Abstract: Petroleum coking drums and other vessels may be inspected to determine if dimensional changes or bulges have occurred in the surface of the vessel by an inspection device including a reflected laser light measuring survey apparatus and a video camera mounted on a frame which may be disposed in selected vertical positions along a central axis of the vessel and rotatably positioned by a rotary positioner interposed between a support stem for the device and the frame. Plural distance measurements and video scans are transmitted to a remote control console for recording and plotting of the contours of bulges or other dimensional anomalies surveyed by the survey apparatus. Components of the device are sealed or gas pressurized to minimize the chance of explosion in hazardous environments such as the interior of a petroleum coking drum. The system is adapted to be supported on the distal end of a coking drum drillstem and centralized by a removable clamp unit mounted on the drum manway flange.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for dewatering a recovered oil stream prior to the recovered oil stream being fed to a fractionator for reprocessing into product s rea s uses a blowdown drum controlled like a drstillatron tower so that the bottoms temperature of the blowdown drum is maintained at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the blowdown drum by a reboiler. For refineries that contain a delayed coker unit and a coker fractionator which is used for fractionating light products from residual oil serving as coker feedstock, which coker fractionator is also used to fractionate recovered oil containing water and hydrocarbons, a coker blowdown drum is controlled to maintain an appropriate bottoms temperature to achieve separation in the blowdown drum of water from the hydrocarbons in the recovered oil stream, and the blowdown drum is thus used for dewatering the recovered oil before it is fed to the coker fractionator.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for alignment and mounting in position of a drill stem provided at one end with a cutting tool for use in removing coke from a coke drum. The drill stem is provided in the vicinity of the cutting tool with a drill stem guide carried on a slidably mounted plate. A flange on the drill stem is provided to prevent movement of the plate below a particular point. In a preferred embodiment, automatic clamping means are provided to attach the plate to an end flange on the coke drum when the drill stem guide has been lowered into the coke drum a sufficient distance so that the flange on the drill stem is disengaged from direct or indirect contact with the plate and/or connecting elements of the clamping means provided on an upper surface of the plate.

Abstract: Movement of a coke drum feed line relative to the feed inlet using apparatus comprising a plurality of means for moving the feed line in generally mutually orthogonal directions. One end of each moving means is pivotally attached to a support means by spherical bearings, while the other end is in direct or indirect engagement with the feed line. In a preferred embodiment, the feed line is supported by a bracket which extends generally longitudinally along the exterior surface and to which the moving means are attached. Suitably, the moving means comprises hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders provided with shafts extending axially from one end of the cylinders, whereby movement of the shaft is effected by introducing fluid into the cylinder so as to move a piston associated with the shaft.