T

he global supply of crude is

getting heavier. In response,
refiners are making their refineries
flexible enough to handle the changing
feedstock. These crudes are cheaper than
sweet crudes due to their limited
processing capacity. One of the major
additions and targets for upgrades are
delayed coking units, which process the
bottom-of-barrel material into valuable,
lighter products such as gasoline and
distillates. Adding a delayed coker unit
to a refinery flow scheme provides a
two-fold financial incentive: cheaper
feedstock and a higher volume of
light products.
In several parts of the world, North
America being more severe, refining
capacity is struggling to keep up with
the demand for products. Refiners are
making strong efforts to improve the
reliability and availability of process
units, with the ultimate goal of
decreasing the frequency of turnarounds
and making process units safer.
In an environment where it is very
profitable to keep refinery availability as
high as possible, efforts are directed
toward process units and equipment
that bear the most wear and tear. Also, it
is financially preferable to run heavier
crudes, especially when a refiner has an
existing delayed coking unit. But
nothing is easy: delayed coking units
require more maintenance than normal
process units in a refinery, and
increasing the availability of this unit
has a major impact on the long-term
profitability of a refiner.
Delayed coking process
Delayed coking is a process in which a
heavy residual feedstock is superheated
and then introduced into an insulated,
vertically oriented cylindrical pressure
vessel, commonly known as a coke
drum. Vapours are then removed to be
further refined into various petroleum
byproducts, leaving behind a high-
density hydrocarbon residue referred to
as petroleum coke. Petroleum coke is a
solid coal-like substance that has been
commercially manufactured for nearly
80 years and is used
primarily as a fuel or for
the production of anodes
for the aluminum
industry, electrodes for
the steel industry,
graphite or similar carbon-
based products. This
residue is then water
quenched not only to
allow for its removal once
the vessel has been
depressurised, but also to
cool it to the point where
it will not self-ignite when
exposed to air. As part of
the delayed coking
process, coke drums
undergo severe thermal
and pressure cycling, as
the vessel is filled with hot
product and subsequently
water quenched after
coke formation.
Due to the severe heating and
quenching rates of this process, the
useful life of coke drums is much shorter
than that of other pressure vessels
operating in non-cyclic conditions. This
is because the severe operational
thermal cycling causes the plate and the
weld to be stressed with each cycle and,
due to their differential strengths, the
drum may bulge and eventually crack in
the vicinity of the circumferential weld
seams. This leads to coke drums
experiencing significant downtime
throughout their useful life to make
needed repairs or partial shell replace-
ments. It is a problem that has plagued
refineries for decades.
Depending on the operating para-
meters, type of coke produced, feedstock
and other variables, the cycle time of a
given unit can be from as little as 14
hours to more than 24 hours. The
industry recognises that the shorter and
more severe the cycle, the sooner and
more pronounced the bulging and
cracking will appear. To illustrate this,
Figure 1 is a photo that was taken from
a coke drum shell replacement project,
illustrating the severity of the distortion.
In the last decade, the demand for
delayed coking capacity has been
steadily increasing. Experts attribute this
trend to refineries having to process
more lower-quality crudes than in the
past, as previously discussed. Thus, few
refinery owners have the option of
increasing cycle time, as they must
balance drum distortion with the desire
to meet rising throughput requirements.
Instead, refiners must often resort to
shortening the coking cycle, adding
more units or doing both.
Bulging and cracking
phenomenon
Weil and Rapasky
1
(1958) identified
radial bulging as a re-occurring
difficulty that existed in essentially all
operating coke drums of the time.
Through extensive research carried out
on a total of 16 coke drums erected
between 1938 and 1958, they identified
a radial growth varying from almost
negligible to as much as 0.3in per year.
The rate of bulging was found to be
directly attributable to the quenching
portion of the operating cycle. They
also recognised that the girth seams, due
to the higher yield strength of the weld
Coke drum design
Issues to consider for extending the turnaround schedule of a delayed coking
unit. Theory behind coke drum failure is discussed, with detailed solutions
centred on drum design and support structures
Coby W Stewart, Aaron M Stryk and Lee Presley
Chicago Bridge & Iron
www. ept q. c om 00 PTQ Q3 2006
Figure 1 Coke drum shell bulging in early 1960s
cb&i 5/5/06 20:17 Page 1
metal, tended to augment the bulging,
causing a constrained balloon shape,
as illustrated in Figure 2.
