freshhh2013 MOiL Tycoon

Game Rules
About the game

The game is a turn-based strategic game, aiming to imitate reality as much as possible. However it still
contains several simplifications to make the game easier to understand and more entertaining to play.

Game concept

You are the managers of a well-established oil company with a diversified upstream and downstream
portfolio continuously seeking new upstream opportunities to replace the reserves and the production,
as well as to improve the efficiency of your refineries.
Freshhhfield had decided to open its oil industry to international players recently, due to a lack of
funds for putting into production the sizeable discoveries made by the National Oil Company of
Freshhhfield. Several companies entered the First International Bidround of Freshhhfield which
resulted in a significant increase of production and oil export levels of the country. Your company owns
four oil fields in Freshhhfield. Thanks to the success of the international bid round, Freshhhfields two
neighbouring countries, Freshhhia and Freshhhrock have also opened up and the three countries
formed the Oil Producer Fresshian Countries OPFC Area. Thanks to your long-lasting successful
international track record and your presence in Freshhhfield you are one of the few companies invited
to operate in the OPFC Area. The upstream industry has a long history in Freshhhia and Freshhhrock
as well, however most discovered fields could not be developed due to the lack of funds in these
closed economies in recent decades. The primary objective of OPFC countries is to find operators
who commit themselves to efficiently developing and producing the already discovered hydrocarbon
fields. Therefore no exploration licenses will be granted, and you can only bid for discovered fields.
You are delegated exclusively to the management of the OPFC Area portfolio, and you dont have to
deal with other assets of the company. Nevertheless you have access only to the free funds of your
own portfolio to acquire new opportunities here.
Your aim is to prove that you are the best managers by maximizing the cash generation of your
companys Freshhhian upstream portfolio by creating value added with both upstream and
downstream operations.
You start the upstream game with 500 million F$ (Freshhh Dollar) of cash at hand. You will also
receive 5500 million F$ for downstream operations.

Timing
Contestants are going to play for 18 turns. 1 turn in the game means 24 (or 8 in the Test Rounds)
hours in the real world, so in every 24 (or 8 in the Test Rounds) hours, there is going to be a turn
change.
(the next rounds results financial accounting and the effects of decision-making - only show when a
turn change occurs)

Financing
You start the game with a separate Upstream and Downstream budget with 500 million F$ in
Upstream and 5500 million F$ for Downstream.
You have a revolving credit of 5000 million F$ total at 10% interest rate. You can use this credit facility
to finance up to 60% of your investments (Downstream and Upstream too). In the meantime you
cannot use the credit to acquire new fields. If you exceed the 60% limit on any of your investments, the
penalty interest will be 30%.
/NOTE! Every screenshots and figures on it in the Game Rules are only samples. Actual view is always on
the Online Game only./

UPSTREAM
Playing the game

In each turn you will be offered the chance to acquire oil fields in the OPFC Area (5 fields per turn until
turn 10, 7 fields in turn eleven and 0 fields thereafter). Each license will be offered only once. Specific
geological, fiscal and economic data and the price of the fields will also be rendered. With the help of
this information you will have to evaluate the fields and purchase them if you have sufficient amount of
funds and of course the opportunity is prospective enough. Your funds are scarce so dont waste
them on low return projects. If the IRR of a project is just a few percents, it might be better to wait for
more suitable opportunities.

After the purchase your task will be to work out and fulfil a field development program on the
field.
Your performance and the final scoring is based on the cash generated your companys
Freshhhian portfolio. We will also take into consideration and evaluate the effects of your decisions
made in the final turn. (By running a 19th turn automatically without the opportunity to make any
decisions right at the end of the game.)
You can see country specific information or elect the lincenses in the Locator. By selecting an active
license area a list of input data will appear (for details see Inputs section) and you can also acquire or
go to the selected field.

When you successfully sign an agreement, you will be navigated to another screen where the map of
the license area will appear. Here you will find 4 panels/ buttons:

Field details shows the wells and facilities in operation and under construction and the fields
production performance

Financial data indicates the main financial results relating to the given license area

Development panel contains facilities that can be constructed. For detailed information about building,
please see section Field Development, facilities and costs.

Abandon field button shall be used if the player wants to stop the operation of a field.

Selling the produced hydrocarbons

Crude oil
The oil quantity that leaves the license area is sold on the average international market price at the
end of the year. Note that there can be several bottlenecks of oil sales. (See the facilities section for
details.)
Natural gas
The associated natural gas is used for power generation, or transferred to the government for free,
according to the license agreements in force in the OPFC area. (This is done automatically; the teams
do not have to deal with gas at all.)

Fiscal regime
If the teams want to plan their revenues precisely, they have to model the fiscal regime of the license
agreements as well. Each country has its own tax regime but they are quite similar. The OPFC
countries use simple royalty system. According to the regulations a single tax is levied on the oil
revenue of the company. For the tax rates of the countries please see the table below.
Tax rates
Freshhhfield 70%
Freshhhia

75%

Freshhhrock 80%

Inputs & miscellaneous rules

The following data will be provided for each field.

Field data
Depth

[ft]

reservoir depth

API

API gravity

Rsi

[scf/bbl] Gas-Oil Ratio

Area

[acre]

Area of the field

Average thickness

[ft]

Average thickness of the reservoir

Porosity

[%]

Porosity of the reservoir rock

Heff/H

1/1

The ratio of effective and average thickness

Initial water saturation

[%]

Initial water saturation in the reservoir

Permeability

[md]

Permeability of the reservoir rock

Distance from main

[miles]

road
Distance from main train
line
Distance from main

[miles]

[miles]

pipeline

In case a CPU is built, its distance from the closest main road
In case a CPU is built, its distance from the closest main rail
line
In case a CPU is built, its distance from the closest main
hydrocarbon route.

