Bunker Fuel Blending Technology and Economics (BFBTE)

·         17 - 18 November 2014, Singapore

About the Course

These are the best dollars you’ll ever spend on a practical, hands-on course with take-home bunker blending software. Ara’s course synthesizes 40 years of blending experience working with Exxon and other multinationals in developing and using cutting edge fuels blending techniques around the world.

How do you maximize fuel blending profits? What bunker blendstocks should buy to minimize costs or maximize profits? What’s the best way to “fix” cheap off-spec bunker? How do you minimize quality giveaways? How do you avoid re-blends?  How do you justify blending facility upgrades? What are blending “Key Performance Indicators”?

Marine bunker fuel usage is approximately 300 million tons/year, or about 210 billion dollars; since bunker fuel makes up about 60% of a vessel operating cost, that’s a lot of money. To stay in business in difficult economic times, as a producer, you need to maximize your profit by producing fuel at the lowest cost; as a ship-owner, you need to minimize fuel costs while insuring it is fit for use. As a producer you need to get it done right the first time, meaning the cheapest and fastest way while meeting all the specs, environmental rules and regulations and renewables mandates.

You get answers in this course designed for traders, terminal operators, blending personnel, senior operators, product coordinators, refinery planners, testing lab personnel, and fuels marketers.

• The course provides a comprehensive overview and discussion of:
• Marine bunker specifications (ISO 8217-12) and their significance
• Non-linear property (e.g. viscosity) blending techniques and calculations
• Typical bunker blend components, their properties, and how produced in a refinery
• Laboratory tests, sampling techniques, and quality control of bunker fuel properties
• Blending and custody transfer measurement technology
• Calculating profitability of a blend
• Typical cost/benefits of modern blending infrastructure
• Sulfur, IMO, ECA’s and impact of lowering Sulfur in fuels,
• Use of scrubbers to lower emissions
• Future marine fuels, e.g. LNG?

Case studies are used to illustrate the relative importance of each aspect of the bunker blending operation, together with specific exercises. Attendees also receive free blending software and blend component data base that could be used when returning home. Participants should bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel 2007 or later, and Excel Solver  add-in installed, to the course.

The course will also be enhanced by a laboratory visit to witness fuel tests, such as octane, density, viscosity, and compatibility of fuels, and see the typical equipment used, such as octane and cetane engines, sulfur analyzers, gas chromatographs, and viscometers.  

Who is the Course Director?

Ara Barsamian, formerly of Exxon and ABB, is President of Refinery Automation Institute, LLC (RAIL), a fuels blending consulting company in Morristown, New Jersey, USA. Ara, the developer of the blending course, is one of the world's leading experts in blending operations and technology. He has over 40 years of hands-on experience in the petroleum refining industry, particularly in state-of-the-art computer-controlled blending, oil movements and tank farm automation.

He designed, implemented, started up and commissioned over 60 blending and oil movement systems in the U.S., Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia. Previously, he was a group head and section head with Exxon Research and Engineering Company, President of 3X Corporation, and Vice President of ABB Simcon, all in the area of blending. He is an active member of ASTM, AIChE, ISA, ILTA, and IBIA, participating in committee/subcommittee work relevant to blending and offsites automation equipment, software, and installation and measurements standards and practices. Ara holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from City University of New York.