As a result of the restraint caused by
the weld seams, the base material tends to
become thin and ultimately fails via
through-wall cracking. The bulging is
most severe in the lower cylindrical
portion of the vessel, usually 4050ft
above the cone section. This section of
the vessel experiences the highest quench
rates during the quench cycle and
typically has four to five circumferential
weld seams, depending on the width of
plate used for each shell course.
Through their studies, Weil and
Rapasky observed that high quenching
rates produced thermal gradients in
excess of 10F per inch, while lower
quenching rates produced smaller
gradients, thus less bulging. To measure
this effect, they developed a unit
quench factor (UQF, Table 1), which is
the ratio of water-quenching time in
minutes to the coke yield per drum in
tons. Utilising the resulting data, they
theorised that when the UQF is greater
than 0.5, the bulging is minimal, and
when the UQF is greater than 0.8, the
bulging is all but non-existent. The UQF
is directly proportional to the rate of
water injection during the quench cycle
the slower and more controlled the
quench is, the greater the UQF, which
translates into less bulging. However, as
previously mentioned, fewer owners
have the option of longer cycle times. To
the contrary, the trend is for even
shorter cycles, the result of which is a
higher UQF that will ultimately reduce
the overall lifespan of the vessel.
In recent years, there have been a
number of studies undertaken that
substantiate the conclusions of Weil and
Rapasky:
Penso et al
5
suggest that low cycle
thermal fatigue is the most common
failure mechanism of a coke drum. The
authors state that thermal shock is the
main mechanism for the initiation of
these cracks. They further propose that
additional analysis of the cooling cycle
is warranted, since the cooling cycle
affects the severity of thermal shock
Livingston and Saunders
4
report that
the coke drums in their survey began to
through-wall crack at roughly 2400
cycles. The frequency of through-wall
cracking increased
This evidence of initial and
subsequent cracking is further supported
by an independent 1996 API Survey that
confirms the first through-wall cracks on
conventional drums typically occur in
the 30005000 cycle range
Antalffy et al
3
cite at least three
additional examples of recent papers
that reference the bulging phenomena.
He also cites that Boswell and Ferraro
2
and others concluded that the high
relative strength of the circumferential
weld metal, as compared to the lower
strength of the adjacent base metal, was
the cause of the bulging.
As one can see, it is common industry
knowledge supported by several
thermal and stress analyses of various
operating units that the higher
strength of the weld metal in the
circumferential seams tends to have a
stiffening effect, which increases stress
and leads to distortion and cracking. It
should be noted that the longitudinal
weld seams required to make the shell
courses were reported to be unaffected
by the thermal cycling, except where
these seams intersected the circumfer-
ential ones. In the bulge areas near the
circumferential seams, the longitudinal
weld seams were also affected by the
thinning effect and would be prone to
crack given enough thermal cycles.
Coke drum metallurgy and
shell thickness
To extend the useful life and reduce the
downtime of coke drums, several
modifications have been made to
standard coke drum design metallurgy.
Coke drums that were once constructed
from mild steel have in recent years
been constructed from low-alloy clad
www. ept q. c om 00 PTQ Q3 2006
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Onset of
bulging
Normal
shape
Girth seams
begin to form
Advanced
bulged shape
A B C D
Figure 2 Coke drums displaying constrained balloon shape due to distortion
thk 7/8
thk 11/16
thk 11/8
thk 13/8
thk 1
thk 15/16
Figure 3 Coke drum vessel step reduction
in thickness
Figure 4 Weld profile compounds
stiffening effect
Unit no. Water quenching Coke capacity, Unit quenching Relative severity of
time, min tons factor, min bulging distortion
9 90 380 0.24 Severe
8 100 370 0.27 Severe
7 90 310 0.29 Severe
1 140 180 0.78 Negligible
5 135 170 0.80 Negligible
2 150 170 0.88 Absent
6 180 180 1.00 Absent
UQF =
water quenching time (minutes)
coke capacity (tons)
Comparison of quenching methods and growth on various coking
Table 1
cb&i 5/5/06 20:17 Page 2
materials such as Carbon-1/2 Moly and
11/4 Chrome-1/2 Moly, as well as 21/4
Chrome-1 Moly and other higher alloys,
typically with 410SS cladding. With the
exception of 21/4 Chrome-1 Moly and
other higher alloyed coke drums, those
manufactured with low-Chrome alloy
materials have all failed in time.
