As this year’s IPC we will hold a Women in Industry event. Join us for this opportunity to both share and learn professional development strategies to build a network of women leading our industry.
Join Jon Meacham, Presidential Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author for our keynote luncheon.
Hope Through History: How to Endure and Prevail When Everything Appears Hopeless: As difficult as the present is, the American past is the story of challenges overcome, crises resolved, and progress made. In this nonpartisan speech, Jon Meacham walks audiences through moments that have seemed intractable – which can include the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, the battle against polio, FDR’s reaction to the first days of the Depression, Winston Churchill’s decision to fight on against Hitler, and the Cuban Missile Crisis – to offer lessons for leaders in how to endure and prevail when everything appears hopeless.
MICHAEL KIMBRELL (Becht Engineering)
Predicting coke morphology from feed properties has not been 100% successful as the Coker operating conditions can make a difference if the feed is close to the shot coke vs. sponge coke threshold. The traditional approach uses the asphaltene content of the feed divided by the concarbon value of the feed. For ratios less than 0.35 asphaltene/concarbon, the coke morphology is typically sponging coke. When that ratio is above about 0.60, the coke morphology is typically shot coke. In-between these two values the coke produced is a mixed morphology which is sometimes called bonded shot coke or transition coke. An approach that includes the operating conditions is to divide the asphaltene content by the coke yield as a percent of the fresh feed. Values of less than 0.30 are typically sponge coke while values higher than this are typically shot coke.
Part of the reason that these metrics are not more accurate is that they are not addressing the actual mechanism for shot coke production. My understanding of the mechanism is that shot coke is produced when the asphaltenes form a separate liquid phase in the Coker feed. These asphaltenes are dispersed in the rest of the resid matrix as small droplets which coke at a higher rate than the rest of the resid. If the resid matrix begins to coke without forming a separate liquid phase, then sponge coke is produced. Adding FCC slurry oil to Coker feed will prevent shot coke formation as the slurry oil is very aromatic and will keep the asphaltenes dissolved in the resid until coke begins to form. Understanding asphaltene solubility in the various Coker feeds is the key to accurately predicting coke morphology based on feed properties and Coker operating conditions.
Blending feeds, either crude oils or resids, together to reach a specific asphaltene to concarbon ratio to stay in the sponge coke regime has not been completely successful, particularly when multiple feeds are blended together. This is understandable when the mechanism of shot coke formation is asphaltene solubility and not just the total quantity of asphaltenes. These simplified metrics are successful at the extreme ends of the ranges and less successful as the solubility threshold is approached from either direction.
EZEQUIEL VINCENT (KBC)
Micro Carbon Residue (MCR) or Conradson Carbon Residue (CCR) tests are carried out to determine the amount of carbonaceous residue formed after evaporation or pyrolysis of the coker feed. Then, a ratio of MCR or CCR to asphaltene content is calculated to try and predict which type of coke will be formed. If CCR/Asphaltene is greater than 2, then shot coke will be formed, below that number, it is very likely that sponge coke will be formed.
Metals in feed can also be used as a good indicator on the size of the asphaltenes in the Coker feed. Finally, the API of the Coker feed is another validation of the type of the coke to be produced (API>8 will not generate shot coke while API<5 will generate shot coke; API between 5 and 8 is considered a “grey” area).
Petroleum Coke is marketed based on quality and it is highly dependent of the Coker feed quality. The coke quality is mainly defined by sulfur and metals content. Coke with a low sulfur content (<4 wt%) and low metals content (<500wppm), is typically marketed as incremental anode grade coke. Coke with high sulfur content is marketed as fuel grade coke with deceasing value when the sulfur level is higher.
Highly aromatic feedstocks (as from FCC slurries or heavy waste streams coming from the FCC) will form needle-type coke.
With the recent coronavirus pandemic, businesses, families, and communities at large have been changed forever. No longer is the goal to return to life as we knew it, but instead to navigate the best path forward.
