Thermal Cracking, Visbreaking and Coking Course

Name: Thermal Cracking, Visbreaking and Coking Operations Training Course
Availability: InStock

Analyze thermal conversion units, compare severity and yields, diagnose coke risks, and plan safer operating decisions.

Thermal Cracking, Visbreaking and Coking Course

At a glance

Duration: 1 Week
Format: Classroom
Cities: Cape town, New York, Frankfurt, Athens, Berlin, Abu Dhabi and more
Next session: 8 – 12 November 2026, Cape town
Average fee: 7,500 €

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Thermal Cracking, Visbreaking and Coking Operations Training Course

Overview

Thermal Cracking, Visbreaking and Coking Operations Training Course is a one-week intermediate course for refinery and petrochemical teams who leave with a Thermal Cracking Operations and Reliability Plan. Participants connect cracking chemistry, feed characterization, process severity, furnace and reactor systems, steam cracking, visbreaking, delayed and fluid coking, yields, coke formation, decoking, energy, control, safety, emissions, inspection, and troubleshooting. Agile Leaders Training Center delivers this course on thermal cracking and coking operations.

Who Should Attend

Teams responsible for thermal conversion process performance and product yields
Functions responsible for furnace, reactor, fractionator, and coke-drum operation
Groups responsible for process control, energy use, and abnormal-condition response
Maintenance and inspection teams responsible for fouling, coke, integrity, and decoking
Technical-service teams responsible for feed evaluation, troubleshooting, and reliability

The course assumes participants can interpret process flows and operating trends, and it leaves out proprietary licensor design, live unit intervention, and detailed mechanical design calculations.

Departments and Industries

The course supports thermal-cracking decisions across refinery, petrochemical, energy, and technical-service environments.

Refining, heavy-oil upgrading, and petroleum-coke operations
Petrochemical olefins and steam-cracking facilities
Process engineering, operations, control, and production planning
Maintenance, inspection, reliability, and turnaround teams
Energy, environment, laboratory, and technical-assurance functions

Learning Objectives

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

Analyze thermal-cracking chemistry, feed properties, and severity
Compare steam cracking, visbreaking, delayed coking, and fluid coking
Evaluate furnace performance, yields, product quality, and coke formation
Apply process-control, energy, safety, and emissions checks
Diagnose fouling, decoking, equipment, and operating problems
Build a thermal-conversion reliability and action plan

Course Agenda

Day 1: Establish Cracking Fundamentals

Hydrocarbon Bond Scission, Free-Radical Reaction, and Product-Pathway Map
Feed Boiling Range, Residue, Contaminant, and Coke-Precursor Register
Temperature, Pressure, Residence-Time, and Severity Relationship Worksheet
Conversion, Selectivity, Yield, and Product-Quality Balance Sheet
Thermal Cracking Feed and Severity Evidence Log

Day 2: Compare Process Configurations

Steam-Cracking Furnace, Dilution Steam, Quench, and Separation Flow Map
Coil and Soaker Visbreaking Configuration Decision Matrix
Delayed-Coking Heater, Fractionator, Drum-Cycle, and Product-Flow Diagram
Fluid-Coking Reactor, Coke-Circulation, Scrubbing, and Fractionation Review
Thermal Conversion Configuration and Service-Selection Framework

Day 3: Control Furnace, Yield, and Coke

Furnace Heat Flux, Coil Outlet, Draft, and Efficiency Trend Dashboard
Cracking Severity, Steam Ratio, Recycle, and Product-Yield Sensitivity Matrix
Quench, Fractionation, Gas-Oil, Olefin, and Coke Quality Review
Tube Coking, Pressure Drop, Skin Temperature, and Run-Length Diagnostic Method
Decoking, Coke Cutting, Handling, and Return-to-Service Plan

Day 4: Manage Operation and Reliability

Temperature, Pressure, Flow, Level, and Drum-Cycle Control Narrative
Startup, Shutdown, Switching, Isolation, and Abnormal-Situation Checklist
Furnace, Coke-Drum, Quench, Blowdown, and Exposure Hazard Review
Combustion, Fugitive, Coke-Dust, Water, and Waste Control Register
Inspection, Integrity, Energy, Maintenance, and Reliability Action Matrix

Day 5: Practice Thermal Conversion Decisions

Suggested Exercise: Characterize Feed and Set a Severity Window
Suggested Exercise: Compare Steam-Cracking, Visbreaking, and Coking Configurations
Suggested Exercise: Diagnose Furnace, Yield, Fouling, and Coke Evidence
Suggested Exercise: Prioritize Control, Safety, Energy, and Reliability Actions
Capstone Exercise: Complete the Thermal Cracking Operations and Reliability Plan

Practical Exercises

The course uses suggested activities to convert thermal-conversion evidence into controlled operating decisions.