The drums manufactured from 21/4
Chrome-1 Moly and other higher alloy
materials have been in service for only a
few years and have not yet endured
enough cycles to demonstrate improved
reliability. The normal method of
designing the shell courses of coke drums
is to base the thickness of the material on
the specified design pressure. Typically,
the pressure is specified as varying
linearly from a minimum value at the
top of the vessel to a maximum at the
bottom flange. Since overall vessel cost is
a function of weight and thickness, the
tendency is to design each shell course
for the design pressure specified at the
bottom of the course. As a result, there
are typically step reductions in thickness
from one shell course to the next, as
shown in Figure 3. However, the
resulting weld profile compounds the
stiffening effect already present due to
the higher yield strength of the weld
metal, as shown in Figure 4.
Increasing vessel life
Further effort to improving the reliability
and lifespan of coke drums has focused
on developing or proposing measures to
mitigate the stiffening effect of the weld
seams. Most of these measures, several of
which have been incorporated into
numerous procurement specifications,
were aimed at reducing the discontinuity
effect at the circumferential weld seam.
The most common of these specifica-
tions were as follows:
Decreasing the weld metal yield
strength to be within a close percentage
of base metal yield (ie, 0%, +10%)
Blend grinding the weld profile
Specifying higher alloy materials (ie,
21/4 Chrome-1 Moly and higher)
Requiring more non-destructive
examinations (NDE) and using more
restrictive NDE acceptance criteria than
the construction code requires
Maintaining a uniform shell
thickness throughout the vessel
Specifying materials greater than 2in
in thickness.
While most of these requirements
have technical merit, the resulting
improvement may only be incremental
and not necessarily practical. For
example, attempting to narrow the yield
strength mismatch between the weld
metal and base metal is difficult at best
due to the many variables involved. The
actual yield strength of the base metals
when compared to commercially
available weld metals is typically more
than 10% lower (Table 2). In addition,
the yield strength of base metals and
weld metals varies with temperature,
which may make the yield strength
differential greater than 10% at elevated
temperatures. Also, controlling weld
metal yield strengths to a specific
minimum/maximum in relation to the
as-supplied base metal typically requires
the use of weld processes that are not
necessarily productive or cost-effective.
Blend grinding the weld profiles,
which reduces the geometric stress raiser
effects near the weld joint, can extend
the service life of the weld joint and can
be cost-effective if properly specified
and managed. However, eventual repairs
to the weld joint are inevitable.
The use of uniform shell thickness
throughout the critical area of the vessel
has an added material and labour cost.
But, as previously mentioned, not
keeping a uniform thickness will increase
the stiffening effect of the metal used for
welding the circumferential weld joints.
And while the specification of very thick
and uniform shells will reduce the peak
stresses caused by the thermal cycles
somewhat, it will not reduce the effects
of the circumferential seams acting as
stiffeners during the quench cycle.
Higher alloys such as 21/4 Chrome-1
Moly are thought to be able to resist the
thermal cycling better because of their
higher yield and better creep and creep-
fatigue resistance. While these higher
alloys may increase the useful life of the
vessels and slow down bulging, most of
the newer drums manufactured from
this alloy have not yet seen enough coke
production cycles to determine if this is
a major improvement. Plus, using these
alloys translates into increased costs.
Some specifications are requiring
increased NDE testing to be performed
and the acceptable flaw size reduced in
an attempt to get more uniform weld
joint properties. This increases costs
without having any effect on the basic
problem of the circumferential welds
acting as stiffeners. There is also some
evidence that excessive repairs during
manufacturing may, in fact, reduce
service life by causing premature failures.
Elimination of
circumferential weld seams
When CB&I first approached the girth
weld distortion and cracking problem,
two observations were pivotal in the
analysis. One was the well-known fact
that the higher strength of the weld
metal in the circumferential seams tends
to have a stiffening effect that increases
www. ept q. c om 00 PTQ Q3 2006
F. O. F.
ML
1
5

2
3
/
1
1
8
6
1
/
1
Figure 5 Cylindrical shell sections of up to
46ft help eliminate several circumferential
weld seams, increasing endurance under
the most severe thermal cycles.
