Coker Units

The primary raw material feedstock for global coker units is vacuum reduced crude (VRC) or vacuum residue, which represents the heavy bottom fraction left after the vacuum distillation of crude oil.

Coker units inherently tolerate inferior heavy oil feeds characterized by high concentrations of asphaltenes, resins, sulfur, and heavy metals, making them highly resilient compared to catalytic residue options.

Secondary upstream feedstocks processed by delayed coking units to recover distillate fractions and generate industrial coke include atmospheric distillation residues (tar, fuel oil), pitch, and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) slurry.

Upstream supply dynamics are driven by a worldwide rise in the proportion of heavy and high-sulfur crude oils within refinery feed slates, expanding the operational demand for delayed coking as a critical bottom-of-the-barrel conversion technique.