Furthermore, information on the country in which the field is located, will also be granted. These data
are constant throughout the game. These are the following:

Country data
Average
temperature

[F]

Geothermal

[F/1000

gradient

ft]

OPEX parameter

average atmospheric temperature

average geothermal gradient

OPEX and CAPEX levels are somewhat different in the
countries you operate

CAPEX parameter
Government take

The % of the generated oil revenue withdrawn by the

government

There are some technical parameters which are constant regardless of the country or field. These are:

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Constants
Atmospheric
pressure

14.7 psia

Methane density

0.037463 pound / cubic ft

Wellbore radius

0.29 ft

the radius of the well sections that cross the

reservoir

Oil price varies throughout the game. In the first period the price is F$ (Freshhh Dollar) 100 /bbl.

Evaluation of fields production curve

Before purchasing a development concession you will need to evaluate it. To do this, you have to
calculate the oil in place, the recoverable reserves and finally the production profile while also
considering the necessary investment, operating costs and taxes. The recoverable reserve size (i.e.
the recovery ratio) and the production profile are dependent on your field development scheme.
(Please see next section for detailed information on field development.) Note that the fields are
developed with pressure maintenance technology and ESPs (electronic submersible pumps) are used
at each production wells.
With the above specified data set and with the use of the Vasquez and Beggs (1980) formula, you can
calculate - the Bubble point pressure, the Oil formation volume factor, and the Original reserve for
undersaturated reservoir.
Following that, OOIP Original Oil In Place can be calculated
During the Recoverable Reserve calculation, use
Beggs and Robinson (1975) for the oil viscosity calculation
McCain (1991) for the water viscosity calculation. The water is assumed to be freshhh water without
any salt content.
For estimation of the recovery factor with pressure maintenance technology please use the correlation
issued in API Bulletin D14 (1967)
The production is separated into two phases, waterless production and production with water. The
total liquid (water+oil) production level of a field with a given well network is constant in the entire life
of a field (without taking into consideration the bottlenecks of the surface infrastructure) but watercut of
the production changes in time. For the calculation of the production profile you may use the following
formulas:
11

For waterless production portion (from sensitivity calculation made by numerical simulation)
Wlp= waterless (till 1% of water contain) production portion of the total production
Wlp=0.6047-0.035*log(o/w)+0.02861*log(Wd)-0.0342*log(h)+0.06*(heff/h)-0.0067*log(k)
where;
(Wd) Well distance interval = 2000 < distance between the injectors and producers < 10000 [ft]
Reservoir total thickness interval (h) = 40 < thickness < 300 [ft]
Permeability interval = 1 < k < 1000 [mD]
Over (or below) the limits the maximal (minimal) limit value has to be used

Distance between injectors and producers = 2*(A/(n+m)/3.14)^0.5

where:
A: field area [sq ft]
n: number of producers
m: number of injectors

ROOIP in the waterless production phase =ROOIP*Wlp* Sp, where

Sp= Scheme parameter, a correction factor depending on the injection well pattern:
At five point system (producer -injector ratio = 1) Sp=1
At seven or four point system (producer -injector ratio = 2) Sp=0.9
At nine point system (producer -injector ratio = 3) Sp=0.8
Sp can be calculated directly from the final producer-injector rate for a middle point

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When the produced oil amount in the waterless production phase exceeds ROOIP*Wlp* Sp, the
waterless phase alters to production with water phase.
In production with water phase
For Field level Water Oil Ratio prediction use Timmermann (1971) formula, where;
Np= cumulative oil production [bbl], its domain: ROOIPWlp < Np < ROOIP
a, b = reservoir specific constants, can be determined from the first and last point of the curve
1st point (starting of the water production) WC=1%, Np=ROOIPWlp
2nd point (end of potential production) WC=99%, Np= ROOIP

For well level estimations you may use the following equations
Average producer productivity equation:

where:
qf = qo+qw [bbl/d]
re=drainage radius [ft]
rw= wellbore radius [ft]

re = (A/n/3.14)^0.5
A: field area [sq ft]
n: number of producers

13

Estimation of the average injector final productivity:

where
iw [bbl/d]
Kw= average water permeability (assumed to be equal to k)
rei = middle distances between the injectors and producers
rei = (A/(n+m)/3.14)^0.5
where:
A: field area [sq ft]
n: number of producers
m: number of injectors

As the game itself, the model for the estimation of the production of a field should also be built using 1
year long periods.

Field Development, facilities and costs

To bring up the precious oil from the depths of the earth, you will need to develop the field. For this
purpose, producer and injector wells are needed as well as a well-designed surface facility. The
design of the transportation capability is also your task.
For a well-functioning field development program you need to focus on the produced amount, the
capacities of the equipment (bottleneck effect) and the timing of your development. Both the
production and injection capacity, as well as the surface processing or transportation capacity can be
the bottleneck in the system. Also, according to the rules of OPFC, the daily oil production of a field
cannot be greater than one third of its storage capacity. It is important to optimise the number of wells
and capacity of the surface infrastructure to make the operation of the field as efficient as possible.
Before starting the field development you have to take into account that

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the granted concession rights are valid for 20 years or turns.

All fields need to be developed with pressure maintenance technology.

For security reasons the maximal drawdown pressure at water injector wells is 1500 psia.

Minimal bottom hole pressure at producer wells is 50% of reservoir pressure. Pressure buildup follows hydrostatic tendency. g is 10 m/s2.

In the Development panel you will find the facilities that can be constructed (Producer well, Injector
well, Oil processing train, Storage tanker, Road, Rail and Pipeline transportation units). By clicking on
Investment button, you can see the CAPEX of the units to be construced.
You can select the number of units (in case of wells), or the capacity (in case of other facilities). When
you have set the desired number or capacity of all the facilities, you may select Accept. Keep in mind
that there are certain limitations for the construction of production facilities.
Note that in one turn you are only able to access the build panel once. That means that you have one
opportunity in each turn to decide what facilities are to be constructed.
Limits for players' inputs
Maximum unit/
capacity built in
period

Step/interval
on the slider

Maximum pieces/
capacity built per
concession

Production wells+Injector wells

piece

10

N/A

Oil processing train

bbl/d

50,000

1,000

4 trains*

bbl

150,000

1,000

6 tanks*

Export route - road

bbl/d

50,000

1,000

50,000

Export route - rail

bbl/d

100,000

1,000

100,000

Export route - pipeline

bbl/d

500,000

1,000

500,000

Storage tanker

* Note: The number of units is maximised not the capacity.

