FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA

SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

A TECHNICAL REPORT

ON
THE STUDENT’S INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SI-
WES)
UNDERTAKEN AT
SWIFTOIL LIMITED, KIRIKIRI DEPOT, LAGOS

BY
MOHAMMED ADAMU NDAMUDI
2018/1/72762PL

SUBMITTED
TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD

OF A DEGREE (B.Tech) IN GEOLOGY
MARCH 2024

1
 CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that, this student industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) re-
port was written and submitted by MOHAMMED ADAMU NDAMUDI
(2018/1/72762PL) from the DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, FEDERAL UNI-
VERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA for the successful completion of the
Industrial Training undertaken at SWIFTOIL LIMITED,KIRIKIRI DEPOT,
LAGOS

__________________ ______________________
STUDENT’S NAME SIGNATURE AND DATE

____________________ ______________________
SUPERVISOR’S NAME SIGNATURE AND DATE

___________________ _______________________
DR. MRS. S.H. WAZIRI SIGNATURE AND DATE

DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this comprehensive report was prepared by me, (MO-
HAMMED ADAMU NDAMUDI) and entails precisely the description of the ac-
tivities undertaken during the course of my Industrial Training at SWIFTOIL
LIMITED, KIRIKIRI DEPOT, LAGOS
I also ascertain that this report or its content has not been previously submitted to
this or any other institution of learning for the purpose of fulfilling the prerequisite
for the award of any degree.

DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to Allah, the most gracious and the most merciful, without
whom, all things are impossible, for His guidance which saw me through a suc-
cessful stint during the period of my industrial work experience at SWIFTOIL
LIMITED, KIRIKIRI DEPOT, LAGOS

Also worthy of dedication and appreciation are my parents (Alhaji Mohammed and
Hajiya Rukeya), my supervisors in the operational and loading department (Adedi-
ran Ademuyiwa), maintenance Department (Chidubem Adumekwe) my colleagues

2
(James, Ifeanyi, Peace, hauwa, Otunba, Oba) at Swiftoil Limited, Lagos who con-
tributed greatly to the successful completion of my training

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I hereby appreciate ALLAH, The Almighty for giving me the grace, opportunity
and strength to complete my industrial training successfully. I acknowledge my
parents, for being there for me all the time and for providing the necessary support.
I also thank the management and staff of Swift Oil Limited, most importantly, the
S.D.M.O in person of Mr. Ademola Awolesi, for his support, tolerance, under-
standing and the knowledge impacted on me during the course of my industrial at-
tachment at his establishment.

3
 TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Abstract
1.1 List of abbreviatons
1.2 Introduction
1.3 Pipeline and Product Marketing Company

CHAPTER TWO
2.0 The Organization Profile
2.1 Description of the Organization Structure
2.3 Administrative structures
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Technical Experience I
3.1 Quality Control
3.2 Technical Experience II
3.3 Products Reception
3.4 Product Storage
3.5 Product Loading
3.6 Health, Safety and Environment

CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 Conclusions and Recommendation
4.2 References

4
 REPORT ON STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORK
EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES)

Abstract

This report presents a summary of activities I was involved in during an internship at Swiftoil

limited from May 20 to August 20, 2015. The activities that I was involved in included but were not

limited to sampling as well as analyzing petroleum products (PMS, DPK, and AGO). During my in -

ternship, I learnt how to differentiate between the three products received at the depot. I was also able

to perform some standard test for analysis of petroleum products such as density measurement, distil-

lation, as well as flash point determination. This internship was a perfect opportunity to apply some

of the knowledge that I have learned in previous courses. In addition, I was able to develop some ad -

ditional soft skills like communication, team work, and flexibility. I was taught about safety with the

point of interest being fire prevention & firefighting; hence, I was able to understand the different

types of fire and methods for firefighting. Finally, I learned how the depot works, its different depart -

ments, and how the personnel from the different departments work together to achieve the depot mis-

sion.