Base metal Type Tensile ksi Yield min. Typical weld Tensile ksi Yield min.
(typ) ksi metal selection (typ) ksi
A516-70 Carbon steel 7090 38 (46) EM12K 7095 58 (61 )
A204 C Carbon-1/2 Moly 7595 43 (52) EA2 7095 58 (61)
A387-11, CL2 11/4 Cr-1/2 Moly 75100 45 (58) EB2 80100 68 (75)
A387-12, CL2 1 Cr-1/2 Moly 6585 40 (50) EB2 80100 68 (75)
A387-22, CL2 21/4-1 Moly 75100 45 (58) EB3 90110 67 (80)
405 (clad) 13 Cr 6090 25 (36) ERNiCr-3 8095 40 (52)
410S (clad) 12 Cr 6090 30 (36) ERNiCr-3 8095 40 (52)
All weld metal and base metal in typical PWHT condition for material combinations. All weld metal data is from the SAW (submerged arc welding) process
Typical plate and weld metal properties
6
Table 2
cb&i 5/5/06 20:17 Page 3
stresses and leads to distortion and
cracking. The other, based on previous
research, was that the longitudinal
welds required to make the shell courses
were seemingly unaffected by the
thermal cycling, except in the areas
where those welds intersected the
circumferential ones.
After extensive research and analysis,
CB&I concluded that the best solution
to the problem of girth seam distortion
and cracking was to eliminate the
circumferential weld seams in the area
of concern. A method was developed for
successfully fabricating shell plates with
the long side oriented vertically. This
process allows fabrication of cylindrical
shell sections of up to 46ft without a
circumferential weld seam. The steel
mill manufacturing capability only
limits plate size. Currently, the largest
plates available are in the range of 46ft,
depending on the specified thickness
and alloy. Depending on plate size
limitations, up to five circumferential
weld seams can be eliminated, resulting
in a cylindrical shell section that can
endure the most severe thermal cycles
(Figure 5).
In late 1997, CB&I launched an
extensive investigation into the
feasibility of designing, fabricating and
erecting a vertical plate coke
drum. The resulting
conclusion was that such a
vessel could be economically
produced, providing a
uniform thickness through-
out the cylindrical portion of
the vessel. This method is
applicable to new construc-
tion (shop-built or field-
erected) projects, as well as
retrofit applications where
the lower cone and top head
sections of the vessels are
reused.
Vertical plate coke drums
Since 2000, CB&I has completed four
retrofit projects with the proprietary
vertical plate coke drum technology, all
of which were finished at an equal or
lower cost to the refiner than traditional
repair methods, and were much less
expensive than a full-vessel replacement.
The first successful installation of two
drums took place at a refinery on the US
West Coast in 2000. The refiner had
originally planned to replace two 20ft-
plus sections of distorted and cracked
shell on two of its coke drums, which
would still have left circumferential
seams in the section of the drum where
the bulging and cracking was most
pronounced. However, after reviewing
the vertical plate concept, the refiner
decided to modify its plan and replaced
all but the upper 9ft of shell with two
vertical plate courses reaching heights of
23.5ft and 40ft respectively.
For this project, CB&I performed all of
the turnaround activities itself, including
forming and welding the plates at one of
its fabrication shops, mobilising the
crane and all of the on-site materials, and
erecting the vessels. To execute the actual
shell replacement, CB&I cut the old
circumferential sections and then
removed them using a customised rail
system attached to the structure. From
there, the new vertical plate sections
were set in place. The project included
replacing a large nozzle in the top head
and sections of the skirt support, along
with post-weld heat treating and
hydrostatic testing, all within a span of
28 days. This vertical plate solution was
so successful that the refiner subse-
quently contracted to replace the shells
on an additional four coke drums.
In 2001, CB&I replaced the shell
courses on four coke drums for another
refiner that were originally fabricated
and installed by the company in
196869. These vessels had reached the
end of their useful life, and the coker
structure required major modifications
to meet current building codes. CB&I
recommended replacing the existing
can sections on the coke drums with
vertical plates. Total shell replacement
was approximately 65ft 8in in height.
A lower shell course 46ft in height and
an upper shell course 18ft 8in in height
were fabricated. These courses comprised
eight shell plates, all of which were
formed in one of CB&Is fabrication
shops and then welded into two-plate
assemblies. The assemblies were then
shipped to the refinery, where the on-
site project team would first erect the
lower and upper shell courses and then
set one on top of the other to complete
the can section. In addition to replacing
the shell plates, braces were added to the
stairwell and the drum was insulated.