It can happen that the revenues of a field will not cover the OPEX and the taxes payable for the given
field. In this case you can abandon the field at zero charge in each period. However, you cannot
abandon a field if there are ongoing construction works within its perimeters.
Below you will find a summary of the different equipment and facilities that could be developed and the
cost-functions of the CAPEX and OPEX related to them.
CAPEX is charged when the construction order is given (except for Oil Processing train). When the
Processing train is being constructed the first part of the CAPEX is charged on the spot while the
remaining parts are charged at the beginning of the following turns.Facilities start the operation in the
15

rd

turn following the construction except for the Processing train that is in operation from the 3

year

following the start of construction.

Production wells are the elemental tools of oil mining. CAPEX of one unit depends on the depth to be
drilled and geological factors. The construction costs contain the installation of ESP (Electrical
Submersible Pump), pipelines connecting to the CPU (Central Processing Station) and other well site
infrastructure. As pressure maintenance technology is used for field development, injector wells must
also be drilled Injector wells are fed by the water of nearby rivers and lakes. Significant part of
operational costs of wells connected to the amount of liquid produced, however the regular
maintenance of wells requires notable financials as well. Capital and operational costs for producer
and injector wells for can be calculated as follows:.
Wells
CAPEX - fix
CAPEX - variable

Production or injector wells drilled in period [#] * F$ 5 mln/well

Production or injector wells drilled in period [#] * F$ 0.3 mln/1000 ft * Reservoir
depth [1000feet]^1.5

OPEX - fix

Production or injector wells in operation [#] * F$ 0.25 mln/well/year

OPEX - variable

Produced or injected liquid amount [MMbbl/year]^0.8 * F$ 0.3 mln/MMbbl

Oil processing train or CPU is the heart of each oil field. Their main task is to transform the produced
raw oil into a transportable and marketable quality product. The construction of an oil processing train
takes 3 years. CAPEX emerges as follows: in the first year 30%, in the second year 50%, in the third
year 20% of total cost. As evident as it is the construction cost depends on the capacity of the unit,
with significant initial investment. The OPEX of the unit is also related to the maximal capacity. One
processing train can be built in each period (until reaching 4 trains) of which the minimal capacity is
1,000 bbl/day while the maximal capacity is 50,000 bbl/day.
Oil processing train
CAPEX - fix

F$ 25 mln

CAPEX - variable

Processing train capacity built in period [Mbbl/d]^0.9 * F$ 8 mln/(Mbbl/d)

OPEX - fix

Processing trains in opearation [#] * F$ 0.5 mln/train/year

OPEX - variable

Processing train capacity [MMbbl/year] ^0.8 * F$ 2 mln/MMbbl

Storage tankers are required for temporary oil storage, as in some cases the transportation is not
possible immediately. CAPEX of these facilities are proportional to the size and capacity of the unit.
However the operational costs are unit based. One tanker can be built in each period (until reaching 6
tanker units) of which the minimal capacity is 1,000 bbl/day while the maximal capacity is 150,000
bbl/day.

16

Storage tanker
CAPEX - fix

F$ 1 mln

CAPEX - variable Storage capacity constructed in period [Mbbl]^0.9 * F$ 0.5 mln/Mbbl

OPEX - fix

Storage tankers in operation [#] * F$ 0.1 mln/#/year

OPEX - variable

N/A

Players may choose between three different means of transportation. One transportation system can
be built in each period from all types of transportation infrastructures.
For road transportation a road connecting to the main system must be built together with truck filling
heads. Road CAPEX must be paid in the first year road is constructed and only have to be paid.
Whereas filling station CAPEX must be paid each time additional road transport capacity is
constructed. OPEX of road has fix part due after a road is constructed and a variable part depending
on the length of the road. Fix filling station OPEX must be paid based on the number of filling stations
in operation. The external transportation cost in case of road transport is 7 F$/bbl (in excess of the
CAPEX and OPEX of the facilities). One road transportation unit can be built in each period (until
reaching the total road transportation capacity of 50,000 bbl/d) of which the minimal capacity is 1,000
bbl/day while the maximal capacity is 50,000 bbl/day.
Road
CAPEX fix

F$ 1 mln

CAPEX - variable Road lenght [mile] * F$ 0.5 mln/mile

OPEX fix

F$ 0.1 mln/year

OPEX - variable

Road lenght [mile] * F$ 0.1 mln/mile/year

Truck filling station

CAPEX fix

F$ 1 mln

CAPEX - variable

Truck filling capacity built in period [Mbbl/d]^0.8 * F$ 0.5 mln/(Mbbl/d)

OPEX fix

Truck filling stations in operation [#] * F$ 1 mln/#/year

OPEX - variable

N/A

For transportation with train a pipeline to and a filling station at the nearest rail line must be
constructed. Pipeline CAPEX has a notable large fix part and a variable part dependent of the length
and the capacity of the pipe. CAPEX of filling station follows the same logic, self-evidently without
taking into consideration the distance. Note that each time a new pipeline is constructed a new filling
station must also be built. Fix OPEX of both units is based on the number of facilities built while
variable OPEX of the pipeline depends on its capacity. The external transportation cost in case of
17

rail transport is 5 F$/bbl (in excess of the CAPEX and OPEX of the facilities). One rail transportation
unit can be built in each period (until reaching the total rail transportation capacity of 100,000 bbl/d) of
which the minimal capacity is 1,000 bbl/day while the maximal capacity is 100,000 bbl/day.