Suggested activity: relate feed properties and operating severity to conversion, yields, and coke tendency
Suggested activity: compare process configurations against feed, product, energy, and operating constraints
Suggested activity: interpret furnace trends, pressure drop, product quality, and run-length evidence
Suggested activity: assemble a control, safety, emissions, inspection, decoking, and reliability action plan

FAQs

Who suits thermal cracking and coking operations training, and what does it assume?

Thermal cracking and coking operations training suits process, operations, control, maintenance, inspection, reliability, and technical-service teams. It assumes familiarity with process flows and operating trends.

How does thermal cracking differ from catalytic cracking training?

Thermal cracking uses heat, residence time, and pressure to break hydrocarbons without a cracking catalyst. Catalytic cracking training centers on catalyst behavior, reactor-regenerator operation, catalyst circulation, and catalyst-related product control.

How is thermal-cracking severity evaluated?

Thermal-cracking severity is evaluated from feed properties, temperature, pressure, residence time, steam or dilution, conversion, product yields, product quality, coke tendency, furnace evidence, and operating constraints.

What causes coke formation in thermal conversion units?

Coke formation reflects feed composition, reaction severity, residence time, surface temperature, flow distribution, vaporization, local stagnation, and unstable operating conditions. Diagnosis compares process trends with furnace, drum, product, and inspection evidence.

How are thermal-cracking operating problems diagnosed?

Thermal-cracking problems are diagnosed by reconciling feed, furnace duty, temperatures, pressure drop, flows, controls, yields, product quality, coke, emissions, equipment condition, and the timing of operating changes.

Conclusion

Participants take back a Thermal Cracking Operations and Reliability Plan containing feed evidence, severity limits, configuration choices, yield checks, coke controls, safety constraints, inspection priorities, and troubleshooting actions. The plan links process behavior with operating and maintenance decisions. It supports traceable coordination across refinery, petrochemical, engineering, operations, and reliability teams.

credits: 5 credit per day

Course Mode: full-time

Provider: Agile Leaders Training Center

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Showing 1-20 of 58 events

Location	Dates	Duration	Mode	Price
Cape town	Week 45, 2026 8 – 12 November 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€6,000
New York	Week 47, 2026 16 – 20 November 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€16,000
Frankfurt	Week 49, 2026 30 November – 4 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Athens	Week 51, 2026 14 – 18 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€7,500
Berlin	Week 52, 2026 21 – 25 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Abu Dhabi	Week 53, 2026 28 December 2026 – 1 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Madrid	Week 02, 2027 11 – 15 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
San Diego	Week 03, 2027 18 – 22 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€16,000
Tbilisi	Week 04, 2027 25 – 29 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Barcelona	Week 05, 2027 1 – 5 February 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Marbella	Week 05, 2027 7 – 11 February 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Dubai	Week 07, 2027 15 – 19 February 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Baku	Week 07, 2027 15 – 19 February 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€8,000
Addis Ababa	Week 09, 2027 1 – 5 March 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,000
Abu Dhabi	Week 10, 2027 8 – 12 March 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Manama	Week 10, 2027 14 – 18 March 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Paris	Week 12, 2027 22 – 26 March 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500
Montreux	Week 12, 2027 22 – 26 March 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€8,000
Trabzon	Week 12, 2027 28 March – 1 April 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€8,000
Bali	Week 13, 2027 4 – 8 April 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€6,500

Frequently asked questions

What does this course cover?

OverviewThermal Cracking, Visbreaking and Coking Operations Training Course is a one-week intermediate course for refinery and petrochemical teams who leave with a Thermal Cracking Operations and Reliability Plan. Participants connect cracking chemistry, feed characterization, process severity, furnace and reactor systems, steam cracking, visbreaking, del…

Are training dates available?

Yes. Available dates and destinations are listed in the course dates section on this page.

How can I register?

Choose an available date on this page and complete the registration form, or send a programme enquiry.

Can I download the course brochure?

Yes. Use the brochure download link provided on this page.

Thermal Cracking, Visbreaking and Coking Course