Working on a plant-wide, non-critical
turnaround basis, the can sections on all
four drums were replaced in 37 days.
The most recent vertical plate project,
which involved the replacement of a
35ft vertical section on a ten-year-old
coke drum, was completed on a
turnaround basis in 16 days. For this
project, CB&I utilised its can section
replacement method. This particular
vessel had experienced excessive
bulging and cracking in 60% of its
circumferential welds. Its shell courses
were replaced with new 35ft-long plates
arranged vertically in four sections.
Braces were also added to the vessel
stairwell and the drum was insulated.
Plate-by-plate replacement
In many refineries, the area surrounding
the coking unit does not permit the use
of a large-capacity crane to lift out the
entire can section. To replace the shells
on the four coke drums at the West
Coast refinery, for instance, the damaged
can sections had to be cut into smaller
vertical pieces, which were then
removed plate by plate. Likewise, the
new vertical plates had to be lifted into
place piece by piece, as shown in Figure
6. While not as fast as replacing the
entire can section, the plate-by-plate
replacement method is still a safe, low-
cost solution.
www. ept q. c om 00 PTQ Q3 2006
Figure 6 Plate-by-plate replacement method in progress
A
Upper skirt
10 thk
SA387-11 CL2
A
Elevation View AA
Tan line
Hot
box
See note #1
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f
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2
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1
0

8
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Lower skirt
1 thk
SA51670
1
1

4
/
1
1 51/2
1 511/32
81/16
1
1/2
1/2
27.956
(Typ)
(Typ)
Stretchout of top plate
R=3
Figure 7 T-Rex skirt design
cb&i 5/5/06 20:17 Page 4
Innovations in skirt design
Another potential area of failure in coke
drums is the skirt-to-shell weld
attachment. Since most coke drums have
a knuckle transition from their cylinder
top to a conical bottom, a skirt assembly
is used to support the vessel at its lower
tangent line and provide uniformity of
support stresses in the structure. Since
thermal cycling is most severe near the
bottom of the coke drum, where
temperatures can reach up to 1000F, the
skirt and other attachment welds are just
as prone to cracking and premature
structural failure as the vessel wall.
Several alternative skirt designs have
been developed to counter these
failures. One such design is the T-Rex
skirt (Figure 7), which is a culmination
of best practices and lessons learned
from years of fabricating and repairing
coke drums. In service since the 1970s,
this design has proven to be one of the
most reliable skirts currently around.
Recently, a finite element analysis
(FEA) was performed on the T-Rex
design, the results of which were
compared to those for the conventional
design configuration. This is a transient
thermal analysis to establish the model
temperature profile over the load cycle
time history. The results of the thermal
load tests show that the T-Rex
configuration has lower stress levels at
all locations for the critical charge and
quench thermal cycles. This appears to
be due to the longer hot-box length,
which results in a more gradual thermal
gradient and also moves the gradient
lower on the skirt away from the welded
connection. As such, the FEA evaluation
shows that the T-Rex has substantially
reduced stresses as compared to other
skirts currently in operation. Some of
the features of the T-Rex design include
sloped attachment welds that help
reduce stress-related failures and an
attachment that covers the tangent weld
(unless an elongated straight flange is
utilised). The T-Rex design reduces
initial application costs and improves
long-term reliability over other designs
that have been evaluated.
Another design recently developed is
the Wrapper skirt (patent pending). This
employs a fabricated wrapper-type skirt
that conforms to the geometry of the
upper cone, knuckle transition and
lower cylinder to support the drum
primarily by bearing and frictional
forces rather than load bearing weld
attachments (Figure 8). This detail
provides a more flexible connection
between the skirt and vessel than
traditional methods, which improves
the fatigue resistance of the structure. In
addition, the extended contact between
the drum and skirt lessens thermally
induced stresses in both components
by ensuring a uniform temperature
gradient between the two. Finally, the
elimination of the weld attachment
substantially reduces large pre-stresses
from weld shrinkage, weld-induced
heat-affected zones and high local
stresses in the structure, which likewise
improves the overall fatigue resistance
of the structure and supporting skirt.