Pipeline to rail filling

station
CAPEX - fix

F$ 10 mln

CAPEX variable
OPEX fix

Pipeline capacity built in period [Mbbl/d]^0.5 * F$ 0.18 mln/(Mbbl/d) *

Pipeline lenght [mile] * F$ 1 mln/mile
Pipelines to filling stations in operation [#] * F$ 0.1 mln/#/year
Pipeline capacity in operation [MMbbl/year] * Pipeline lenght [mile] * F$

OPEX - variable

0.002 mln/MMbbl

Rail filling station

CAPEX fix

F$ 5 mln

CAPEX - variable

Rail filling capacity built in period [Mbbl/d]^0.8 * F$ 2 mln/(Mbbl/d)

OPEX fix

Rail filling stations in operation [#] * F$ 2 mln/#/year

The third mean of transporting the crude oil to the international market is using an pipeline. In this case
a pipeline to the nearest international transportation pipeline and a connection point must also be
constructed. If pipeline capacity has to be increased, a new pipeline and a separate connection point
has to be built. The CAPEX and OPEX functions of these facilities are quite similar to that of the
railway units, however they have significantly higher initial costs. Meanwhile the external
transportation cost in case of pipeline transport is 3 F$/bbl (in excess of the CAPEX and OPEX of
the facilities). One pipeline transportation unit can be built in each period (until reaching the total road
transportation capacity of 500,000 bbl/d) of which the minimal capacity is 1,000 bbl/day while the
maximal capacity is 500,000 bbl/day.
Pipeline
CAPEX - fix

F$ 10 mln

CAPEX -

Pipeline capacity built in period [Mbbl/d]^0.5 * USD 0.18 mln/(Mbbl/d) * Pipeline

variable

lenght [mile] * USD 1 mln/mile

OPEX - fix

Pipelines in operation [#] * F$ 0.1 mln/#/year

OPEX -

Pipeline capacity in operation [MMbbl/year] * Pipeline lenght [mile] * F$ 0.002

variable

mln/MMbbl

18

Connection point
CAPEX - fix

F$ 20 mln

CAPEX - variable

Pipeline capacity [Mbbl/d]^0.8 * F$ 3 mln/(Mbbl/d)

OPEX - fix

Connection points in operation [#] * F$ 0.5 mln/#/year

OPEX - variable

N/A

OPEX is incurred from the year the facility is in operation. OPEX is charged at the end of each turn.
Parts of OPEX that not depend on the actual throughput of a unit are paid for all the commissioned
infrastructure irrespective of their utilisation.
It is important to note that:
All costs are multiplied by a Country factor representing the price differences of different countries.
Construction of facilities takes 1 year (except for Oil processing trains). The operation begins in the
year following the construction year.
Facilities operate 300 days a year, taking into consideration the time spent on repair, adjustment and
maintenance.
In case more than one means of transportation is available, oil is transported via the cheapest way. If
the capacity is not enough the rest of the production is transported via other existing means.

19

REFINERY

Game concept
A regional company sold its refinery construction. Your company has bought it, and it is your task to
make it as profitable as possible.
Gasoline and diesel product lines have already been built. The refinery will be operational from the
start.

20

Units available from the start:

Crude Distillation Unit (CDU)
Light Naphtha Hydrotreater
Heavy Naphtha Hydrotreater
Light Naphtha Isomerisation Unit
CCR Reformer Unit
Gasoil Hydrotreater

The refinery will use crude bought from the market. The utilization rate can be set by adjusting the
imported crude volume.
Due to the limitations of technical processes, the annual refinery (CDU) utilization rate can not be less
than 60%. As a simplification, this restriction does not apply for other refinery units. The minimum
imported crude volume is always set automatically to match the minimum utilization rate. Some units
21

have a maximum capacity specified. For the other plants, where it is not specified, there is no
maximum throughput limit.
The company will be able to convert the products into money at market prices.
During the game, you have to make several decisions to operate and expand your refinery in an
optimal way. The goal is to achieve maximum amount of money at the end of the defined period.
The aim of the programmers was to create a game as realistic as possible, but it still contains several
simplifications to make the game easier to understand and more entertaining to play.
Here you can find a long term prognosis about the changes in refinery product prices.
(In the table below here short-term forecast refinery stream prices for the first 5 rounds of the game. All
prices are in $/t, except crude, which price is in $/bbl unit.
The fact prices can deviate from the forecast. Utility prices are not changing during the game (Hydrogen
price does)..)
TURN
UNIT\Year

