We have the same concern in our 6drum coker unit. If not cleaned properly, inlet distributors got full of hard coke, free space is reduced and inlet pressure increases. Finally they end up coming off the drum (they are welded to the bottom flange), and they fall to the coke pit during drum opening.
 
Any comments on this? Some people (even coking experts in training seminars) say they are not needed at all, since coke bed will act naturally as a distributor of the incoming feed, and all the operational problems they cause don’t pay off their installation.
 
But some others feel that events like coke fall outs, bottom plugged lines, etc., may be influenced by the abscence of those devices.
 
Thanks in advance
 
Fran

WE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND WE CONSULT WITH DIFFERENT PARTNER AND WE REMOVED THIS DISTRIBUTORS AND WE DONT HAVE ANY PROBLEM , WE DID FIRSTABLE IN ONE AND FOLLOW THE BEHAVIOR AND LATER WE REMOVED ALL OF THEM
ALSO, YOU CAN SEE IN THE NEW DESIGN MOST OF THE DESIGNEER THEY DONT INSTALL THIS DISTRIBUTOR.
ONLY ONE CONCERN IS THAT YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE TO BLOWING OR REVIEW THIS FEED LINE FOR COKE (DURING DRAIN OF THE DRUM SOME COKE CAN BE INSIDE ((CHUNK))