5
1.1List of Abbreviations

AGIP: Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli

AGO: Automotive Motor Oil

ASTM: American Society of Testing and Materials

ATK: Aviation Turbine Kerosene

DPK: Dual Purpose Kerosene

DPR: Department of Petroleum Resources

HHK: House Hold Kerosene

NNOC: Nigerian National Oil Company

NNPC: Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

PMS: Premium Motor Spirit

PPMS: Pipeline and Products Marketing Company

SAFRAP: Societe Africaine de Petrole

SIWES: Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme

6
1.2Introduction

Nigeria the largest oil producer on the continent; it is ranked second and tenth in proven

oil reserves in Africa and globally respectively. Nigeria started producing her oil in 1958. During

the first decade of production, Nigerian oil sector was dominated by international oil companies

(IOCs) like Shell, Mobil, Texaco, Gulf (now Chevron), AGIP, and SAFRAP (now ELF). By the

mid-1960s, Nigeria began to consider ways in which the resources being exploited by Western

oil companies could better be harnessed to the country's development. Thus, it formulated initial

agreement for taking an equity stake in one of the producing companies, the Nigerian Agip Oil

Company, jointly owned by Agip of Italy and Phillips of the United States. This was a starting

point of creating a state owned company; however, it was not created until April 1971.

It was in 1971, shortly before joining Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

(OPEC) under the terms of the government's Decree no. 18 of 1971, that the Nigeria national oil

company (NNOC) was established. NNOC’s mission was to "participate in all aspects of petroleum

including exploration, production, refining, marketing, transportation, and distribution." However,

NNOC faced some challenges which did not allow it to accomplish its mission. One of the major

problems that NNOC encountered was that of attempting to manage a highly complex industry with-

out adequate technical and financial resources. In 1977, the government decided to

7
reform NNOC so that its target could be achieved, hence the creation of Nigerian National Petro-

leum Corporation (NNPC) (Bureau of Economic Geology, n.d) .

NNPC was established under decree 33 after merging NNOC and the then Ministry of

Mine and Power (MMP). NNPC had objectives of reinforcing the mission of its predecessor

(NNOC). In 1985, NNPC underwent reforms aimed at commercializing its activities. These re-

forms resulted in the establishment of twelve different subsidiaries. This report will focus on

Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) which in one of the twelve subsidiaries. The

NNPC subsidiaries established in 1985 are:

Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC)

National Petroleum Investment Management Services

(NAPIMS) Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC)

Nigerian Gas Company (NGC)

Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL)

Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG)

National Engineering and Technical company

(NETCO) Hydrocarbon Services Nigeria Limited

Warri Refinery and Petroleum Company (WRPC)

Kaduna Refinery and Petroleum Company (KRPC)

Port Harcourt Refinery and Petroleum Company (PRPC)

1.3 Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC)

8
Pipeline and Product Marketing Company is a branch of NNPC aimed to distributed refined petro -

leum product as well crude oil. The PPMC mission is to ensure secure supply of petroleum products

to the domestic market at low operating costs, market specialty products competitively in the domes -

tic and international markets, provide excellent customer services by effectively and efficiently trans-

porting crude oil to the refineries as well as moving petroleum products to the market. PPMC oper -

ates a number of petroleum product depots, which enable it to distributed refined petroleum across

the country. This report focuses on Swift oil limited located in Lagos state.

2.0 Organization Profile: Swift Oil Limited

Built and registered with the corporate Affairs commission of Nigeria in October 2002 with the

main objective of carrying on the business of oil exploration, production, refining and sale of liq-

uid and gaseous hydrocarbons. Swift oil is one of the storage facilities operated by Pipeline and

Product Marketing Company, and registered with the Department of Petroleum Resources

(DPR), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and commenced operations in

April 2003. Products received by Swift oil are Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Dual Purpose

Kerosene (DPK), and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). Swift oil holds up to 57.3 million litres of pe-

troleum products combined out of 8 product tanks, with a loading gantry of 5 islands and 8 load -

ing arms equipped with electronic metering systems and water sprinklers with an automatic tank

gauging and inventory system. Swift Oil operates on a vessel for Ship-Ship(STS) operations and

other services within West Africa.

2.1 Organization Structure of Swift Oil Limited

9
Swift oil limited has various departments, which enable it to run its day to day activities. The or-

ganizational structure of these departments are shown on the following chart and will be dis-

cussed in detail below.

