Oil, Gas and PetrochemicalsDelayed Coking and Residue Upgrading
Vacuum residue is the least valuable part of the barrel, and the units that upgrade it run hot, foul quickly and still involve some of the most hazardous manual tasks in a refinery. The course first compares bottom of the barrel routes: delayed coking, visbreaking, solvent deasphalting and residue hydroconversion, with their yields and where each fits. Delayed coking is then covered in depth: coker heater coil fouling and spalling, drum switching, steaming, quench and drain cycles, unheading and hydraulic decoking, foamover prevention and the coker fractionator. Coke quality, from fuel grade to anode and needle grades, and its dependence on feed are discussed next. Drum cycle optimisation and safe unheading practice close the programme. Delegates finish able to operate or support a coker safely and to weigh one upgrading option against another.
Course objectives
- Compare delayed coking, visbreaking, deasphalting and residue hydroconversion
- Predict coker yields from feed carbon residue and operating conditions
- Manage heater coil fouling through spalling and online decoking
- Sequence drum switching, steaming, quenching and draining
- Apply safe unheading and hydraulic cutting practices
- Prevent drum foamover and control antifoam use
- Relate feed and operation to green coke quality grades
- Optimise drum cycle time against throughput and reliability
Who should attend
- Coker operators and drum deck crews
- Process engineers on residue upgrading units
- Refinery planners evaluating bottom of the barrel options
- Maintenance and reliability engineers for coke drums
- Safety advisers covering coker operations
Course outline
- 01Residue properties and upgrading routes
- 02Delayed coking fundamentals
- 03Coker heater operation and fouling
- 04Drum cycle and switching
- 05Unheading, decoking and drum safety
- 06Fractionator and gas plant
- 07Coke quality and markets
- 08Visbreaking, deasphalting and hydroconversion
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 to 30 October 2026 | Accra, Ghana | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | |
| 2 to 6 November 2026 | Casablanca, Morocco | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | |
| 18 to 22 January 2027 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate | |
| 8 to 12 March 2027 | Gaborone, Botswana | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate |
Delayed Coking and Residue Upgrading
From R8,500