Assessing the life of coke drams is a challenge many refineries have faced since the delayed coking process was introduced in oil refineries. Delayed coking units are among the refinery units that have higher economical yields. Welds play an important role in the life of these vessels. Cracking and bulging occurrences in the coke drams, most often at the weld areas, characterize the history of the operation of delayed coking units. Thermo-mechanical fatigue is the most common cause for cracking in coke drums. Although coke drums constitutes a classical example of thermo-mechanical fatigue there are several other oil processes that are affected by this mechanism. Hence the findings from this work could be useful for other applications. Other possible application examples include mixing points of hot and cold streams, coal gasifiers, and steam generating equipment.
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