Packaging these skirt designs with the
previously discussed vertical plate
proprietary technology provides a
comprehensive vessel solution that not
only improves the lifespan of a refinerys
delayed coking vessels, but also saves the
owner significant repair and replacement
costs. These designs can be used during
retrofit projects such as coke drum repair
or replacement, as well as for
incorporation into new unit designs.
Economics of vertical plate
coke drums
While the installation of vertical plate
technology will reduce the capital
refinery owners will need for repairing
and replacing their vessels, it is too early
to quantify the actual observed benefit,
since the existing vertical plate coke
drums in service have not seen enough
coke production cycles. However, the
cost and benefits associated with the
technology can be demonstrated using a
lifecycle value assessment (LCVA)
methodology, which establishes a true
cost of ownership. This tool, which was
developed by the Pembina Institute, is a
value assessment model that allows
owners to combine initial Capex and 20
years Opex for both conventional
drums and the vertical plate coke
drums. The methodology also considers
the direct financial losses arising from
unplanned outages of the drums, and
also applies net present value (NPV)
principles to further assess the expected
cost savings. A rigorous NPV calculation
can demonstrate the excellent value of
these innovations. However, for the
purposes of this discussion, a simplified
LCVA model is utilised as follows:
Conventionally designed drums
Capex The initial Capex outlays for four
vertical plate coke drums are assumed to
be $26.1 million. In this example, the
drums come at an initial Capex
premium of $2.175 million compared to
conventional drum designs. Thus,
Capex for conventional drums is
assumed to be $23.9 million.
Opex At an average of 14 hours per unit
cycles, each conventional drum in
operation will go through 313 cycles per
year, which translates into 6260 cycles
over a 20-year period. As previously
mentioned, Livingston and Saunders
reported that the coke drums in their
survey began to through-wall crack at
roughly 2400 cycles, while an
independent 1996 API Survey confirmed
that the first through-wall cracks on
conventional drums typically occur in
the 30005000 cycle range (Figure 3).
Based on these findings, no fewer than
11 cracks per drum may reasonably be
predicted during the 20-year period.
For simplicity, it is assumed that
planned outages deal with 30% of the
cracks that will appear (three cracks), so
the remaining eight cracks will
significantly dictate more expensive
unplanned refinery stoppages of the
coke drums, which is where the Opex
cost is greatest. In this example, costs are
determined for a planned turnaround,
and then a 30% uplift is applied for
unplanned events. It is assumed that
each stream-to-stream unplanned
outage will last an average of six days.
Thus, to remedy a through-wall crack, it
will cost (in 2005 dollars):
Costs of a single crack repair (20
workers * six days * two 10-hour shifts *
$85 per hour) + (materials, scaffolding/
equipment, insulation, repairs and so
on) = minimum $225 000
Costs of crack repairs over a 20-year
period Three planned events * ($225 000)
+ eight unplanned events * ($225 000 *
1.3) = $3 million in repair costs for each
drum, or $12.1 million for all four drums.
Direct financial losses The greatest
impact occurs when one considers the
lost revenues caused by the afore-
mentioned cracking events. In addition,
there are hazardous plant risks that can
accompany the cracking. For the eight
unplanned refinery stoppages that will
occur over the 20-year period, if the
example drum pair has a capacity of
25 000bbl/day and the product is valued
at 85% of the WTI value (an average of
$50 per bbl):
Direct financial losses over a 20-year
period Eight unplanned events/drum
pair * six days for each event * 25 000
bbl/day * (0.85 * $50) = $51 million in
lost revenues for each drum pair, or
$102 million for all four drums.
www. ept q. c om 00 PTQ Q3 2006
Support
Coke drum
shell
Coke drum
shell
R3
H2
H1
R2
R1
Figure 8 Wrapper design
cb&i 5/5/06 20:17 Page 5
Vertical plate coke drums
Capex As previously mentioned, the
initial Capex outlays for four vertical
plate coke drums is assumed to be $26.1
million.
Opex The vertical plate technology is
expected to defer cracking substantially.
Since 75% of the critical circumferential
weld seam footage has been eliminated,
we can assume there will be 75% fewer
cracks. Thus, the Opex for shell cracking
on a vertical plate coke drum may be 11
* 0.25 = three events over the 20-year
period, of which 30%, or one, of the
events will be planned and the
remaining two events will be
unplanned. Using the same analysis as
with the conventionally designed coke
drums over the same 20-year period:
Costs of crack repairs over a 20-year
period One planned event * ($225 000) +
two unplanned events * ($225 000 * 1.3)
= $810 000 in repair costs for each drum,
or $3.2 million for all four drums.
