Delayed coker

A delayed coker is a type of <a href="/facts/Coker_unit/QGQgYTTB">coker</a> whose process consists of heating a residual oil feed to its <a href="/facts/Thermal_cracking/EBLtwW4g">thermal cracking</a> temperature in a <a href="/facts/Industrial_furnace/Tl6Cr8Uy">furnace</a> with multiple parallel passes. This cracks the heavy, long chain <a href="/facts/Hydrocarbon/Dcg95Ju5">hydrocarbon</a> molecules of the residual oil into coker <a href="/facts/Gas_oil/lm71xc19">gas oil</a> and <a href="/facts/Petroleum_coke/mdhE1IDD">petroleum coke</a>.
Delayed coking is one of the <a href="/facts/Unit_processes/H9YTSunn">unit processes</a> used in many <a href="/facts/Oil_refinery/yeaW0UMv">oil refineries</a>. The adjacent photograph depicts a delayed coking unit with 4 drums. However, larger units have tandem pairs of drums, some with as many as 8 drums, each of which may have diameters of up to 10 <a href="/facts/Meter/hPhzc1CV">meters</a> and overall heights of up to 43 meters.
The yield of coke from the delayed coking process ranges from about 18 to 30 percent by weight of the feedstock residual oil, depending on the composition of the feedstock and the operating variables. Many refineries worldwide produce as much as 2,000 to 3,000 tons per day of petroleum coke and some produce even more.

Delayed coker open-in-new

Delayed coker