M. David Mills completed a cooperative student semester at a refinery. He assisted with several projects including turnaround preparation and follow up, investigating a lab fire, and scoping an upcoming crude unit turnaround. Mills gained hands-on experience in various refinery units during a turnaround and learned about processes like coking and desalting. He also helped create management of change documents and identify steam leaks. Through this experience, Mills enhanced his technical knowledge of refining operations as well as his communication, problem solving, and time management skills.

1. 2014 Spring Cooperative Student
Mechanical Engineer
M. David Mills
The University of Alabama

2. Highlights of this Semester
 Turnaround
Preparation,
For the duration of, and
Follow-up
 Tank Farm MOC’s
 Upcoming Crude Unit Turnaround
Caesar work
 Lab Fire Incident Investigation
 Further understanding of refining process2

3. 2014 Turnaround
Prior to T/A
Preparation
Verified Exchanger
Bundles
Verified Reactor Catalyst
Reviewed work scope
Researched MDMT for all
equipment in South
Complex
T/A Follow-up
Bolting information
Gaskets
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4. 2014 Turnaround
 Able to gain much
hands-on experience
 Went in several units
 Coke-fine pond
 Flew to flare tips
 Coker combination
tower
 Further
understanding of
how units work
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5. Post Turnaround
 Recorded Bolttech
Mannings data
 Nuts and Studs for
equipment
 Correct gaskets for
equipment
 Quotes for new
gaskets
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6. Post Turnaround
 Worked with
Judy and Scott to
update gasket
drawings
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7. Pentane Tank Project
 Objective
 To install a bypass line
for startup
 One project I helped
with that was
implemented during
T/A
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8. MOC’s
 Worked with Craig to
create an MOC to
improve ethanol
offloading
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9. Lab Fire Incident Investigation
 Purpose
 Find out what happened
and how to solve the
issue
 Met with DeLane
 Discovered that
ventilation system needs
to be looked at
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10. Upcoming CU Turnaround
 Field verify new
exchanger bundles
 Compare old drawings
to new Bill of Materials
 Helped scope project
with Jeremey
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11. Upcoming CU Turnaround
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 Went through CU and
identified all steam leaks
 Brought in a specialist to
help our steam-trap issues

12. Technical knowledge gained
while at Hunt
 How towers and reactors
work
 How the coker desalter
works
 How the deairator works
 Coke-cutting process
 Unloading/Reloading
catalyst
12

13. Professional Skills Gained
 Communication skills
 Professionalism
 Problem Solving
techniques
 Time management
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14. What I will take back to the
University of Alabama this Fall
 My hands-on
experiences and
exposure to plant
equipment
 Enhanced
communication skills
 Teamwork skills
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15. Questions?
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