PTQ Q4 2022 Issue

inlet. For units with a centre feed device, the suitability of the orifices for needle coking operating conditions should be checked. Additional evaluation imperatives Other systems that should be evaluated for needle coking operations include the coker blowdown and condensate systems, coke drum overhead isolation valves, steam pres - sure levels, and coke drum overhead and transfer line piping. All these items need to be evaluated to confirm if the design could accommodate needle coking operating conditions in terms of higher temperature and operating pressure (i.e., stress check of critical piping), additional steam consump - tion and water production during the post-treatment step, and available steam level pressures. Since the needle coking operation usually results in lower gas make than the fuel-grade coke operation, it is not expected that the gas plant equipment and systems would be bottlenecked. However, gas plant reboilers may need to be evaluated if they are integrated with equipment in the coking section of the DCU. In addition, a feasibility study of the coke pit and coke handling facilities should be performed to confirm the refin - er’s ability to segregate the different grades of coke quality that could be found in the bottom, middle, and top sections of the coke drums. Conclusion Needle coke is a unique product requiring a fundamen - tal understanding of the relationship between feedstock quality, processing conditions, post-treatment require - ments, and needle coke properties. Repurposing an exist - ing fuel-grade coker to produce needle coke is possible, but key equipment, systems, and design conditions must be evaluated. References 1 Global Needle Coke Market is estimated to be US$ 7.13 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period - By PMI. Co - vina, Globe Newswire, 3 Mar 2022, https://www.globenewswire.com/ news-release/2022/03/03/2396500/0/en/Global-Needle-Coke-Mar - ket-is-estimated-to-be-US-7-13-billion-by-2030-with-a-CAGR-of- 6-7-during-the-forecast-period-By-PMI.html . Karen Resurreccion Cais is a Process Technology Specialist in Wood Corporation’s consulting group, providing input for optimising overall unit design for delayed coking projects and proposal development. She has 17 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. Srini Srivatsan is the Subject Matter Expert for coking technology in Wood Corporation’s consulting group, providing input for optimising overall unit design by finalising design parameters and assessing tech - nical risks. He has more than 34 years of process engineering experi - ence in the oil and gas industry and holds a master’s degree in chemi - cal engineering from Oklahoma State University.

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PTQ Q4 2022

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