Apparatus and method for accumulating coke

A coke drum, comprising:

• an upper section, including an upper head;
• a lower section, including a lower head, wherein at least a portion of the lower head is capable of being moved from a coking operation position to a coke removal position for removal of coke from said coke drum;
• and
• a generally cylindrical wall extending between said upper section and said lower section, said wall having a longitudinal axis and comprising a plurality of longitudinally oriented panels, each of said plurality of longitudinally oriented panels having a plurality of longitudinally extending side edges, each of said plurality of longitudinally oriented panels having a length-to-width aspect ratio which is equal to or greater than 4:1, wherein adjacent panels of said plurality of longitudinally oriented panels are joined together along their longitudinally extending side edges to form said wall,
• wherein said wall is free of joints which extend in a circumferential direction of said wall.

A coking system, comprising:

• a plurality of coke drums for accumulating coke;
• and
• an input valve which can selectively provide communication between a source of residuum and said plurality of coke drums, wherein said valve is capable of receiving a flow of residuum from said source of residuum and providing said flow of residuum to a selected one of said plurality of coke drums,
• wherein at least one of said plurality of coke drums comprises:
• an upper head;
• a lower section, at least a portion of which is capable of being moved from a coking operation position to a coke removal position for removal of coke from the respective coke drum;
• and
• a generally cylindrical wall having a height parallel to its longitudinal axis and extending between said upper head and said lower section, said wall comprising:
• an upper ring having a height parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wall which is in a range of zero percent to 25 percent of said height of said wall;
• a lower ring having a height parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wall which is in a range of zero percent to 25 percent of said height of said wall;
• and
• an intermediate ring, extending between and joined to said upper ring, if present, and said lower ring, if present, said intermediate ring having a height parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wall which is equal to a cumulative height of said upper ring and said lower ring subtracted from said height of said wall,
• wherein said intermediate ring is free of joints which extend in a circumferential direction of said wall.

A coking system, comprising:

• a plurality of coke drums for accumulating coke;
• and
• an input valve which can selectively provide communication between a source of residuum and said plurality of coke drums, wherein said valve is capable of receiving a flow of residuum from said source of residuum and providing said flow of residuum to a selected one of said plurality of coke drums,
• wherein at least one of said plurality of coke drums comprises:
• an upper section, including an upper head;
• a lower section, including a lower head, wherein at least a portion of the lower head is capable of being moved from a coking operation position to a coke removal position for removal of coke from the respective coke drum;
• and
• a generally cylindrical wall extending between said upper section and said lower section, said wall having a longitudinal axis and consisting of a plurality of longitudinally oriented panels, each of said plurality of longitudinally oriented panels having a plurality of longitudinally extending side edges, each of said plurality of longitudinally oriented panels having a length-to-width aspect ratio which is equal to or greater than 4:1, wherein each adjacent pair of said plurality of longitudinally oriented panels are joined together along their longitudinally extending side edges to form said wall,
• wherein said wall is free of joints which extend in a circumferential direction of said wall.

A method of constructing a coke drum, comprising the steps of:

• providing an upper head;
• providing a lower section, at least a portion of which is capable of being moved from a coking operation position to a coke removal position for removal of coke from said coke drum;
• providing a generally cylindrical wall which extends between said upper head and said lower section, said wall having a height parallel to its longitudinal axis;
• and
• joining said wall to said upper head and said lower section, wherein said wall is constructed by a method comprising the steps of:
• providing an upper ring having a height parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wall, which is in a range of zero percent to 25 percent of said height of said wall;
• providing a lower ring having a height, parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wall, which is in a range of zero percent to 25 percent of said height of said wall;
• providing an intermediate ring, extending between said upper ring, if present, and said lower ring, if present, said intermediate ring having a height which is equal to a cumulative height of said upper ring and said lower ring subtracted from said height of said wall, said intermediate ring being free of joints which extend in a circumferential direction of said wall;
• and
• joining said intermediate ring to said upper ring, if present, and said lower ring, if present.

A method of constructing a coke drum, comprising the steps of:

• providing an upper section, including an upper head;
• providing a lower section, including a lower head, wherein at least a portion of the lower head is capable of being moved from a coking operation position to a coke removal position for removal of coke from said coke drum;
• providing a plurality of longitudinally oriented panels having a plurality of longitudinally extending edges, each of said plurality of said longitudinally oriented panels having a length-to-width ratio which is equal to or greater than 4:1;
• joining each adjacent pair of said longitudinally oriented panels together along their longitudinally extending side edges to form a generally cylindrical wall which is free of joints that extend in a circumferential direction of said wall;
• and
• joining said wall to said upper section and said lower section.

A method of operating a coke drum, comprising the steps of:

• accumulating coke in a coke drum, wherein said coke drum comprises:
• an upper head;
• a lower section, at least a portion of which is capable of being moved from a coking operation position to a coke removal position for removal of coke from said coke drum;
• and
• a generally cylindrical wall having a height parallel to its longitudinal axis and extending between and joined to said upper head and said lower section, said wall comprising:
• an upper ring having a height parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wall which is in a range of zero percent to 25 percent of said height of said wall;
• a lower ring having a height parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wall which is in a range of zero percent to 25 percent of said height of said wall;
• and
• an intermediate ring, extending between said upper ring, if present, and said lower ring, if present, said intermediate ring having a height which is equal to a cumulative length of said upper ring and said lower ring subtracted from said length of said wall, said intermediate ring being free of joints which extend in a circumferential direction of said wall;
• introducing water into a lower portion of said coke drum to quench coke accumulated in said coke drum;
• removing vapors from an upper portion of said coke drum;
• moving said at least a portion of said lower section from said coking operation position to said coke removal position to thereby form a coke removal opening after the coke accumulated in said coke drum has been quenched;
• and
• removing thus quenched coke from said coke drum via said coke removal opening.