The Three Most Common Failure Modes in Coke Drums and What to Do About Them?

Conference:

with Dr. Mahmod Samman

It is common for coke drums to experience cracks in skirt attachments and bulges and cracks in shells. Recently, some drums have experienced through-wall cracks and excessive bulging after less than three years in service. These failure modes which are rare in other pressure vessels are caused by exceptionally severe thermo-mechanical loads. In this presentation, we review underlying design, fabrication, and operating practices that impact the development of these failure modes and discuss measures that can be implemented to minimize them and extend the economic life of coke drums.