Experimental Investigation of Coke Drum Material Behavior Under Complex Thermal-Mechanical Loading

Abstract

Coke drums are vertical pressure vessels used in the delayed coking process in petroleum refineries and oil sands plants. Significant temperature variation during the delayed coking process causes damage in coke drums in the form of bulging and cracking. In order to better understand the damage mechanisms, an experimental investigation of coke drum material behavior under various thermal-mechanical loading conditions was performed. A thermal-mechanical material testing system is successfully designed and implemented. Six types of various thermal-mechanical cyclic tests were performed: 1. cyclic thermal loading under constant uniaxial stress; 2. in-phase thermal and mechanical stress cycling; 3. out-of-phase thermal and mechanical stress cycling; 4. fully-reversed uniaxial cyclic loading with in-phase thermal cycling; 5. in-phase thermal-axial stress cycling with constant circumferential stress; 6. in-phase thermal-axial stress cycling with mean stress. Some of theses tests are similar to the actual loading scenario experienced by the coke drums. The experimental findings lead to better understanding of the damage mechanisms occurring in coke drums such as bulging.