PETROLEUM REFINING

🧾 Course Overview

The Petroleum Refining course introduces learners to the origins, exploration, and basic characterization of petroleum and crude oil. It explains the geological formation of hydrocarbons, petroleum exploration techniques, and the nature of oil reservoirs. Students are guided through the physical and chemical properties of crude oil, the function of drilling and drilling mud, and the significance of petroleum quality indicators such as API gravity, sulfur content, and viscosity. This foundational unit lays the groundwork for understanding how raw hydrocarbons are evaluated and prepared for refining.

✅ Learn How To:

• Explain the difference between petroleum and crude oil.

• Understand the stages of petroleum formation: diagenesis, catagenesis, and metagenesis.

• Describe how seismic, gravity, and magnetic surveys help locate oil.

• Identify key reservoir components: source rock, reservoir rock, and cap rock.

• Interpret essential physical properties of crude oil like API gravity and pour point.

• Recognize the significance of crude oil classification (light, medium, heavy).

• Understand the importance of crude oil quality for refining efficiency.

👥 Who This Course Is For:

• Students in petroleum and chemical engineering programs.

• Early-career oil and gas technicians and field operators.

• Energy analysts looking to understand petroleum upstream fundamentals.

• Inspectors and quality control personnel in refining and oil trading.

• Environmental and sustainability professionals in the fossil fuel sector.

• Academic instructors teaching crude oil composition and exploration.

• Technical writers and consultants developing oil and gas content.