1
2013

2
2014

3
2015

4
2016

5
2017

6
2018

7
2019

8
2020

9
2021

10
2022

Crude oil

F$/bbl

101.852

103.421

97.321

102.567

98.672

102.161

92.070

102.504

102.811

104.912

LPG

F$/t

830.54

963.71

863.17

845.34

848.14

880.08

869.52

836.64

864.85

861.45

Petchem Naphtha

F$/t

899.46

931.36

825.76

884.85

754.30

820.35

782.18

865.21

855.23

825.21

Kerosene

F$/t

1064.83

1031.97

1013.49

884.23

932.83

915.94

825.77

953.73

953.98

940.61

Diesel

F$/t

939.81

1026.53

960.27

851.32

807.35

899.72

812.34

925.13

862.37

850.04

Petchem & Heating Oil

F$/t

913.04

954.16

845.01

763.01

698.75

808.39

743.10

844.23

800.70

787.24

Light Fuel Oil

F$/t

701.03

784.51

575.47

592.87

537.28

611.66

608.24

515.83

529.54

557.60

Heavy Fuel Oil

F$/t

598.29

640.07

498.89

585.72

475.44

532.38

434.18

418.80

408.95

473.02

Bitum en

F$/t

698.47

717.05

671.12

709.04

503.66

584.09

449.00

442.99

415.39

525.15

Propylene

F$/t

1264.33

1306.70

1442.47

1183.67

1175.22

1081.78

1117.66

1117.05

1221.30

1258.96

Gasoline

F$/t

916.61

1007.90

964.50

905.08

871.07

844.55

770.02

960.58

926.79

977.88

Base Gasoline

F$/t

916.61

1007.90

817.57

819.57

754.92

747.16

693.13

875.84

917.83

929.03

Coke

F$/t

286.71

289.71

294.71

256.13

264.13

246.13

257.13

254.13

253.13

205.55

Sulphur

F$/t

73.43

73.43

66.43

55.53

72.53

72.53

60.53

63.53

55.53

76.89

H2S

F$/t

30000

30000

Hydrogen

F$/t

5000

5000

5000

5000

5000

5000

5000

5000

20000

20000

TURN
UNIT\Year

11
2023

12
2024

13
2025

14
2026

15
2027

16
2028

17
2029

18
2030

Crude oil

F$/bbl

102.278

108.685

106.135

92.412

97.728

105.638

108.723

106.321

LPG

F$/t

864.45

886.95

872.00

744.39

813.75

861.56

921.70

869.45

Petchem Naphtha

F$/t

905.21

912.84

873.54

670.64

756.75

959.83

967.37

871.08

Kerosene

F$/t

943.61

947.44

882.55

808.55

837.04

903.13

1006.13

852.67

Diesel

F$/t

852.04

854.82

864.80

730.42

782.21

922.36

967.70

838.15

Petchem & Heating Oil

F$/t

737.24

796.81

754.82

695.75

684.33

833.57

853.62

815.70

Light Fuel Oil

F$/t

555.60

638.57

610.79

585.27

576.40

672.00

740.85

659.54

Heavy Fuel Oil

F$/t

507.02

452.16

453.68

457.82

456.41

603.81

543.10

529.98

Bitum en

F$/t

524.30

482.89

572.02

568.92

569.63

697.73

762.89

640.57

Propylene

F$/t

1248.96

1372.85

1203.54

1168.24

1117.74

1188.90

1137.17

1162.39

Gasoline

F$/t

980.88

1001.28

850.57

796.99

796.02

950.53

984.54

872.82

Base Gasoline

F$/t

903.03

892.92

820.26

769.55

708.01

928.77

910.51

778.72

Coke

F$/t

219.55

235.55

235.55

200.21

205.21

209.21

212.21

199.21

Sulphur

F$/t

69.89

52.89

49.89

58.89

38.55

56.55

46.55

61.55

H2S

F$/t

30000

30000

30000

30000

30000

30000

30000

30000

Hydrogen

F$/t

20000

2000
20000

20000

20000

20000

20000

20000

20000

22

23

Playing the game

Each turn you have to make different decisions to optimize the efficiency of your refinery.
There will be operational decisions. You can:
Alter the path of different refinery streams by splitters
Choose catalyst for HDS/MHC Unit
Along the way, you can construct new facilities to keep up the competitiveness of your company and
to fulfill the environmental regulations and product qualities. Not all technologies are available from the
start. You can see your opportunities in the following table:

from 2013

from 2015

from 2017

from 2019

HDS-MHC

available

available

available

available

HDS-MHC Revamp

not available

available

available

available

DCU

not available

not available

available

available

HPP

not available

not available

not available

available

FCC

avaiable

avaiable

avaiable

avaiable

Claus Unit

not available

not available

not available

available

BBU

not available

not available

available

available

Plant availability for construction

Utilities
Fuel: the energy consumed in the process to heat up the materials to the required temperature. Some
units produce fuel gas, but that is not sufficient for the refinery. Excess fuel is bought from the market
as natural gas. Natural gas is also the feed of the Hydrogen Plant. The heating value is the same for
the produced fuel gas from all refinery units and the natural gas: 50 GJ/t. If more fuel is produced in
the refinery units, than consumed, the excess fuel gas is burnt on the refinery flares.

24

Electricity: mainly intended to propel the pumps and move the feed and products, but used also for
light and for supplying control systems.
Cooling water: used in cooling processes for condensation and temperature control.

Steam: used for technological processes, heating and stripping. Some units produce more steam,
than the amount necessary for operation. This is indicated with a negative value in steam
consumption. If a unit produces steam then the excess steam is redirected to other units for usage but
it can not be sold on the market. If the amount of produced steam is not sufficient, the necessary
amount is bought from the market.
Hydrogen: Hydrogen is used in hydrotreater and isomerisation units. The price of the hydrogen varies
in time. Hydrogen can be produced or bought from the market. In the first part of the game external
hydrogen is purchased for 5000 F$/t, but starting from 2021 the hydrogen price increases dramatically
to 20000 F$/t (due to the availability from a different supplier). In case of more hydrogen is produced in
Reformer unit, than needed for refinery processes, the excess of hydrogen is burnt on the refinery
flares.
Catalyst: As a simplification, catalyst expenses are calculated as utility, except the HDS/MHC unit, in
which it is your task to change the catalyst every two years. Catalyst price is specified for each unit.
UTILITY (UOM)

Price

Fuel (F$/GJ)

12.4

Electricity (F$/MWh)

106
3

Cooling water (F$/1000 m )

112

Steam (F$/GJ)

10.4

Utility prices
For all refinery units utilities are calculated proportional to the feed. Consumed hydrogen is not
calculated in the feed, but it appears in the product. That is why hydrogen consuming units have an
overall yield over 100%.

PROCESSES IN THE REFINERY

Crude Distillation Unit (CDU)

The first step in a refinery is the distillation of crude into different fractions. Lighter compounds are
separated in the predistillation and main (atmospheric) distillation columns. Heavy compounds have to
be distilled in a vacuum distillation column. The products of CDU are further processed in different
refinery units. Capacity of the CDU is 10000 kt/year. We would like to lay emphasis on the fact that
25

Fuelgas is used by the refinery for heating, and it does not show in the final product summary (the final
balance may lack a few kt-s of product).

