Bobby Wright - Becht Engineering Co. Inc.
and a US Refining Company -
Shell Deer Park TX refinery had an unscheduled shutdown in December 2018 of their Coker caused by severe skirt and skirt to shell cracking in one of their six coke drums. This presentation outlines what caused the cracking, the repairs made to get the drum back in service in the short term, and the development of a long-term plan to reliably run the drums and unit for the next two turnaround cycles.
Recommendations include process and operational guidance from Subject Matter Experts (SME) drawing on decades of experience from a wide variety of coke drum operations and experiences. This information is coupled with a detailed engineering analysis to produce practical solutions leading to reduced damage rates while balancing desired cycle times to obtain the maximum life-cycle value.
In summary, this program produces a plan for engineering, inspection, maintenance, repairs and optimized timing for replacement based on an economic strategy to meet site needs for optimal performance now and in the future.