are already experts on certain products but who may benefit from getting a broad overview. Even people who have already taken the course join it after a few years for a refresher!
Section 1 - Overview of the Petrochemical industry
This section provides an understanding of the concept of chemicals, introducing the industry and reviewing the connection between energy and chemicals and the feedstocks we use to produce them.
This section itself could be used separately as an introductory course for those who want to gain overall understanding of petrochemical.
Learning Objectives
- Get to know the petrochemical industry and the uses of chemicals
- Learn the types of hydrocarbon feedstocks, energy and reserves, i.e. crude oil, natural gas and coal
- Learn the seven chemical building blocks and their major derivatives, and understand how to make building blocks via the refinery, the crackers and through integration
- Recognise the business cycle and its impact on profitability, investment and restructuring
- Understand how the petrochemical industry functions, particularly in the U.S. Middle East and china, and major players in the industry
Section 2 - Ethylene and Polyethylene
Diving into C2 value chain – ethylene and its derivatives from the production technology, to market dynamics (supply, demand, trade), to the applications
Learning Objectives
- Understand the technologies and their evolution to make polyethylene and other ethylene derivatives
- Learn the market and applications of all chemicals in the C2 value chaine, including:
- Ethylene and Polyethylene
- Oligomers and Linear alpha olefins (LAO)
- VCM and PVC
- Ethylene oxide (EO) and Ethylene glycol (EG)
- Styrene and Polystyrene
- Ethanol
- Recognise the concept of bio-based chemicals, renewables and green chemicals
Section 3 - Propylene and derivatives
Diving into C3 value chain – propylene and its derivatives from the production technology, to market dynamics (supply, demand, trade), to the applications.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the on-purpose propylene technologies and those to make other propylene derivatives
- Learn the market and applications of all chemicals in the C3 value chain, including:
- Propylene and polypropylene
- Acrylic acid and super absorbent polymer (SAP)
- Acrylonitrile and acrylic fibers
- Propylene oxide (PO) and polyols
- Cumene, phenol, Acetone and methyl methacrylate (MMA)
Section 4 - The C4 family
Diving into C4 value chain from the production technology, to market dynamics (supply, demand, trade), to the applications.
Learning Objectives
- Understand composition of the C4 stream and how C4s are produced and separated;
- Understand the technologies to make C4 derivatives
- Learn the market and applications of all chemicals in the C4 value chain, including:
- Butadiene and rubbers, e.g. polybutadiene rubber (PBR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR); tyre construction; major elastomers; thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs)
- ABS, Butene-1 and butene-2
- Isobutylene and MTBE
- MTBE production and demand
- Learn the debate on using MTBE as a fuel additive in the U.S.
Section 5 - Aromatics
Diving into C5 value chain – aromatics and their derivatives, from the production technology, to market dynamics (supply, demand, trade), to the applications.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the different technologies on making and separating aromatics, e.g. primary and secondary aromatics sources, on-purpose aromatics technologies
- Understand the technologies to make aromatics derivatives
- Learn the market and applications of all chemicals in the C5 value chain, including:
- Benzene and Toluene
- Cyclohexane and polyamide (Nylon), e.g. nylon 6,6 and nylon 6
- Polyurethanes (PU), e.g. MDI, TDI
- Xylenes, PTA and PET
- Phthalic anhydride and Plasticizers, e.g. unsaturated polyester resins (UPR)
- Learn the PET materials through a short demonstration and understand the engineering involved in the plastics bottle business
Section 6 - Syngas and derivatives
Diving into C1 value chain – syngas and its derivatives, from the production technology, to market dynamics (supply, demand, trade), to the applications.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the different sources of synthesis gas and the value chains of ammonia and methanol
- Understand the conversion of coal to chemicals and Fischer-Tropsch technology
- Understand the technologies to make syngas derivatives
- Learn the market and applications of all chemicals in the C1 value chain, including:
- Ammonia and Fertilizers
- Methanol: technology development, leading producers, demand; methanol to olefins and coal to chemicals
- Methanol derivatives, e.g. formaldehyde, acetic acid, acetic anhydrite, vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), 1,4-butanediol (BDO)
Section 7 - Polymers and economics
This section complements the learning from the previous sections by discussing polymers and petrochemical economics.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the nature of polymers, what they are, the different types and how they are made.
- Review different polymer processing techniques
- Discuss interpolymer competition – how polymers take markets from each other; who are the winners and the losers
- Understand how petrochemical economics are built up and discuss concepts such as cost curves and economies of scale