Crude properties
API gravity ()

31.32

Sulphur content (%) 1.45

Watson factor

12

For the conversion from barrels to tons the following equation is used:
Barrels of crude oil per metric ton =

Product

Yield (wt%) Product destination

Fuelgas

0.02

Used for heating

LPG

1.16

For sale

Light naphtha

2.92

Light Naphtha Hydrotreating

Medium naphtha

6.52

Heavy Naphtha Hydrotreating

Heavy naphtha

7.30

Heavy Naphtha Hydrotreating

Kerosene

7.60

For sale

Light atmospheric gasoil

14.53

Gasoil Hydrotreating or for sale as Petchem and Heating Oil

Heavy atmospheric gasoil

7.30

Gasoil Hydrotreating or for sale as Petchem and Heating Oil

Light vacuum gasoil

7.81

Gasoil Hydrotreating or for sale as Petchem and Heating Oil

Heavy vacuum gasoil

26.04

HDS/MHC, or for sale as Light Fuel Oil

Slop wax

3.00

Delayed Coker, Bitumen Plant, or for sale as Heavy Fuel Oil

Vacuum residue

15.30

Delayed Coker, Bitumen Plant, or for sale as Heavy Fuel Oil

Losses

0.50
Products of the Crude Distillation Unit

26

OPEX
Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

650

Electricity (MWh/kt)

7.36

Cooling water (m /t)

3.3

Steam (GJ/kt)

-23

Utility consumption of the Crude Distillation Unit

Light Naphtha Hydrotreater (LN HDS)

The crudes sulphur content appears in its products in different quantities. Sulphur content has to be
removed to fulfill environmental and quality regulations. Sulphur is removed by a catalytic process
called hydrotreating or hydrodesulphurization.

Product

Yield (wt%)Product destination

Fuelgas

0.80

Used for heating

LPG

3.00

For sale

Light Naphtha

96.13

Light Naphtha Isomerisation Unit, or for sale as Petchem Naphtha

H2S

0.07

Burnt or to Claus Unit

Losses

0.20
Products of the Light Naphtha Hydrotreater

OPEX
Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

500

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

Cooling water (m /t)

12

Catalyst (F$/kt)

250

Hydrogen (wt% of feed)

0.2

Utility consumption of the Light Naphtha Hydrotreater

27

Heavy Naphtha Hydrotreater (HN HDS)

It is very similar to the LN HDS. Since heavy naphtha contains slightly more sulphur, desulphurization
requires higher temperature and/or pressure and more hydrogen.
Product

Yield (wt%) Product destination

Fuelgas

0.40

Used for heating

Heavy Naphtha

99.55

CCR Reformer, or for sale as Petchem Naphtha

H2S

0.15

Burnt or to Claus Unit

Losses

0.20
Products of the Heavy Naphtha Hydrotreater

OPEX
Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

300

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

Cooling water (m /t)

6
8

Catalyst (F$/kt)

200

Hydrogen (wt% of feed)

0.3

Utility consumption of the Heavy Naphtha Hydrotreater

Light Naphtha Isomerisation Unit (LNI)

Desulphurized naphtha is not good enough for motor gasoline (mogas). This fuel cut contains mostly
pentanes and hexanes. Research octane number (RON) of light naphtha is around 70. Isomerization
of this constituent can improve its octane number, reaching a good MON without olefinic and
aromatics content.
Product Yield (wt%) Product destination
Fuelgas

2.9

Used for heating

Isomerate

83.00

Gasoline Blending or Base Gasoline

Residue

15.00

For sale as Petchem Naphtha

Losses

0.10

Products of the Light Naphtha Isomerisation Unit

28

OPEX
Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

3000

Electricity (MWh/kt)

40

Cooling water (m /t)

25

Catalyst (F$/kt)

500

Hydrogen (wt% of feed)

Utility consumption of the Light Naphtha Isomerisation Unit

CCR Reformer
Catalytic reforming is a chemical process used to convert petroleum refinery naphthas, typically having
low octane ratings, into high-octane liquid products called reformates which are components of highoctane motor gasoline. Basically, the process re-arranges or re-structures the hydrocarbon molecules
in the naphtha feedstock into aromatic components as well as breaking some of the molecules into
smaller molecules. The overall effect is that the product reformate contains hydrocarbons with more
complex molecular shapes having higher octane values than the hydrocarbons in the naphtha
feedstock. In so doing, the process separates hydrogen atoms from the hydrocarbon molecules and
produces very significant amounts of byproduct hydrogen gas for use in a number of the other
processes involved in a modern petroleum refinery.

Product

Yield (wt%) Product destination

Fuelgas

4.30

Used for heating

LPG

4.40

For sale

Reformate

88.00

Gasoline Blending or Base Gasoline

Hydrogen

3.10

Used for hydrotreating processes and isomerisation

Losses

0.20
Products of the CCR Reformer

OPEX
Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

3000

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

95

Cooling water (m /t)

14

Catalyst (F$/kt)

500

Utility consumption of the CCR Reformer

29

Gasoil Hydrotreater
Sulphur content of diesel is also regulated very strictly. To produce marketable diesel fuel, a gasoil
hydrotreater is necessary to remove sulphur content.
Product Yield (wt%) Product destination
Fuelgas

1.0

Used for heating

LPG

0.5

For sale

Naphtha

3.7

For sale as Petchem Naphtha

Diesel

94.45

H2S

0.9

Losses

0.2

For sale
Burnt or to Claus Unit

Products of the Gasoil Hydrotreater

OPEX
Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

300

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

Cooling water (m /t)

15
5

Catalyst (F$/kt)

300

Hydrogen (wt% of feed)

0.75

Utility consumption of the Gasoil Hydrotreater

30

Hydrodesulphurization / Mild Hydrocracker Unit (HDS/MHC)

The aim of an HDS Unit is to pretreat the feed of the FCC Unit. It is similar to hydrotreating, but
operates on higher pressure and temperature. With the proper selection on HDS/MHC catalyst
moderate flexibility can be achieved in the refinerys product slate.
Two catalyst packages are available to choose from:
HDS catalyst: Removes significant amount of sulphur with low hydrocarbon conversion.
HDS/MHC catalyst: Removes significant amount of sulphur and converts a larger amount of heavy
components into more valuable light hydrocarbons, mainly gasoil.