“The Generations in A New World” is an uplifting conversation around what has changed and what has not for each generation. A combination of primary data, case studies and firsthand stories explain the traits that each generation can bring to the table as we repair our world. In addition, areas of concern with each generation are discussed so that we can all be more aware of how to help each other. Our global study of the generations in this new world reveals that each generation has been changed in unique and different ways. Results include Baby boomers rage against age; Gen Xers becoming the sandwiched generation; Millennials new outlook on loyalty; and Gen Z’s struggle to gain social capital.
Petrochemicals power the global economy with the many lifesaving and life-improving products they make possible. The demand for petrochemicals is expected to grow both considerably and rapidly as the global middle class continues to expand. Despite this, growth in the petrochemical industry faces headwinds and challenges, including supply chain issues, new domestic and international policies, and changing market dynamics.
This session will showcase leading experts’ thoughts on the current state of the petrochemical industry and the future of our industry. Specifically, four consulting and analysis firms will provide their commentary on various aspects of the petrochemical industry.
BILL CATES (Hunt Refining)
Coke fine generation is really a function of the coke cutting process. Feed stock and coke drum operations during the actual drum fill cycle have very little to nothing to do with the generation of coke fines.
Coke fines are formed during the drilling of the pilot hole and during the cutting cycle due to the grinding nature of these two tasks. In each case, the longer it takes to cut the pilot hole and then to cut the coke will lead to additional production of coke fines.
The main issue with the coke fines is the particle size. The smaller the fine, the longer it will take for the fine to settle. This leads to increased fines in the clean water tank which will settle and over time form a substantial layer of solids in the bottom of the tank. Using a snorkel style of pump to try to remove these fines is the normal means of solid removal. The issue is that the snorkel needs to me moved periodically which can stir up the small particles. When this happens, the cutting water now will contain particles which over time will erode the internals of the jet pump or the cutting head nozzles.
In our experience, we have had to bring in outside equipment to help to remove the solids out of the bottom of the clear water tank. This is done at a large expense as equipment like a filter press is used to get the small particles out of the tank. Once removed from the tank, the filter cake is analyzed for “purity” meaning that if the filter cake does not contain rocks or trash then the cake is put back on the coke pad to be sold along with the coke. If the filter cake contains too much foreign material, it will be disposed of in an approved landfill facility.
MICHAEL KIMBRELL (Becht Engineering)
Soft coke produces coke fines. One method of making soft coke is by operating at low drum temperatures. Another method is to add FCC slurry oil to the feed and not increase the heater outlet temperatures. Some paraffinic feeds require more energy per bbl of feed to convert completely to coke and they will make sandy coke or a soft coke that will cause the quantity of fines to increase. Not filling the coke drums to the minimum outage will result in a higher percentage of coke fines. This is due to the top portion of the coke pile being softer than the rest of the coke pile. At high outages, that soft portion is a higher percentage of the total coke produced.
The technique used to cut coke out of the coke drum and the condition of the cutting equipment is another way to impact the generation of coke fines. If the cutting equipment is worn and the cutting nozzles do not generate a sharp stream of water to the coke bed, the momentum is spread out over more of the coke surface which removes small pieces of coke rather than cutting out larger chunks. The drill stem speed of rotation and the rate of vertical travel are other variables that can impact the total quantity of fines generated.
EZEQUIEL VINCENT (KBC)
Generally, coke fines tend to be generated in a low temperature, high pressure operation, and from crude mixtures where one crude has high asphaltenes while the other crude has very low asphaltenes content (e.g., WTI and WCS).
Coke fines pose concerns with environmental pollution due to high dust generation; they also affect the cutting water equipment reliability.
Coker fines are produced during the process of cutting the coke out of the Coker drum and are recirculated through the jet nozzles via the cutting water (which is recycled). The fines can also be created when the high-pressure water “smashes” the coke, rather than cutting it, liberating fines large enough to cause issues, but small enough to pass through the fines filtration system in the cutting water. The smashing of coke is a result of eroded drill bit nozzles due to coke fines in the cutting water.