Anti-fouling trays maximize coker main fractionator profitability

The Coker Main Fractionator is systematically subjected to harsh operating conditions that can lead to deteriorating efficiency and performance due to coking and fouling. Poor reliability results in loss of profitable coking margins for the refinery. The main fractionator vapor feed from the coke drum overhead is characterized by a tendency for further cracking, as well as the presence of fine coke particles carried from the drums. The hottest zones of the column (bottom quench, ...

Avoid fired heater coking

For many refiners, heater coking in Crude and Vacuum Distillation Units (CDU/VDUs) is a common occurrence. Many units around the world are shut down every two years, every year, or even every six months to deal with chronic heater coking. However, with the right design features driven by a solid understanding of heater coking mechanisms, fired heater run length can be extended beyond five years, even with relatively challenging crudes. The two primary drivers of heater tube ...

ITW Online Cleaning

Will revolutionize turnaround operations and operational excellence by optimizing: productivity, operability, safety health and environment, reliability, product quality, energy efficiency, CO2 SOX NOX VOC emissions, maintenance and repair and operational requirements. An entire Unit can be ITW Online Cleaned in as low as 24 hours on an oil-to-oil basis, including all the equipment and not only the relevant one, without the need of opening it. ITW Online Cleaning a Unit in ...

Level control in coking units

You want to improve the utilization of the drum capacity? Due to the conditions in the coke drum, a level measurement is a very challenging task. Where other measuring technologies tend to fail or end up being extremely unreliable, Berthold‘s radiometric level technology is ideal for monitoring the coke level due to its non-intrusive nature. With Berthold’s solution for delayed coker units operators have a high repeatable and long-term stable measurement to increase the throughput ...

Minimize recycle and coke carryover with the coker main fractionator washspray header design

Coker Main Fractionator flash zone design is critical to reliable operation of the column and maintaining product quality. This section commonly experiences problems related to the presence of unstable heavy liquid and carryover of solids. Successful operation often hinges on the design of the wash liquid distributor. Although Sulzer utilizes several styles of wash liquid distributors, this bulletin focuses on the spray header design. The spray distributor design is a careful ...

On budget, on time, offline

Flawless project execution will not prevent a unit shutdown due to selecting the wrong metallurgy for a challenging crude slate. No matter how well it is fabricated and installed, a shell and tube exchanger with cold, high viscosity vacuum resid on the tube side will have poor heat transfer performance. On-time shipping and installation of a too-small desalter will not prevent crude column overhead corrosion if the centerline velocity is overly optimistic for the design crude. A ...

OptiFuel™ technology and Albemarle coker additives

Reduced coke yield and increased operating flexibility. For many years, delayed coking units have played an important role in oil refineries as one of the most cost effective processes to convert vacuum residue into more valuable products. The delayed coking yields are the result of thermal reactions and are mainly a function of feed properties and operating conditions such as furnace outlet temperature and drum pressure; however, this process results in coke yields from 20-40% ...

Valmet Flow control for delayed coking

Improving reliability and productivity of your process. The delayed coking unit is potentially one of the most profitable operations at any refinery. It is also a dependency for plant-wide downstream operations. Valves must handle a range of gases, liquids and solids at varying pressures and temperatures: Reliability is not optional.