Direct financial losses In terms of lost
revenues caused by cracking, the same
assumptions apply from above, but for
only two unplanned events. Thus:
Direct financial losses over a 20-year
period Two unplanned events/drum pair
* six days for each event * 25 000bbl/day
* (0.85 * $50) = $12.7 million in lost
revenues for each drum pair, or $25.5
million for all four drums.
Based on the LCVA, it can be seen that
the lifecycle Opex and lost revenue costs
over a 20-year period for four
conventionally designed coke drums
total about $114 million, compared with
about $29 million for coke drums using
vertical plate technology. Thus, vertical
plate coke drums can save refinery
owners approximately $85 million over
the 20-year period, not to mention the
added advantages of greater plant safety.
Note that these calculations are
conservative, as downtime in a delayed
coker unit, as in any key processing unit,
affects the overall throughput of the
refinery. Also, without a rigorous
inspection and maintenance schedule,
failures can occur at inopportune times
such as the summer driving season when
product values are at their peak. Hence,
the direct financial losses due to outages
are likely to be greater than described in
this discussion, and the corresponding
benefits of vertical plate technology are
likely to be that much higher.
Future outlook
Since 2000, CB&I has completed four
vertical plate projects, bringing its total
number of vertical plate coke drums in
service to 11. These projects have
included the full circumferential can
section replacement of shells ranging
from 3573ft, as well as new lower
knuckle and skirt assemblies. As far as
improving the reliability and lifespan of
coke drums go, as previously mentioned
none of the vessels have been in service
long enough to allow quantification of
the actual improvement. However, the
vertical plate coke drums installed at
the West Coast refinery in 2000 have
seen about six years of service and are
approaching 2000-plus cycles with no
evidence of any unusual distortion.
Currently, four more drums are under
contract. The first project is for a
Canadian refiner and includes two new
drums of slightly larger dimensions to be
installed during a turnaround later this
year. This project is unique in that the
drums are being fabricated in three
segments. The segments are then to be
transported to the site and installed
through the side of the structure during
the outage while seams are being welded
in place. The second project is for two
drums being erected on site and installed
on the table top for final assembly.
As feedstocks become heavier and the
need for coking capacity continues to
rise, refiners will need more than ever to
have coke drums that provide greater
reliability than traditionally possible.
Whether it is a retrofit application, a full
vessel replacement or part of a new
process unit, vertical plate coke drums
will be able to endure the most severe
thermal cycles and outlast any conven-
tionally designed vessel. Implementing
a T-Rex or wrapper design for the
support is expected to further improve
the life of these vessels.
This article is based on a paper (AM-06-48)
presented at the NPRA Annual Meeting, Salt
Lake City, Utah, 20 March 2006.
References
1 Weil N A, Rapasky F S, Experience with
vessels of delayed coking units, API 23rd
Midyear Meeting, 1958.
2 Boswell R S, Ferraro T, Remaining life
evaluation of coke drums, Plant Engineering,
Design and Responsibility Symposium,
Energy Engineering Conference, 1997.
3 Antalffy L P, Malek D W, Pfeifer J A, Stewart
C W, Grimsley B, Shockley R, Innovations
in delayed coking coke drum design, ASME,
1999.
4 Livingston B, Saunders K L, Coke drums
failure prediction evaluation using
probabilistic techniques, ASME, 1998.
5 Penso J A, Lattarulo Y M, Seijas A J, Torres J,
Howden D, Tsai C L, Understanding failure
mechanisms to improve reliability of coke
drums, ASME, 1999.
6 ASME Section II parts A & C, plus Plate and
Electrode Manufacturers brochures and
CB&I data.
Coby W Stewart is business development
manager, Chicago Bridge & Iron, The
Woodlands, Texas, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Aaron M Stryk is global marketing
manager, Chicago Bridge & Iron, The
Woodlands, Texas, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Lee Presley is product and engineering
manager, pressure vessels and special
structures, Chicago Bridge & Iron, The
Woodlands, Texas, USA.
Email: [email protected]
www. ept q. c om 00 PTQ Q3 2006
acs
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