31

Building the HDS unit: each team must set capacities before building the HDS unit! After the capacities
are set at the header of the panel by clicking on the appropriate one, HDS can be built, before that the
game does not allow the plant to be constructed.
HDS-MHC Unit is built along with the FCC Unit!!

Yield in HDS Model

Yield in HDS/MHC mode

(wt%)

(wt%)

Fuelgas

0.5

0.7

Used for heating

LPG

0.4

0.6

For sale

Naphtha

1.5

5.4

For sale as Petchem Naphtha

HDS Gasoil

12.3

21.0

For sale as Diesel

84.0

71.2

H2S

1.7

1.7

Losses

0.6

0.6

Product

HDS
Raffinate

Product destination

To FCC Unit, or for sale as Light

Fuel Oil
Burnt or to Claus Unit

Products of the HDS/MHC Unit

OPEX & CAPEX

Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

300

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

36

Cooling water (m /t)

4,5

Steam (GJ/kt)

250

HDS Catalyst (MMF$/charge)*

3.6

HDS-MHC Catalyst (MMF$/charge)*

Hydrogen (wt% of feed)

6
1.0 (1.2 in MHC mode)

Utility consumption of the HDS/MHC Unit

32

*Both catalyst types lifetime is 2 years, after this period the catalyst has to be changed, otherwise the
unit stops operating. Catalysts have to be ordered a year prior to the change! The construction cost of
the newly built HDS/MHC unit involves a HDS catalyst, with which the unit can start its operation in the
first 2 years. You do not have to wait 2 years if you would like to change the catalyst, you can do that
each year but of course ordering has to be done one year prior to change too.
Total Investment Cost:
Before constructing the unit, you can choose among three maximum capacities. If necessary, the unit
can be revamped to higher capacity later in the game. Until the revamp is complete, the unit operates
at the original, lower capacity.
Capacity (kt/year)

CAPEX (MMF$)

2000

200

2600

230

3300

270

Revamp from 2000 to 2600

60

Revamp from 2600 to 3300

80

Revamp from 2000 to 3300

140

33

Construction time:

2 years

Cost distribution:

1st year:

60%

2nd year

40%

Revamp of HDS/MHC unit takes one year, revamp cost is fully charged in the year of ordering.

Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCC)

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is a conversion process used in refineries. It is widely used to convert
the high molecular weight hydrocarbon fractions of crude oils to more valuable gasoline, olefinic gases
and other products.
The FCC process vaporizes and breaks the long-chain molecules of the high-boiling hydrocarbon
liquids into much shorter molecules by contacting the feedstock, at high temperature and moderate
pressure, with a fluidized powdered catalyst.
In effect, refineries use fluid catalytic cracking to correct the imbalance between the market demand
for gasoline and the excess of heavy, high boiling range products resulting from the distillation of crude
oil.
FCC Unit is built along with the HDS-MHC Unit!!
Product

Yield (wt%) Product destination

Fuelgas

3.8

Used for heating

Propylene

4.5

For sale

LPG

16.4

For sale

FCC Gasoline

50.3

Gasoline Blending or Base Gasoline

LCO

12.7

For sale as Petchem and Heating Oil

HCO

3.0

For sale as Light Fuel Oil

MCB

4.5

For sale as Heavy Fuel Oil

Losses

4.8
Products of the FCC Unit

34

OPEX & CAPEX

Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

160

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

Cooling water (m /t)

50
25

Steam (GJ/kt)

-250

Catalyst (F$/kt)

200

Utility consumption of the FCC Unit

Total Investment Cost: 380 MMF$
Construction time:

2 years

Cost distribution:

1st year:

60%

2nd year

40%

Delayed Coker Unit (DCU)

Delayed coking is a thermal process in which the vacuum residue from crude distillation is converted
into lighter components and coke. The feed is heated in a furnace then confined in a reaction zone or
coke drum under proper operating conditions of temperature and pressure until the unvaporized
portion of the furnace effluent is converted to vapor and coke. Vapor is fractionated into different
products.

Product

Yield (wt%) Product destination

Fuelgas

4.0

Used for heating

Propylene

2.0

For sale

LPG

2.5

For sale

Naphtha*

11.0

Heavy Naphtha Hydrotreating

DC Gasoil*

19.5

Gasoil Hydrotreating

Heavy Coker Gasoil (HCGO)*

36.5

HDS/MHC

Coke

24.0

For sale

Losses

0.5
Products of the DCU Unit

*The marked streams can not leave the refinery without further treatment, therefore the DC Unit
is not operable without the HDS-MHC Unit.

35

OPEX & CAPEX

Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

1200

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

25

Cooling water (m /t)

0.5

Steam (GJ/kt)

450

Utility consumption of the DCU Unit

Total Investment Cost: 550 MMF$

Construction time:

4 years

Cost distribution:

1st year:

30%

2nd year

30%

3rd year

20%

4th year

20%

36

Bitumen Blowing Unit (BBU)

Asphaltic bitumen, normally called "bitumen" is obtained by vacuum distillation or vacuum flashing of
an atmospheric residue. This is straight run" bitumen. The physical properties of asphalts may further
be modified by 'air blowing'. This is an oxidation process which involves the blowing of air through the
asphalts, either on a batch or a continuous basis. Maximum capacity of the BBU Unit is 400 kt/year.
Product Yield (wt%) Product destination
Bitumen

98.0

Losses

2.0

For sale

Products of the BBU Unit

37

OPEX & CAPEX

Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

100

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

Cooling water (m /t)

Steam (GJ/kt)

20
2
200

Utility consumption of the BBU Unit

Total Investment Cost: 50 MMF$
Construction time:

2 years

Cost distribution:

1st year:

60%

2nd year

40%

Hydrogen Production Plant (HPP)

38

Hydrogen is required in refineries for hydrotreating processes, to remove sulfur, nitrogen and other
impurities from hydrotreater feed. A limited quantity of hydrogen is produced in the catalytic reforming
of naphthas, but generally the quantity is insufficient to meet the requirements of the refinery.
Hydrogen is produced by the steam reforming of natural gas, which is bought from the market or
consumed from the refinery fuel gas pool (simplification).
The throughput of HPP is always determined by the demand of hydrotreaters. If maximum capacity is
reached, excess hydrogen is automatically bought from the market.

