Quick Hit Guide To Greater Process Control, Efficiency, And Safety

By Tony Hart, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Hydrocarbon processing in today’s petrochemical industry demands greater process control, as well as an increase in process efficiency and safety. Many operators of coke drums require a general overview of the height of materials and the rate of level as the process changes. Two technologies are usually applied to coke drums to determine their contents: neutron backscatter and gamma transmission. Neutron backscatter can detect vapors, foams, liquids and solids through any vessel thickness to provide rapid indication of process changes. Gamma transmission offers the ability to look at the height of foam, coke and water during the coking cycle, while providing vapor density compensation. When neutron backscatter and gamma transmission methods are used in conjunction, called “Hybrid Coking Level,” they can offer superior insight into the process changes than if either method was used alone. The combination of the Thermo Scientific™ KRILPRO interface device and the Thermo Scientific™ LevelPRO nuclear gauge offers the best monitoring scheme for both exact control and an overview of what is happening in the delayed coking process.