‘The scale is impressive’: first excursion to HRHCC for would-be chemical engineers

“No need to be afraid of production”

The HRHCC opened its doors to year three university students. The young people had the honour of being the first to get acquainted with the unique production workshops as part of the excursion. From the very first minutes, the meeting grew into friendly communication. As it turned out, head of the Production And Technical Department Ramzil Minigulov who acted as a tour guide is himself this university’s graduate. He got a job at the enterprise after graduating from the university, in 2015. In a few years, he rose from a 4^th-degree operator to the head of the department.

“We have many young specialists working for us. After university, you don’t need to be afraid of the factory. You need to try your hand. I graduated from the university with a degree in chemical technology of natural energy carriers and carbon materials. At first, I worked as an operator at Gasoline Plant, and two years later I moved to the HRHCC as a dispatcher. Now I am the head of the Production And Technical Department,” he said with a smile, immediately winning the students over.

During the excursion, the students got acquainted with the general technological scheme of the TAIFCOMBI process. According to Ramzil Minigulov, the share of light oil products extracted from each ton of oil, and not of the best quality, exceeds 90%. The heart of the HRHCC is the heavy residue hydrocracking unit. Its main difference from standard cracking is the presence of separate reactor blocks operating with a suspended layer of carbon additive, which allows removing heavy metals from tar, which serves as the main raw material for the unit. The additive adsorbs all metals and substances that can negatively affect the quality of the final product.

“Here, the worst raw materials are converted into clean, deeply desulphurised, and in-demand products. In order to make a ‘candy’ from ‘waste,’ it is necessary to create ‘crazy’ hydrogen pressure up to 200 atmospheres. That is, the process occurs in a hydrogen environment at high temperatures up to 460 degrees. This is what makes the production unique,” the head of the department added.

The students were able to observe the technological process in the central control room. Its area is more than a thousand square meters. The building receives 20 thousand input signals from the automated process control system.

“The technological mode parameters are regulated here. Shift supervisors and operators sit in the control room. There is a computer on each desk, and screens with video cameras installed on critical units are on the walls. Despite the fact that the operator inspects the installation every two hours, those present simultaneously monitor what is happening on the monitors,” Ramzil Minigulov explained.

“What is the work schedule? What is the salary? Is it possible to get a job as a technological installation operator after graduating from university or do you first need to get a blue-collar job? How can I get an internship here?” the students immediately asked.

Head of the technical training group Anton Tukhvatullin answered all the questions in detail, adding that the company is interested in employing promising students. After receiving your diploma, you can contact the HR Department to find out about vacancies.

“Come to us for an internship, join the team. Employment is, of course, possible. We will be glad to see you at our production facilities. We will take the best graduates to the HRHCC,” he promised.

Sulphur production was the next point on the route. The capacity of the plant is 130,000 tonnes per year. The process of obtaining elemental sulphur is based on the process of the German chemist Karl Klaus. The students were able to touch granulated sulphur, and how the quality control of incoming raw materials and finished products is carried out — they saw in the plant laboratory.

During the month, more than 7,000 samples and specimens are received here, over 20 thousand tests and analyses are carried out. Everything is examined: raw materials, oil products, steam, gas, water, amine solutions and others.

“In the laboratory, we test diesel fuel, raw material flows, coal additives. The list is very long. Everything is unique. You have seen ICP spectrometers, chromatographs, various devices and equipment. Our laboratory assistants, as a rule, are generalists in all areas,” specified head of the laboratory Yelena Demidova.

Associate Professor of the Department of Technologies of Basic Organic and Petrochemical Synthesis of the Institute of Petrochemistry and Nanotechnology Roza Tagasheva drew attention to the modern equipment of the laboratory as well as the high level of professional skills of the laboratory assistants.

“For me, it was news, for example, today to learn that to get a job even as a starting laboratory assistant, in addition to higher education, a bachelor's degree, which we issue upon completion of training, a working specialty is also required. This is a diploma of a laboratory assistant of secondary vocational education. But we have such an opportunity, all our students can get a vocational job during their Bachelor's degree. Our lads receive operator certificates, with confirmation, with Russia’s industrial watchdog’s approval, and the girls receive laboratory assistant certificates. Today, those guys who have not yet received blue-collar jobs have realized that while they have a year and a half before completing their studies, they should still receive a blue-collar job in order to find employment later,” she said.

“Everything is beautiful, neat and pleasing to the eye”

The introduction to the enterprise continued in the plant management building. In the assembly hall, the students were shown a presentation video about the company's activities, samples of raw materials and types of commercial products.

For Lera Yerokhina, as well as for her classmates, this is the first excursion to a large industrial enterprise in her life. She herself comes from the Irkutsk region, from the small town of Sayansk. She admits that she dreamed of studying in Kazan.

“The quality of education at Kazan National Research and Technological University. I have loved chemistry since childhood. It was interesting for me to watch all these bright reactions,” Lera shared her memories and added: “The tour today was impressive. The plant is in very good condition. Everything is beautiful, neat, pleasing to the eye. I liked the guides, it is immediately obvious: highly qualified specialists work here.”

University student Ayrat Salimov said that until that day he knew practically nothing about the oil refinery. He was pleasantly surprised that the entire management of the company began their career path from the bottom — with the operators of process units.

“The scale is impressive. I remember the central control room. It was interesting to watch what was happening. I wanted to sit down and figure it all out. We are now in our third year. The knowledge is not so deep in the technical diagrams. But I still wanted to sit down, look, figure it out. Of course, they would have pressed the buttons, but that would have been too much, but otherwise... In principle, I wanted it,” he said.

Sofya Frolkova from Barnaul said that before this excursion she had only seen an oil refinery in textbooks. “I was interested in seeing the production in real life, how it works, how it looks not in a picture, but in reality. I liked the central control room. I imagined this work differently, I paid attention to how many monitors there were. The lab technicians also have a difficult job, but they have more comfortable working conditions,” Sofia noted.

As the organisers and participants of the excursion noted, the open day exceeded all expectations. A little tired, but happy students returned to Kazan to tell their classmates about the “pear” of world oil refining, the modern and unique Nizhnekamsk production. And, perhaps, in a few years, return here as young specialists.