Product Yield (wt%) Product destination

Hydrogen

23.8

Losses

76.2

Used for hydrotreating processes and isomerisation

Products of the HPP Unit

OPEX & CAPEX

Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)*

6000

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

Cooling water (m /t)

Steam (GJ/kt)
Catalyst (F$/kt)

60
10
-1800
780

Utility consumption of the HPP Unit

*Specific fuel consumption does not contain the feed natural gas of HPP.

39

Total Investment Cost:

Before constructing the unit, you can choose between different maximum capacities at the top right
part of the panel. You can see your options in the table below. After your initial choice, there is no
possibility to expand capacity, so choose carefully.
Feed capacity (kt/year) CAPEX (MMF$)
20

36

40

63

60

86

80

108

100

129

120

149

140

168

160

187

180

205

200

225

220

240

240

260

260

275

280

290

300

305

320

325

340

340

360

355

380

370

400

385

Construction time:

2 years

Cost distribution:

1st year:

60%

2nd year

40%

40

Claus Unit

Most crude oil contains varying amounts of sulfur. Hydrotreating various distillates from these crudes
generate hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is converted to elemental sulfur in the Claus Unit to minimize
atmospheric pollution. In the absence of sulfur recovery, the only option would be to burn this gas in
refinery furnaces, releasing huge amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. A new government
law will come into force in 2021 imposing a serious penalty on H2S burning: 30000 F$/t.
The throughput of the Claus Unit is always determined by the H2S production of the hydrotreaters.
Product Yield (wt%) Product destination
Sulphur

84.8

Losses

15.2

For sale

Products of the Claus Unit

41

OPEX & CAPEX

Utility (UOM)

Consumption

Fuel (GJ/kt)

810

Electricity (MWh/kt)
3

Cooling water (m /t)

100
40

Steam (GJ/kt)

-3500

Catalyst (F$/kt)

1200

Utility consumption of the Claus Unit

Total Investment Cost:
Before constructing the unit, you can choose between different maximum capacities at the top right
part of the panel. You can see your options in the table below. After your initial choice, there is no
possibility to expand capacity, so choose carefully.
Feed capacity (kt/year) CAPEX (MMF$)
10

51

20

69

30

82

40

92

50

102

60

110

70

117

80

124

90

130

100

136

110

142

120

147

130

152

140

157

150

162

160

166

170

170

180

175

190

180

200

185

Construction time:

2 years

Cost distribution:

1st year:

60%

2nd year

40%

42

Gasoline Blending
Motor gasoline has to be blended from different streams to fulfill the environmental and quality
regulations. It is your task to blend marketable gasoline by setting up the splitters correctly. Excess
amount of blending components will be sold as Base Gasoline for a lower price. If the blended
gasoline does not meet the requirements, it will also be sold as Base Gasoline.
Gasoline Blending is not possible until all the components are available.

43

SPG (kg/dm3) RON MON RVP(kPa) Olefin (%) Aromatics (%)

FCC Gasoline

0.75

93.5

82.5

56

27

26

Reformate

0.83

103

92

30

81

Isomerate

0.68

90

85

80

Gasoline blending components and their properties

Property
SPG (kg/dm3)

Minimum spec. Maximum spec.

0.73

RON

95

MON

85

RVP (kPa)

45

0.77

60

Olefin (%)

18

Aromatics (%)

35

Requirements for motor gasoline

The properties of blended gasolines are calculated from the weighted average of the blending
component properties. The calculation is volume based (in V/V%). Refinery splitters related to
Gasoline blending can be adjusted with 0.1% units with the help of little +/- signs next to the splitter for
finetuning the gasoline recipes to satisfy the strict specifications.
Example for calculation:
70%(V/V) FCC naphtha + 15%(V/V) Reformate + 15%(V/V) Isomerate
RON = 0.7 * 93.5 + 0.15 * 103 + 0.15 * 90 = 94.4

44

Financial data
Financial data panel indicates the main financial results relating to the refinery.

45

HEADQUARTER

Financial data
Financial data panel at the HQ indicates the main financial results relating to the US & DS parts of the
company.

46

Products & Prices

Products & Prices panel indicates production and prices on market in the last year and also shows the
expected amounts of products annually.

47

Import Crude
In this panel your team can define the amount of crude import annually. Using credit is also your
teams decision.

NOTE: Importing crude to the min. capacity of the refinery is an automatic decision in the game. You
can import crude more times in a round. You can check the amount of the crude imported at refinery
on the Product & Capacity panel.

Technical comment: You can set up the amounts with dragging and sliding the tiny arrow above the
bar.

48

Repaying credit
In this panel your team can repay from the existing amounts of credit. Credit repayment can occur any
time when the team wishes but interest of the credit is subtracted immediately in the same round the
credit is requested.

49

Final Scoring

40 teams are going to get to the Strategy Simulation round. Ten teams who scored best in the
Upstream part of the game, ten teams with the best scores in the Downstream part, and twenty teams
with the best overall score (apart from the teams already qualified with the US or DS parts). We will
also take into consideration and evaluate the effects of your decisions made in the final turn (#Round
18). After that we rank the teams according to how much cash they have on their account and the
remaining unpaid credit is substracted from the final result. Then we rank the teams of US, DS and
overall preformance.

50