Blog
Blog
Innovating sustainable pathways for coker technology
The challenges
As the world pivots toward a net-zero future, the industry is faced with global challenges. Refiners are struggling to improve margins while transitioning to cleaner energy and adapting to a changing energy landscape.
One area where there is a clear transition is the demand for electric vehicles (EVs). With increasing EV adoption, conventional transportation fuel will continue to decline, while the requirement for synthetic graphite used in battery manufacturing is expected to grow.
Additionally, with more than 260 million tons of plastic waste is produced globally every year and only around 16% being recycled, the excess is either incinerated, contributing to greenhouse gases or ends up in landfills and oceans.
Retrofitting solutions for more sustainable refineries
Wood’s selective-yield delayed coking technology (SYDECSM) is the leading method for residue upgrading for zero-fuel oil production. It provides refiners with the flexibility to utilise a variety of residues in their cokers to reduce waste and support energy transition objectives.
Solutions include:
Due to the pandemic and the decrease in demand for transportation fuels, delayed coking units (DCU) are not operating at their design capacities. To address this challenge, Wood is applying our existing SYDECSM technology to help clients repurpose existing cokers for a more sustainable future.
SYDECSM Circular (employee driven innovation)
Processing plastic waste supports future-proofing existing assets, enabling smooth transition of traditional refineries to support closing the loop on plastics.
- Generation of high-value products while reducing the impact of plastics waste on the environment
- Robust economics – monetise low value waste, maximise asset utilisation and optimise tax benefits
- Increased product quality (higher octane, naphtha, etc.)
- Increased annual production
- Extended length of coking cycle
- Reduced tube fouling and improved heater run length
- Reduced foaming in coke drums
SYDECSM Volt
Repurposing fuel grade delayed coking units to produce high-value battery grade needle coke:
- Premium grade coke produced by delayed coking of aromatic tars
- Required for making synthetic graphite – a key component for Li-ion batteries used in electric vehicle (EV)
- High-value premium grade of needle coke production
- Enabling fossil fuel redirection to support sustainable economy
Fully integrated DCU + SDA
Combining SYDECSM delayed coking technology with our proven solvent de-asphalting (SDA) technology:
- Significantly increases liquid yields and refinery margins
- Increases residue conversion
- Overall low CAPEX and OPEX for higher conversion
- Reduced utility consumption reducing overall carbon footprint
Retrofit to reduce emissions
Existing assets can be decarbonised with the following services and features:
- Renewable and biofeeds co-processing in coker
- Energy audit and energy optimisation studies
- Heat integration opportunities
- Reduce fuel gas consumption
- Saturated gas plant revamp
- Closed coke slurry system
- Operations and yield improvements
- Optimisation of water management
Digitalisation
We combine our proprietary process technology with the leading cloud-based predictive analytics platform from Honeywell, one of our technology partners, to deliver a fully digitalised delayed coking unit .
- Real-time operating data
- Continuous subject matter expert support and monitoring
SYDECSM advantages
Due to our extensive delayed coking licensing and design experience, we can design units tailored to individual refinery needs.
Our designs include production of all types of coke morphology such as fuel, anode, and needle coke. Our robust technical components and an 80-year history in delayed coking design with over 3 million BPSD of installed coking capacity helps to cement our leading position in this area.
Our specialists continue to improve refining technologies and adapt them to changing market conditions to protect and ensure our clients’ return on investment.
Technological benefits
· Easy integration to enable processing of heavier cheaper crudes
· Complete residue conversion, including low-value residues to high-value fuels thereby maximising profits
· Yield selectivity to maximise distillate production for improved profitability
· Feedstock flexibility to process residue, pitch, decant oil, pyoil, plastics, and/or partially converted materials
· Proprietary TerraceWallTM delayed coker heater, a sloped wall double fired heater for extended run-lengths between spalling and turnarounds for greater onstream time and lower maintenance costs
· Designed to maximise operator safety with open coke drum structure layout, improved egress, sophisticated coke drum and heater interlocks, and slide valve unheading
· Proprietary centre feed device for coke drum feed entry to improve drum life to minimise hot spots and banana effect
· Environmentally friendly process with no continuous slops, fully enclosed blowdown system, and clean coke handling systems leading to reduced emissions
Where Wood adds value
Improved reliability, operability and efficiency
- Proprietary TerraceWallTM double-fired heater
- Advanced coke drum design
- Fractionator wash zone sprays and fines removal
- Low-pressure, ultra-low recycle
- On-line spalling/pigging
- Run lengths of five years or more between turnarounds · Digital delayed coking for remote on-line monitoring and optimising
Safety in design
- Slide valve unheading system
- Extensive safety interlocks to prevent maloperation
- Improved deck layout and better safety egress
- Full coker automation available
- Coke drum life monitoring program
- Centre feed device for drum feed entry
Environmentally friendly process
- Low-sulphur fuel gas production
- Enclosed coke transport and storage
- Enclosed blowdown recovery systems
- Clean coke handling systems
- Waste by-product processing including slops and sludge
- Water minimisation
- Improved heat integration
Reduced technology risk and interface with full life cycle support
- Feasibility studies
- Process design packages
- Front-end engineering design (FEED)
- Detailed engineering
- Procurement and construction (EPC)
- Construction management
We provide unit checkout, commissioning, start-up and operations assistance, and comprehensive training (operations, maintenance, operator training simulator).
Our team also delivers aftermarket service through technical service agreements for ongoing continuous support leading to optimised operations, extended heater run length, and enhanced reliability of coke drums for longer drum life.
Get in touch
Srini Srivatsan
Director, Coking Technology