10
 DEPOT
MANAGER

ADMIN MAINTAINCE OPERATIONS

SAFETY DEPT
DEPT DEPT DEPT

CONTROL ROOM QUALITY

SECURITY WARE HOUSE RADIO ROOM
CONTROL

Figure 1: Administrative Structure of Swift oil limited

2.3Administrative Department

This department is in charge of all administrative activities of the company, and it is led by ad-

ministrative manager. It is also in charge of hiring and training workers. It has different sections,

which help it to achieve its goals. Details of different sections under administrative department

are discussed below.

Sales Section

Headed by the sales superintendent, this section is in charge of selling petroleum products (PMS,

DPK, AGO) to either independent or major marketers. It is also responsible for receiving and ac-

ceptance of the waybills of bridging trucks.

Account and Finance Sections

This section is headed by the depot accountant. It serves in keeping all the records of the bank

account and all other financial issues.

11
 Maintenance Department

As its name says, this department is in charge of maintenance and repair of the equipment in the

depot. This is a crucial department to the depot as it consists of technical personnel who are there

to repair and maintain depot equipment like generators, mechanical and electrical devices, pumps

and valves, as well as other equipment inside the depot.

Safety Department

This department is responsible of ensuring safe working conditions in the depot. It provides

safety training to the depot staffs and interns. It is also in charge of providing fire extinguishers

like aqueous film foaming foam (AFFF), Halon gas CFI, etc. The personnel who fall under this

department are well trained and are ready to fight fire every day.

Medical Section

This section consists of a depot clinic headed by a medical doctor. The clinic has wards for ad-

mitted patients and a pharmacy to provide drugs. Several nurses and doctors as well as an ambu-

lance are prepared for use in any emergency case.

Security Unit

This section is in charge of security of the depot. It is headed by chief security officer employed

by NNPC. There are also security personnel employed on contract to help in maintain the depot
secure. The chief security officer coordinates all activities related to the security of the depot as

well as ensuring that all materials going in and out of the depot are properly monitored.

Operations Department

This department is in charge of all operational activities. It is headed by an operation su-

perintendent (OPS). It consists of a control room unit, warehouse, and laboratory.

Laboratory

The activities of this unit are co-coordinated by the laboratory technologist. It is con-
cerned with maintaining the quality of products at the level and tolerance acceptable to the
ASTM standards.

Warehouse

This is a room where spare parts of units under operation are kept for potential use.

Control Room

This is the unit where activities concerning the reception of products and the fire device or

equipment are being controlled. It is equipped with controllers and radio receivers, its main pur-

pose is to control the flow and the level of products in the storage tanks.
3 Technical Experience I

This chapter discusses some of technical experience I gained during my internship at

Swift oil limited. More details about quality control of petroleum products, i.e. testing to deter-

mine if products meet ASTM standards, are provided. In addition to quality control, this chapter

also shows some of the properties of petroleum products received at Swift oil limited i.e. PMS,

DPK and AGO. The process of issuing quality control certificates is discussed, and finally, mate-

rial from the completed courses which proved to be useful during my internship are recognized.

3.1 Quality Control

Quality control of petroleum products is necessary if the products are to give satisfactory

performance to the customer. Standards that are used during quality control have been established,

and products are certified based on these standards. In different parts of the world, different organiza-

tions are in charge of quality control standards. The Department of Petroleum

Resources (DPR) regulates the quality of petroleum products and determines these standards in

Nigeria. Other organizations like the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) (in the

United States), the Institute of Petroleum (IP, United Kingdom), the Association Française de

Normalization (AFNOR, France), the Deutsche Institut fűr Normung (DIN, Germany), the Japan

Industrial Standards (JIS, Japan), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO,

Switzerland) have made significant contributions in developing standard test methods for the analysis

of petroleum products (Northwest oil and gas company, n.d.). At Swift oil, products are sampled

from bridging trucks (road tankers) and tested before they are distributed to final consumers. Prod-

ucts received at Swift oil are discussed below.

Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)

Known as gasoline or petrol, PMS is a mixture of the lighter liquid hydrocarbons, used chiefly as

a fuel for internal-combustion engines and is mainly produced by the fractional distillation of

crude oil. It is extremely volatile and highly flammable at room temperature. The most important

property of PMS is its octane number, which is a measure of ignition quality; however, a param-

eter that differentiates PMS from other liquid fuels is its density.

Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK)

DPK is given its name because it can be used for two different purposes. Firstly, it can be used as

House Hold Kerosene (HHK) where it is used for cooking and lighting. Secondly, it can also be

used as an aviation fuel after being specialized for aviation turbines; in this case, it is known as

Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK).

 Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)

AGO is also known as diesel and is also produced during distillation of crude oil. It is a mixture

of heavier hydrocarbons compared to PMS and DPK. and is denser and more viscous than the

other two fuels. It is commonly used in heavy engine (compression ignition or other non-aviation

engine).

During quality control at Swift oil limited, different tests are carried out. Those tests include den-

sity and temperature measurement as well as flash point determination. For all products, PMS,

DPK, and AGO, the above parameters are measured and the results are compared to the stan-

dards for the particular fuel. Relevant petroleum products specifications are summarized in tables

1, 2, and 3 of this report.

Specifications for AGO (Diesel) fuel

Characteristics Requirements
Appearance Clear and bright

Colour, ASTM(max) 3

Specific gravity@15 0.820-0.870

Acidity(Inorganic acid) Nil

Total acid number mgKOH/g. (max) 0.5

Distillation: 90

a) Percentage recovery @ 357,

v/v(min)
b) Final boiling
point, (max)

385
 Flash point (min) 66

Kinematic viscosity @37.8 (Cst) 1.6-5.5

Cloud point (max) 4.4

Ash content, % weight (max) 0.01

Copper strip corrosion, 3h at 100 oC Not worse than

No.1

Sediment, %weight (max) 0.01

Total sulfur, % weight (max) 0.3

Water content, % vol (max) 0.5

Diesel index, (min) 47

Table 1: ASTM standards specifications for AGO (Diesel) fuel

Specifications for Kerosene (HHK)

Characteristics Requirements
Appearance Clear and bright

Colour, SAYBOLT(max) +20

Specific gravity@15 0.800-0.825

Acidity(Inorganic acid) 0.01

Total acid number mgKOH/g. (max) 0.5

Distillation: 20

a) Percentage recovery @ 200, %

v/v(min)
b) Final boiling point,
(max)

o
280 C
o
Flash point [ABEL](min) 45 C
 Cloud point (max) 4.4

Ash content, % weight (max) 0.01

o
Copper strip corrosion, 2h at 100 C 1b
Burning quality: 15

a) Clean char, oil consumed mg/kg.

(max)
b) Bloom on glass chimney

Not darker than

grey

Total sulfur, % weight (max) 0.14

Water content, % vol (max) 0.5

o
Smoke point, mm, (max) 22 C

Table 2: ASTM standards specifications for Kerosene (HHK)

Specifications for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol)

Characteristics Limits
 Appearance Clear and bright

Colour, SAYBOLT(max) Report

Free water Nil

Suspended matter Nil

Specific gravity@15 0.720-0.7805

Distillate evaporated at:

o
a) 70 C, %(v/v) 10-45
o
b) 100 C, %(v/v)
o
c) 180 C, %(v/v) 36-70
d) End Boiling Point (max)
e) Residue, % (v/v) (max) 90
o
210 C
2
o
Copper corrosion, 3hr at 50 C (max) Class 1
o
Flash point (max) 40 C

Sulfur content, % weight (m/m), max 0.1

Lead content 5ppm

Existent Gum(Solvent-Washed). Mg/100 ml, 4

Max
o
Oxidation stability, C (min) 360
Reid vapour Pressure, kPa(max) 62.0(9psi)

Total sulfur, % weight (max) 0.14

Benzene, % m/m (max) 2.0

Water content, % vol (max) 0.5

o
Smoke point, mm, (max) 22 C

Table 3: ASTM standards specifications for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol)

 Density measurement (ASTM D1298 - 12b)

The density of a product is defined as a ratio of its mass to the volume it occupies

(for fluid) or simply its volume (for solid). Petroleum products are made up of different hydro -

carbon compounds of different molecular weight and densities. Therefore, the overall density is a

function of the composition of petroleum products. Density is correlated to other parameters of

petroleum products like octane/cetane number, viscosity, aromatic content, volatility and distilla-

tion characteristics (Peter, 2013).

