Unusual chemistry lesson held at TAIF-NK production facility for students of school No.10

How does the oil refining industry work?

Students of school No. 10 from Nizhnekamsk had the opportunity to learn about this firsthand. The company's employees invited the students on an excursion so that they could see with their own eyes the impressive units, storage tanks for petroleum products, central operator rooms, local treatment facilities, and other production facilities of the company.

“Students of our sponsored school No. 10 has arrived today. Some of them have parents who work at our company. The main goal is to show the scale, the life of employees, working conditions. We also want to interest schoolchildren in the future to receive specialised education so that they continue the work of their parents and begin to form family dynasties. It is necessary to interest children so that they study and work in Nizhnekamsk, work for the benefit of the republic and the country," said the head of the technical training group of the enterprise, Anton Tukhvatullin.

According to the director of school No. 10, Andrey Blikin, career guidance excursions will help to encourage children's interest in working professions.

“We have been cooperating with the company for many years. Today, the children will see how the refinery is organised. They will learn that high requirements are imposed on workers here in the field of labour protection, industrial and environmental safety. Even the simplest worker must have extensive knowledge and skills," he notes.

For the visit to be as safe as possible, before the start of the tour, the children were given a safety briefing, each was given personal protective equipment.

The excursion route itself ran past large production facilities. While the bus was moving through the huge factory territory, the students listened to a story about the history of the formation of the company, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

The second production of the Gasoline Plant became the first point in the excursion route of schoolchildren. The “heart” of the plant is located here — Gas Condensate Processing Plant. In a year, it can process 1 million tonnes of raw materials, producing propane-butane, kerosene, diesel fractions, fuel oil and straight-run gasoline from it.

The assistant director of the Gasoline Plant, Ildar Sadykov, who acted as a guide, explained that the plant is one of the large divisions of the company. The children were interested in literally everything: how and where the raw materials come from, what happens to them inside industrial units, and how then the finished gasoline is poured into fuel trucks and sent to filling stations.

“We are glad to be at one of the leading oil refineries in our country. Moreover, the company has been patronising our school for many years, providing assistance, conducting environmental lessons. This excursion will not only arouse interest in the profession of an oil refiner, but also show the importance of chemical knowledge in human life, contribute to environmental education, increase motivation to study the subject," Lyudmila Zaytseva, the class teacher of grade 9B, is sure.

The students looked into the central control room, where the process of process control takes place.

“Central operator room — the single centre for obtaining information from production facilities. Modern equipment allows the staff to quickly manage technological processes and respond to changes in parameters," said Marcel Kamaletdinov, the deputy head of shop No. 04, about the nuances of the work.

No less fascinating was the journey through the industrial laboratory of the plant. About 12 thousand tests of raw materials arriving at the plant, as well as finished goods that are sent to consumers, are carried out here per month. It is impossible for outsiders to see how the fuel quality is checked, but an exception was made for the guests — the octane number was determined in front of the children.

Ksenia Yalozyuk, a ninth-grader, watched the tests with her eyes wide open. The girl's father works here as an electrician. Ksenia firmly decided that she would also work at this enterprise as a chemical analysis laboratory assistant.

“It was very interesting for me to get into the laboratory. Everything is clean here, there are cones all around, various dishes, equipment for testing. I was once again convinced that I want to work here in the future. I plan to go to study at the College of Petrochemistry and Oil Refining to participate in product quality control together with laboratory assistants," Ksenia admits.

“I'm very proud of my father”

After the familiarisation tour to the Gasoline Plant, the students visited local sewage treatment plants. Their main purpose is to create a closed water cycle, in which the degree of purification is 99.99%, which makes it possible to reuse water in technological processes and completely eliminate water intake from the Kama River.

Ruslan Valeev, the head of shop No. 09, told the children about how the multi-stage cleaning process takes place. According to him, the design capacity of the main lines of treatment facilities is 500 cubic metres/hour. The date of commissioning of the facility is 2015.

“First, the drains undergo mechanical cleaning, when they get rid of sand, silt and other solid inclusions with the help of special equipment. The second stage is passing through a flotation unit, where surfactants are connected to the case. They, like soap foam, envelop the microparticles remaining after mechanical cleaning, and get rid of them by pushing the pollutants to the surface together with the foam. The final stage is bio-purification, where microorganisms enter into the fight against the smallest pollutants. These are special bacteria for which harmful impurities serve as food, they eat them, thereby making the water practically clean. That is, the deeper the process of water purification, the more progressive the product becomes," he explained to the students.

Among the listeners on this day, there was the daughter of the head of shop No. 09, Ruslan Valeev, a ninth-grader Lilia. According to her, dad doesn't talk much about work at home, and she always wanted to see his workplace, learn about the nuances of work.

“I am very proud of my dad, he is a real professional in his field. All my classmates listened to his speech with interest today, delved into the principle of operation of local sewage treatment plants. I liked it here too, oddly enough — it doesn't smell of any impurities," Lilia said with a smile.

The three-hour tour finished at the plant management, where the children were presented with a presentation video about the company's activities and fed a delicious lunch. Over a cup of tea in an informal setting, the children vied with each other to share their impressions of what they saw. For many, the trip to the company's production facilities was a real discovery.

“Cool! I liked everything! It was very interesting to listen about the work of the enterprise. Perhaps, after graduation, I will go to study as an operator of technological units or a machinist," said ninth-grader Ayrat Galyauv.

“Great tour! During the trip, I realised what processes take place at the enterprise. The territory is clean, well-groomed, there are no smells. I especially remember the industrial laboratory where tests are carried out," said Anna Stryukova.

“Secrets have been revealed to us today. We saw what the company really looks like, found out which specialists work here, and also where to go to study to work here in the future," Amira Galimova supported.

The excursions do not end there. Already this week, the company's employees will meet students of the College of Petrochemistry and Oil Refining named after N.V. Lemaev. In total, six excursions have been held at the Refinery since the beginning of the year, and four more exciting trips to the world of large oil refining are planned by the end of the year.