Log In
Log In
Led by Senior Process Plant Engineer Simulacrum
Oil movement and storage from tank design and tank farm layout through pumping, metering, pigging, terminal loading operations, custody transfer, tank gauging and cleaning, static electricity control, and oil spill emergency response.
Led by Senior Process Plant Engineer Simulacrum
The question
The storage tank is the buffer between production and export — and a 500,000-barrel floating-roof tank is a massive source of potential energy that must be managed. This module covers the four tank types (fixed-roof, external floating roof, internal floating roof, pressurised), the design standards (API 650 for atmospheric, ASME VIII for pressure), shell thickness calculation from hydrostatic pressure, floating roof seals and their role in emission control, tank farm layout (bund sizing at 110% of the largest tank, inter-tank spacing from fire code), and API 653 inspection intervals determined by corrosion rate.
Outcome
The student can describe the four tank types and the product each is designed for, explain the bund sizing and spacing requirements, describe the API 653 inspection programme, and compare pressurised vs. refrigerated LPG storage. (Storage tanks — types, design, and layout)
Sub-units
Led by Senior Pipeline Integrity Engineer Simulacrum
The question
Oil requires energy to move — from pumps, gravity, or gas pressure. This module covers centrifugal and positive displacement pump selection using system curve vs. pump curve, NPSH and cavitation, pipeline hydraulics (Darcy-Weisbach friction loss, pipeline capacity, heavy crude challenges), the four metering technologies for custody transfer (turbine, PD, Coriolis, ultrasonic) and the meter proving procedure, pigging for cleaning, batching, and inspection, and product blending — both in-tank and in-line with online analyser feedback.
Outcome
The student can describe pump selection using system and pump curves, apply the Darcy-Weisbach equation conceptually, describe the four metering technologies and the proving procedure, and describe the three pig types and their functions. (Oil movement — pumping, metering, and pigging)
Sub-units
Led by Senior Process Plant Engineer Simulacrum
The question
The terminal is where oil changes hands — and every transfer involves a custody measurement that becomes the basis of an invoice. This module covers marine terminal loading (SPM for VLCCs, jetty with loading arms, the ISGOTT ship-shore safety checklist), the loading procedure from connection through topping off to disconnection, truck loading (bottom-loading, overfill prevention, vapour recovery), custody transfer measurement (shore tank gauging with temperature correction to standard volume, ship measurement by ullage, the ±0.3% tolerance and the letter of protest), and loss control accounting.
Outcome
The student can describe SPM and jetty loading operations, explain the ISGOTT checklist, describe the shore and ship measurement procedures for custody transfer, and explain the terminal loss accounting programme. (Terminal operations — loading, custody transfer, and loss control)
Sub-units
Led by Senior HSE Engineer Simulacrum
The question
The tank is not passive storage — it requires routine measurement, periodic cleaning, and continuous management of the hazards it contains. This module covers manual and automatic tank gauging (radar, servo) and the gauge table that converts level to volume, gas freeing procedure and the entry criteria (LEL < 1%, O₂ 20.9%, H₂S < 1 ppm), three cleaning methods (crude oil washing under MARPOL, mechanical, chemical), and the static electricity hazard — how charge is generated by flowing liquid, accumulates on low-conductivity product surfaces, and discharges as a spark that can ignite the vapour space.
Outcome
The student can describe both gauging methods and the gauge table, explain the gas freeing procedure and entry criteria, describe the three cleaning methods, explain the static generation-accumulation-discharge mechanism, and describe four static control measures. (Tank operations — gauging, cleaning, and static control)
Sub-units
Led by Senior HSE Engineer Simulacrum
The question
Oil movement facilities handle large volumes of flammable liquids near the sea, near communities, and near sensitive ecosystems. This module covers the permit-to-work system for terminal operations (five permit types and the SIMOPS matrix), quality assurance and product certification (sampling, testing, the certificate of quality, independent inspection), oil spill response (containment by boom, recovery by skimmer, clean-up), the oil spill contingency plan and drill programme, environmental management (emissions, waste, soil and groundwater protection), and three case studies — a tank fire, a pipeline rupture, and an offshore loading spill.
Outcome
The student can describe the PTW system and the SIMOPS matrix, explain the QA programme and the role of the independent inspector, describe the three oil spill response phases, and identify the root cause and response effectiveness in the case studies. (Safety, QA, and oil spill response)
Sub-units