At Swift oil limited, we sample road tankers (bridging trucks) carrying PMS,

DPK, and AGO. We took samples from each of the three compartments in the tankers. Then, the

three samples were mixed together in a measuring cylinder in order to obtain the average density

of the fuel in the tanker. Prior to measuring density, temperature of the fuel is taken as density

changes as the temperature changes. A hydrometer is used to measure the density of the fuel. For

the three different products received at the depot, each one has its own hydrometer ranging from

The lighter PMS to the heavier AGO. Once the density is measured, known as “observed density”,

and its corresponding temperature, the next step is to convert it to density at 15 oC using American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) table 53B, which correlate density at different tempera-
ture to density at 150C. Table 4 shows the range in the densities of PMS, DPK, and AGO. It is impor-
tant to note that the DPK, referred to in this report, is the same as House Hold Kerosene as it is dis-
tributed for cooking and lighting purposes.
 Density @15oC

Product Minimum Maximum

PMS 700 770

DPK 800 850

AGO 850 900

Table 4: Standards density ranges for PMS, DPK, and AGO at 150C.

Flash Point determination (ASTM D93 – 15)

Defined as the lowest temperature at which a product can vaporize to form an ignitable flame in

the air, flash point is a crucial parameter in assessing the quality of DPK and AGO. Flash point

of a fuel indicates how easily the fuel will vaporize as the temperature changes. Since its stan -

dardization in 1924, flash point has been a key parameter in testing fire hazards that can be

caused by fuel or other types of oil (Salvatore, 2003). At Swift oil limited, the flash point of DPK

and AGO is determined prior to comparison to the standards. The flash point of a fuel is not a

fixed number, but there is a fixed range over which it might vary as shown in table 2. During my

three months at Swift oil limited, I learned how to use different apparatus used to measure flash

points.

In addition to using those apparatus, I was taught the reason for why the flash point is an

important parameter in controlling the quality of DPK and AGO but not for PMS. PMS is highly

volatile and flammable liquid and carrying out a flash point test may be dangerous as the PMS

sample under consideration may catch fire. Figures 1 and 2 show the two types of apparatus used
to determine the flash point of DPK and AGO. In general, each apparatus has a gas supply which

help to generate the flame and a power supply for the function of the apparatus. Additionally, both

apparatus have a heat source, flame controller, and a pot to contain the sample during testing.

Flash Point

Minimum (Temperature) Maximum (Temperature)

PMS N/A N/A

o o
DPK 46 C 66 C

o o
AGO 66 C 110 C

Table 5: Standard Flash point ranges for DPK and AGO

Figure 2: Tag closed cup used to determine the flash point of DPK
Figure 3: Pensky Martens flash point tester for AGO.

Procedure for Determining Flash point

1. Set up the apparatus in a draught free area and in subdued light.

2. Fill the batch with suitable liquid (water or silicon field is recommended) via the ther-

mometer port.

3. Fit the lid, shutter assembly on the stud, and press down unto the bath rim.

4. Fit the stirrer on the shutter assembly (in the case of AGO flash tester).

5. Mount the thermometer in the brass collar provided; the thermometer should be mounted

so that the immersion marks is at the surface of the bath liquid.

6. Set the temperature to zero and switch on the instrument.

7. Connect the gas supply to the riffled gas nozzle on the inlet block.

8. Open the pitch valve, ignite the test flame on the lid, and shutter assembly. Adjust the test

flame to the size indicated by the beat on the lid assembly using the pinch valve.

9. Set the temperature to maintain the rate of temperature rise. Put the stirrer on (AGO

flash). Continue heating the sample while observing the temperature rise.

10. For every 2°C rise in temperature, open the shutter and dip the igniter into the aperture.

11. If flash is detected, stop the test; otherwise, continue the heating and dipping cycle until a

flash is detected or the upper limit of the test rate is reached.

Distillation (ASTM D86 – 12)

This is an important test which is performed to find the true boiling point (TBP) of a

product. It is very significant due to the fact that, it can indicate whether the product was al -

tered for various purposes. Each petroleum product has its own initial and final boiling point.

