My internship was done at Petronas Penapisan Terengganu Sdn. Bhd. starting from July 20th 2020 to October 20th 2020 (3 months). Upon arriving at PP(T)SB I was assigned to the Technical Services Department (TSD). TSD is mainly involved in the long term plant process optimisation task. Meaning that we are not responsible for the daily plant troubleshooting which are being handled by the operations department. However if there are problems or implications that cannot be solved by the operations team, we are their main point for consultation & solution. I was also given the opportunity to work in 2 other departments via attachment throughout my internship period which includes the operations department (OPN) and the Analytical Technology Services (ATS).
The technical services department (TSD) is mainly involved in the long term plant process optimisation task. Meaning that we are not responsible for the daily plant troubleshooting which are being handled by the operations department. However if there are problems or implications that cannot be solved by the operations team, we are their main point for consultation & solution. Operations dept. are the ones that mainly deal with everyday troubleshooting & the ones who are normally on site. The role of ATS is to run the analytical analysis of samples and to as the product quality assurance for PPTSB. It is their task to produce accurate & precise results for the use of their customers which includes the operation team, petronas dagangan berhad and other clients. I was fortunate enough to be able to learn several analytical techniques which could be useful when completing my laboratory work in university later on.
From week 1 to week 2, I was assigned by my supervisor to assist her and her team on a project titled the CRU Catalyst Cycle Length Prediction Model. From week 3 to week 4 I was tasked to extensively study the Naphtha Hydrotreating Unit. From week 4 to 6 I had the pleasure to work with another department which is the operations department on a few tasks before finishing my final attachment at the analytical technology services department (ATS) throughout week 7 & week 8. From week 9 to 10 I went back to my department to assist in matters related to the operational excellence management system (OEMS) before finally being tasked to do another extensive study on chloride treaters from week 11 to week 12 to prepare for a scheduled adsorbent unloading and loading on October 20202.
Despite the unfortunate circumstance due to the current ongoing pandemic that we are currently facing, I would say that my overall internship experience was indeed a success. I was able to enter the industry that I am most passionate about and have grown immensely in a lot of aspects since the start of my internship period. This includes but not limited to leadership, networking, teamwork and technical knowledge. Prior to the industrial training program, I only possess background knowledge of chemical engineering in theory, but at PP(T)SB, I get to experience the real application of the theories and how some of it was practiced in solving R&D problems.
