November turned out to be truly productive for undergraduates of the program "Technological Service of Gas Processing" at the Advanced Engineering School Promkhimtech of KNRTU. The 451-21 group returned from a week—long internship at two key enterprises of the Russian gas industry - Orenburg Helium and Orenburg Gas Processing Plants. It was not just an excursion, but a deep dive into the technologies that define the face of modern industry.

The journey began with the Orenburg Helium Plant— the first major helium producer in Russia and Europe, which solves the most difficult task of extracting valuable gas from "poor" raw materials. The students of the WRITING program had a unique opportunity to see firsthand how the theory of low-temperature processes materializes in giant apparatuses with temperatures down to -194 °C. They observed the operation of the powerful helium liquefaction plant OG-500 and learned that along the way the plant provides 80% of the Russian volume of ethane.

"It was fascinating to visit OGZ and OGPZ, see the installations live and listen to the history of the plant in general," Leila Turabova, a graduate student, shares her impressions. —The refrigeration nitrogen and propane cycles have been more striking, as we have not had to deal with them before."

Next,internship route was to the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, where the focus shifted to chemical technologies. Future engineers got acquainted with the production facilities that have no analogues in the country. They were told about the intricacies of creating an odorant, a special substance that allows you to instantly detect a natural gas leak, ensuring the safety of millions of people. No less impressive was the production of high-purity sulfur, whose degree of purification reaches 99.99%, which makes the product in demand for high-tech chemical industries.

"Internships for students are a kind of bridge between academic knowledge and industrial practice," says Elvira Garifullina, head of the Technological Gas Processing Service program. – To see the work of the leading enterprises of the industry, immerse yourself in it, making for yourself a complete picture of gas processing in Russia — from extraction of raw materials to obtaining unique, strategically important products. This experience is invaluable for developing an engineer capable of solving the most difficult tasks!"