A distillation profile of the product comprises of temperature and volume percentage recov-

ered over a specified temperature range. Standards for each product are in place, and the pur-

pose of the test is to prove whether the product meets those standards or not. During my in-

ternship, I learned how to assemble a distillation machine as well as perform the distillation.

Table 3 shows a distillation profile obtained during a test of PMS conducted at Swift oil lim-

ited.
 Temperature %Volume of Distillate
IBP: 43 0

53 5

58 10

64 20

73 30

81 40

94 50

105 60

116 70

129 80

158 90

FBP: 194 95

Recovery 95

Residue 5

Loss

Table 5: Distillation profile for PMS (Results taken from Swift Oil laboratory).

Free Water Determination

Water is one of the compounds that can seriously alter the properties of fuel due to its low heating

value. Although, it is denser than PMS, DPK, and AGO, it is important to detect its presence in prod-

uct. There are designed pastes that are out there to detect the presence, or indicate the amount of wa-

ter present in the products (fuel). At Swift oil limited, we used water-finding
paste in addition to a dipping tape. Water finding paste is brown before its contact with water,

and turns to red upon contact with water. A dipping tape is graduated with a heavy head, which

enables it to penetrate deep down in the tank containing petroleum products. Before it is dipped,

water-finding paste is applied on its surface. The part of the dipping tape in contact with water

turns to red, hence the height of water in the tank is recorded.

Issuing Quality Certificates

After conducting all tests mentioned above (measuring density, temperature, and flash point), the ob-

tained results are compared to known standards. Products which meet standard

specifications are said to be “On-Spec” or “On-Specification”, otherwise, they are “Off-

Specification”, and are not allowed to be distributed to final consumers.

3.2Technical Experience II

This part of the report discusses my experience of Swift oil limited with an engineer-

ing focus. As introduced earlier in this report, Swift oil limited receives three different products

namely PMS, DPK, and AGO. The depot has a control room where pressure and flow rate of

products are controlled. There are separate storage tanks for PMS, DPK, and AGO. This chapter,

therefore, gives a deep insight to the activities regarding product reception, storage, and loading,

as well as safety of the depot.

3.3 Products Reception

Swift oil limited is equipped with materials that enable it, to safely receive the incoming

products. All products received uses the same pipeline, hence close monitoring is required to prevent

the mixing of the products. At the arrival point of the pipeline, different branches of other small pipe -

lines equipped with pressure sensors and flow meters are connected to help in controlling the prod-

uct. Each product received has its own pipe which is connected to its storage tank. The signal sent to

the control room enables the operator to control the flow of the product using motor-operated valves

connected to the pipeline. Since all product uses the same pipeline, one could ask why the products

are not mixed up. The answer to this question is that there is a chemist who is in charge of monitor-

ing the interface by measuring densities. When he/she sees that the density is increasing/decreasing

based on the density of the incoming product he was given from the source, he sends a message to

the control room to change the destination of the product. The mixture of products received can be

either High Flash Interface or Low Flash Interface. High flash interface is a mixture of petroleum

products having a higher flash point i.e. DPK and AGO. On the other hand, low flash interface is a

mixture of either PMS and DPK or PMS and AGO.

These interface products have their own storage as is discussed in the following section. Figure 2

shows pipelines equipped with motor-operated valves.

Figure 4: Production reception and control valves as well as flow meters different pipes carrying
respective products to storage tanks

3.4 Product Storage

The depot has a network of tanks that enables it to store the received products. There

are three storage tanks of PMS, two for DPK, and three AGO storage tanks. The area where the

storage tanks are located is known as storage tank farm. Those tanks are equipped with level sen-

sors that enable the operator to know the level of product in the tanks during either reception or

loading road tankers. Tanks are specialized depend on the properties of the products they are to

store. For example, PMS tanks have a floating roof, which help to control the vapor from the

storage tank. Floating-roof tanks are not used everywhere, however depending on the environ-

mental condition like high temperature which leads to vaporization of PMS, those type of tanks

play a huge role. There are also small storage tanks in which interface products are stored. Both

high interface and low interface products have their own storage tanks.
Figure 5 show some of the storage tanks of Swiftoil limited, the smaller tanks are interface prod -

ucts storage tanks (floppy tanks).

