Operator training for refineries and processing plants.
PeopleCore builds site-specific operator training and procedures for refineries and processing plants, from your own process, equipment, P&IDs and operating limits.
What plant and training managers tell us
- Operators take too long to qualify
- Unstructured on-the-job training is slow and varies from crew to crew.
- Experienced operators are retiring
- Decades of unit knowledge leave with them unless it is captured in training.
- Procedures do not match how the unit operates
- Operators work around documents they do not trust.
- Supervisors and chief operators are not aligned
- Trust between the two groups decides how well a shift operates.
How we help
Technical Operator Training
Unit, system and equipment training built from photos of your real equipment.
Learn moreBoard and Console Operator Training
DCS navigation, controller modes, alarms and drills for control room roles.
Learn moreProcedures
Clear operating procedures, reviewed with your operators on shift.
Learn moreTechnical Reviews
Your SMEs and our industry SMEs confirm every document is accurate and current.
Learn moreCapital Projects
Operator training, procedures and technical reviews in place before commissioning and startup.
Learn moreLeadership Workshops
Workshops for supervisors, chief operators and operations leaders.
Learn more
Proven in the field
Refinery case study: Meeting in the middle
Leadership training closed the gap between first line supervisors and chief operators at a refinery of about 500 people.
Read the case studyPetrochemical case study: Ready before startup
A Global 500 petrochemical company had its operator training program and operating procedures in place before production began at a new plant near Pittsburgh.
Read the case study
Basic Operator Training modules for this industry
New operators start with the fundamentals. These modules from our 16-module course apply directly to this work.
Module 15: Distillation Fundamentals
Vapor and liquid behavior and how a distillation column is operated.
See the moduleModule 14: Columns
Column internals and how separation equipment works.
See the moduleModule 6: Furnaces and Boilers
Fired equipment: combustion, main components and safe operation.
See the moduleModule 5: Heat Exchangers
Exchanger types, how heat moves between streams, and operating considerations.
See the moduleModule 13: Chemical Reactions and Reactors
How reactions work, the role of catalysts, and common reactor types.
See the moduleModule 11: Basic Process Control
Control loops, instruments and how a process is kept on target.
See the module
Questions we hear
- Can you build training for a specific refinery unit?
- Yes. We build unit, system and equipment training from your process, equipment, P&IDs and procedures, with the support of your subject matter experts.
- Do new refinery operators need Basic Operator Training first?
- We recommend it. Basic Operator Training gives new operators the fundamentals, so unit training can focus on how your unit operates.
- Do you write refinery operating procedures as well as training?
- Yes. We write operating procedures for startup, normal operation, shutdown and emergency shutdown, and review them with your operators on shift.