Course prepares plant operators

A local natural gas course pretty much assures graduates employment at many of Alberta's gas plants facilities.

The Gas Process Operation - Level B course offered by the Yellowhead Region Educational Consortium (YREC) in Edson, in conjunction with Red Deer College, prepares students for a career in gas plant operations. The instructor is local gas industry veteran Craig Hoffman, chief steam engineer at the Suncor Rosevear Gas Plant. The four-week course begins Sept. 19, with the registration deadline set for Sept. 17.

"(The course) allows them to apply for gas plant operations jobs and some of the people attending the course already have employment that way."

Hoffman explained many companies require employees to attend such courses as part of their training.

He said taking the course by correspondence is an option but many prefer being taught by a live instructor.

 "A lot of people find it different without an instructor. The instructor leading the course allows people to focus and draw from people's experience," said Hoffman.

He said about half of the group will be new to the field, while others will already be working in gas plants. Others are changing careers, while some are fresh out of high school, Hoffman said.

He added that, the class is co-ed but that men slightly outnumber women.

The course will teach the theory behind gas reservoirs, well site operations, production facilities, the gas plant environment, sweetening and hydration of the gas, how to take raw gas out of the ground and making gas marketable.

Both sweet and sour gas applications will be covered in the course.

Level A training was taken earlier this year.

There are four parts to  the course, Hoffman said. He expected C and D to be completed before Christmas.

The level B course runs from Sept. 19 through Oct. 10 and goes Friday evenings from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the YREC campus in the Edson Provincial Building.

You need a steam ticket to be an operator in a sour gas facility, Hoffman said. Equipment varies between a sweet gas and a sour facility.

"About half the equipment in a sour gas plant would not be found in a sweet gas plant," said Hoffman.

Steam plays a major role when it comes to boiling off sour gas impurities, Hoffman said.

"A lot of the times it's steam (that's used). Once you get into steam, another ticket is required (from the Alberta government)," he said.

Hoffman, 45, has worked in the industry for 27 years.

Most of his career has been spent in West Central Alberta. He's worked at the Edson Gas Plant, the Windfall Gas Plant and the Rosevear facility. He said gas plant operation is a good field to get into.

"It's rewarding in many ways. There's seven hundred gas plants in the province of Alberta requiring these tickets," he said.

For more information on the Gas Process Operation -- Level B course, contact YREC at 780.723.5206 or Red Deer College at 1.403.357.3663.

As seen in the West Country Extra - Energy Focus - October 2008 and the Hinton Parklander - Energy...It Drives Us All - September 2008.