Figure 5: Swift oil limited storage tanks

3.5 Product Loading

One of the objectives of the PPMC is to distribute petroleum products to major and minor

markers. Therefore, when the products have been received marketers come with their road tankers to

buy them. As shown in figure 6, the depot has a loading bay where road tankers are loaded.

3
There is a system of centrifugal pumps with a flow rate of 250m /hr connected to the pipeline
from each tank, and they help in pumping products. The loading bay has a loading meter which
record the number of liters loaded in each road tanker.
Figure 6: Swift oil limited loading bay

3.6 Health, Safety and Environment

Health and safety of personnel working at Swift oil limited is a huge concern to

the management; hence, to avoid hazards the depot has a safety department. The safety depart-

ment as mentioned earlier in this report has responsibilities of ensuring that everyone working at

the depot is aware of the hazards that might happen at any time. Therefore, the department

teaches NNPC/PPMC workers and interns how they can survive hazards like fire.

At Swift oil limited, I learned how to use different fire extinguishers using the acronym

called (PASS) P: which means to pull the safety pin, A: Aim at the base of the fire, S: Squeeze the

lever slowly and evenly, S: Sweep side to side at a safe distance away from the fire, but prior to that I

was taught about different types of fires. It should be noted that there exist five types of fires: namely

class A, B, C, D, and K fires. Class A fires are fires in ordinary combustibles like wood, papers, plas -
tics, to mention a few. Class B fires are fires in flammable liquid like petrol, petroleum oil and paint;

this class of fires also includes fires from flammable gases like propane. Class C fires

in combustible metals like magnesium, sodium, etc. Finally, class K fires are fires in cooking oil

and grease. Of those types of fires, Swift oil limited is mostly exposed to class B fires; therefore,

the depot is equipped with fire extinguishers, and personnel who are ready to fight class B and

other type of fires. During the three months which I spent at PPMC, this training enabled me to

understand those types of fires as well as how to use different fire extinguishers to fight them.

The depot has also a system that enables it to control its wastewater before it is discharged to the

environment. There is a tank destined to accumulate water and spilled petroleum products; in

that tank, water is separated from petroleum products, and a chemist must test this water before it

is discharged.
 4.1Conclusions and Recommendation

The three months I spent at Swift oil limited have helped me to get a better sense of

what is going on in the field. I was involved in different activities ranging from sampling petro-

leum products to issuing quality certificates. I have also learnt some of the safety practices like

using fire extinguishers to fight fire as well as differentiating the types of fires and the extin-

guishers used to fight them. Apart from practical knowledge, I have also acquired some soft

skills like communication skills, teamwork and flexibility. It was a long stay, but it was
educational. I have seen pressure sensors and flow meters as well as control valves; these were

things that I knew existed, but I had never seen them before.

It was through the application of material from some of the courses which I had com-

pleted (.e.g. Petroleum sciences, petroleum process control, optimization and simulation, and Pe-

troleum team design project) that I was able to successful complete this internship. As a recom-

mendation, I would like to recommend that other students seeking to perform their internship at

Swift oil limited complete two very important courses: namely Petroleum sciences and Petro-

leum process control, optimization, and simulation.

4.2References
.

Health, Safety and Environment. (n.d.). Retrieved from Nigerian National Petroelum Corporation:
http://www.nnpcgroup.com/nnpcbusiness/businessinformation/healthsafetyenvironment.a spx

Ite, A. E. , Ibok, U. J. , Ite, M. U. , & Petters, S. W. (2013). Petroleum Exploration and Production:
Past and Present Environmental Issues in the Nigeria’s Niger Delta.American Journal of
Environmental Protection, 1(4), 78-9
Petroleum Exploration and Development in Nigeria. (February 2023). Retrieved from Arti-
clesNG: http://articlesng.com/petroleum-exploration-development-nigeria/

Portable Fire Extinguishers. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2023, from Swift oil limited fireser-
vice

Quality Certifications of Petroleum Products. (n.d.). Retrieved from Northwest Petroleum and
gas Ltd: http://www.northwestpetroleum-ng.com/index/quality_services.html