Catalytic Cracking and Reforming Technologies in Refineries

Introduction

The Catalytic Cracking and Reforming Technologies in Refineries Course gives refinery engineers, process professionals, and operations specialists a comprehensive, technically rigorous understanding of Fluid Catalytic Cracking and catalytic reforming covering unit design, catalyst management, process control, troubleshooting, and optimisation in the context of real refinery operations. FCC and catalytic reforming are two of the most economically significant conversion processes in modern refining. Together they determine the yield and quality of transportation fuels, the efficiency of hydrogen production and recovery, and the overall profitability of the refinery. Professionals who deeply understand how these units work — and how to optimise and troubleshoot them — are among the most valuable technical contributors in any refinery organisation. This course addresses that technical depth directly — covering feedstock characterisation, reaction mechanisms, FCC reactor-regenerator design, coke management, reforming reactor types, reforming chemistry, process control strategies, safety systems, energy integration, emission controls, and catalyst lifecycle management. Case studies of real operational improvements are integrated throughout. The Catalytic Cracking and Reforming Technologies in Refineries Course is built for refinery professionals who want the technical knowledge and operational insight to manage these critical conversion units with greater effectiveness and confidence.

Objectives

The Catalytic Cracking and Reforming Technologies in Refineries Course is designed to develop comprehensive technical and operational capability across FCC and catalytic reforming — from process fundamentals and unit design through to control, troubleshooting, optimisation, and environmental management.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the role of FCC and catalytic reforming in refinery conversion and describe feedstock characterisation and properties
• Understand reaction mechanisms and product distribution for both cracking and reforming processes
• Describe FCC unit configuration, catalyst selection, fluidisation behaviour, and reactor-regenerator design
• Apply yield optimisation strategies and manage coke formation and combustion effectively
• Identify and compare reforming reactor types — semi-regenerative, continuous, and cyclic — and evaluate their operational implications
• Explain reforming chemistry including dehydrogenation, isomerisation, and cyclisation reactions
• Diagnose and resolve common FCC and reforming operating problems using root cause analysis
• Apply energy integration, emission control, environmental compliance, and catalyst lifecycle management principles to FCC and reforming unit optimisation

Training Methodology

• Instructor-led sessions covering refinery conversion fundamentals, FCC and reforming process design, and catalyst management principles
• Feedstock characterisation and reaction mechanism workshops applying product distribution analysis to FCC and reforming design decisions
• FCC unit design sessions examining catalyst selection, fluidisation behaviour, reactor-regenerator design, and coke management strategies
• Reforming reactor and chemistry workshops covering reactor type comparison, reforming reactions, and hydrogen production and recovery
• Process control and instrumentation sessions applying control strategies to pressure, temperature, and feed management in FCC and reforming units
• Optimisation and case study sessions applying energy integration, emission control, and catalyst lifecycle management to real refinery improvement scenarios

Who Should Attend?

The Catalytic Cracking and Reforming Technologies in Refineries Course is designed for process, operations, and engineering professionals who work with FCC and catalytic reforming units — and who need the technical depth to manage, optimise, and troubleshoot these critical refinery conversion processes.

This course is suitable for:

• Process engineers responsible for FCC and reforming unit performance monitoring and optimisation
• Operations engineers and supervisors managing day-to-day FCC and reforming unit operations
• Catalyst engineers and technical specialists managing FCC and reforming catalyst selection, performance, and lifecycle
• Refinery technical managers overseeing conversion unit performance and capital improvement planning
• Instrumentation and control engineers working with FCC and reforming process control and safety systems
• Environmental and compliance professionals managing FCC emissions and environmental regulatory compliance
• Maintenance engineers supporting FCC and reforming unit reliability and integrity
• Graduate chemical and process engineers entering refinery roles involving FCC or catalytic reforming operations

Course Outline

Day 1: Fundamentals of Catalytic Cracking and Reforming

Day 2: Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) Process Design

• Catalyst selection and fluidization behavior
• Reactor-regenerator design and temperature control
• Yield optimization and coke management

Day 3: Catalytic Reforming Process Design and Operation

• Catalyst types and performance characteristics
• Reforming chemistry: dehydrogenation, isomerization, cyclization
• Hydrogen production and recovery systems

Day 4: Process Control, Safety, and Troubleshooting

• Managing pressure, temperature, and feed fluctuations
• Common operating problems and root cause analysis
• Safety systems and flare gas handling

Day 5: Optimization and Environmental Management

• Emission controls and environmental compliance
• Catalyst life cycle management
• Case studies: operational improvements in FCC and reforming units