Apparatus for producing high VCM coke

An apparatus for producing a coke fuel, the apparatus comprising:

• a heater for heating a coker feedstock to a coking temperature to produce a heated coker feedstock;
• a fluid conduit for recovering the heated coker feedstock from the heater, and for transferring the heated coker feedstock while cracking the heated coker feedstock;
• a diverter valve for directing a flow of the heated coker feedstock to a first coking drum and away from a second coking drum;
• a fluid conduit for supplying a quench medium;
• a device, disposed immediately upstream of the diverter valve, for contacting the heated coker feedstock with the quench medium to reduce a temperature of the heated coker feedstock and produce a quenched effluent;
• a fluid conduit for feeding the quenched effluent from the diverter valve to the first coking drum for thermal cracking of the quenched effluent to (a) crack a portion of the quenched effluent to produce a cracked vapor product, and (b) produce a coke product having a volatile combustible material (VCM) concentration in the range from about 13% to about 50% by weight, as measured by ASTM D3175;
• a means for measuring a temperature of the recovered cracked vapor product proximate the coking drum;
• and
• a process control system configured to:
• regulate an amount of fuel fed to the heater to operate the heater at a heated coker feedstock outlet temperature in the range of 900° F. to 1100° F.;
• adjust at least one of a quench medium feed rate and a quench medium temperature to decrease a temperature of the heated coker feedstock by at least 100° F. (heated coker feedstock temperature minus quenched effluent temperature);
• control a temperature of the cracked vapor product recovered from a coker vapor outlet at a temperature in the range from about 700° F. to about 900° F.

An apparatus for producing a coke fuel, the apparatus comprising:

• a heater for heating a coker feedstock to a coking temperature to produce a heated coker feedstock having a temperature in the range from about 900° F. to about 1100° F.;
• a first fluid conduit for recovering the heated coker feedstock from the heater and for providing a residence time for cracking of the heated coker feedstock during transport of the heated coker feedstock to a diverter valve for directing a flow of the heated coker feedstock to one of a first coking drum and a second coking drum;
• a second fluid conduit for supplying a quench medium;
• a heat exchanger for indirectly heating and/or cooling the quench medium;
• a first device, disposed intermediate the diverter valve and an inlet of the first coking drum, for contacting the heated coker feedstock with the quench medium to reduce a temperature of the heated coker feedstock and produce a quenched effluent;
• a third fluid conduit for feeding the quenched effluent to the first coking drum for thermal cracking of the quenched effluent to (a) crack a portion of the quenched effluent to produce a cracked vapor product, and (b) produce a coke product having a volatile combustible material (VCM) concentration in the range from about 13% to about 50% by weight, as measured by ASTM D3175;
• a means for measuring a temperature of the recovered cracked vapor product proximate the coking drum;
• and
• a process control system configured to:
• operate the heater at a temperature of at least 900° F. so as to promote cracking of the heated coker feedstock during transfer in the first fluid conduit;
• decrease a temperature of the heated coker feedstock by at least 100° F. (heated coker feedstock temperature minus quenched effluent temperature) by adjusting at least one of a feed rate and a temperature of the quench medium;
• control a temperature in the coking drums via the quench medium to produce the coke product having a volatile combustible material (VCM) concentration in the range from about 13% to about 50% by weight.