Delayed coker at a refinery on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Four DCU coke drums needed re-insulation — but without taking the unit offline. Pyrogel® HPS was installed between cycles, contributing to harder coke, lower volatile-combustible matter, and meaningful per-month margin lift.
Re-insulate four coke drums without taking the unit down.
Any conventional re-insulation campaign would have required a shutdown — costly on a delayed coker. The operator wanted zero-downtime work.
- Four DCU coke drums to re-insulate. Major scope at the heart of the unit.
- Zero-downtime requirement. Operator unwilling to take the coker offline for the work.
- Inspection windows tight. Circumferential welds inspected routinely — needed removable covers.
Pyrogel® HPS between cycles, with site-fabricated inspection blanks.
Work was scheduled between cycles; the on-site contractor fabricated their own HPS-filled inspection blanks for routine weld access.
- Installed between cycles · zero downtime. No production interruption for the re-insulation campaign.
- Optimized operating temperature. Pyrogel® HPS held temperature reliably across the drum cycle.
- Harder coke; lower VCM. Both indications of improved liquid yield from the drum.
- Site-fabricated HPS inspection blanks. Maintained routine weld-inspection workflow.
Per-month margin lift from improved drum yield.
Post-install audit showed lower surface temperatures, harder coke that was difficult to cut, and a measurable VCM reduction — worth approximately $30–50k per month in incremental margin on the unit, with further upside available as the operator optimizes furnace temperatures.
Need to re-insulate coke drums without taking the unit down?
Pyrogel® HPS installs between cycles — Aspen can scope a zero-downtime re-insulation plan.