Oil or oil sands (bitumen) that comes directly out of the ground must go through several processes before it can be used to meet energy and raw material manufacturing needs. In the field, raw oil (or oilsand) is treated to prepare it for movement down major pipelines. At upgraders, it is treated through distillation, coking, fractionation, hydrotreating, amine sweetening, or sulphur recovery processes. It must be treated to the point that it can be used by a refinery.
At refineries, it goes through several more distillation processes. Processes, such as cracking, blending, and reforming, separate the refined oil into usable products. These include gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, light and heavy fuel oils, jet fuel, greases, lubricating oil, waxes, and asphalt.
Refinery and upgrader process operators’ job titles and duties vary from one refinery or upgrader to another. There are often different categories of process operators. Different refineries and upgraders have various combinations of categories.
Operators may be known by the process they are involved in, such as treater, blender, bitumen extractor, or upgrader operator. Or they may be known by the unit they work in, such as catalytic cracking unit operator or pumping unit operator. Their duties depend on the unit they work in, the area of the unit, the refinery’s level of automation, and the company they work for.
In general, refinery / upgrader process operators:
- Conduct ongoing routine checks of equipment and processes
- Prepare equipment and ensure it is safe for maintenance work
- Respond to problems and emergency situations as they arise
- Record readings manually or on a computer
- Make adjustments on equipment and note possible problems
- Take samples of oil, gas, or water
- Conduct basic chemical tests
- Ensure safe operations
- Perform general housekeeping duties, such as wiping up oil spills and sweeping floors
Some refinery / upgrader process operators are control room operators. When working in the control room, operators:
- Monitor process indicators
- Ensure safety and environmental regulations are followed
- Monitor alarms that provide information about the operation of each unit in their section
- Make necessary changes and adjustments, such as adjusting flows, temperatures, pressures, or levels to ensure safe and efficient plant operation
Control room operators work with special types of technical equipment. In highly automated refineries and upgraders, they use distributed control systems.
