In the framework of the 50th anniversary of the Bío Bío Refinery, the Regional Association of Oil, Gas and Biofuels Sector Companies in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARPEL) and ENAP organized a workshop on operational practices in FCC units, which was held October 5-7, 2016.

This was the first activity of this kind organized in Latin America, where more than 120 professionals from eleven refineries in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, United States, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela participated.

During three days, these professionals exchanged experiences and information on best operational practices in catalytic cracking units and analyzed the challenges faced by the oil industry, and especially the refining industry in Latin America and the Caribbean, to operate its production units efficiently and ensure competitiveness.

In this regard, Ricardo Buyatti, Downstream Manager of ARPEL, emphasized: "The practice of exchange of knowledge among professionals from different companies is a factor that contributes to this goal and it is the mission entrusted to ARPEL by its member companies." The executive added that although this is a technical subject, "it is of the utmost importance and impact in the community in general, as today we live the civilization of oil: clothes, medicine, energy, furniture, everything derives from oil and gas."

In turn, Marcelo Tokman, General Manager of ENAP, stressed the importance of this kind of events for the industry. "This is a space that we in ENAP together with ARPEL wanted to develop precisely to exchange experiences, best practices and lessons learned as a result of the routine operation of cracking units. It is also useful to share experiences in the application of new technologies and the challenges to the industry, that are consistent with the need to operate more efficiently, minimizing the impact on the environment and ensuring the safety of operations and workers," he added.

The agenda of the event covered topics such as: Refining in Latin America; New technologies in catalysts; Training of personnel; Technologies to minimize the environmental impact on FCCs, and Commissioning of units, among others.

New management tools available to minimize the impact on the environment, and the safety of operations and workers were also discussed during the workshop. In this regard, Patricio Estay, Manager of Bío Bío Refinery, spoke about the work being done by the company: "as a company, it is clear for us that there cannot be a gap between our operation and our environment, and for this reason we are working on different initiatives and investments."

As a close to the event, the participants visited the operating facilities of the Bío Bío Refinery.