Dear experts, please give me some advice: should I choose a atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit or a coking unit?

Both coking units and atmospheric and vacuum distillation units are important; the former requires a relatively higher level of technical expertise, while the latter serves as the key unit and the foundation. It depends on your choice If you want to do some physical work as a form of exercise, then go to the coking unit; of course, you can learn a lot there as well. If you want to learn the basic principles and methods, then start by working in the atmospheric and vacuum distillation units. To make progress in your career, either you’ll rise quickly or you’ll face setbacks

Both coking units and atmospheric and vacuum distillation units are important. Atmospheric and vacuum distillation units mainly consist of towers and heat exchangers; these involve physical processes only, with no chemical reactions taking place, making them relatively cleaner. Coking units are relatively more complex; the coking heaters and coke towers are all specialized equipment for coking. The distillation towers, absorption and stabilization units, as well as the catalytic cracking units are similar in design, though these units are relatively dirtier. The slag reduced by the atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit is supplied as raw material to the coking unit; they are generally arranged together in one location.

People on the 2nd and 3rd floors have expressed their views. Personally, I think the coking process is long, involves many steps, and is relatively complex, whereas vacuum distillation is a purely physical process that is easy to understand, allowing for a quicker grasp of its procedures. Both units operate on the heavy oil principle; compared to hydrogenation or hydrogen production, this process is quite dirty and requires a lot of physical effort. In processes such as coking, if there are no automatic cover removal machines, the workload for the staff responsible for removing the cokes is quite high (we only have automatic cover removal machines). Since they are both heavy oils and involve high-temperature processes (above 350°C), equipment maintenance is a very demanding task. Coking requires more specialized equipment than atmospheric and vacuum distillation; for example, pumps – all types of pumps used in atmospheric and vacuum distillation are also available for coking (with the exception of vacuum pumps), as well as centrifugal pumps, metering pumps (plunger type), steam reciprocating pumps, and high-pressure water injection pumps. Coking uses compressors, while atmospheric and vacuum distillation usually do not. Coking stabilization and desulfurization processes share similarities with FCC. Personally, I think it would be good to spend some time practicing in atmospheric and vacuum distillation if possible, and then delve deeper into coking* ； If only one choice is available, namely staying in a certain workshop, it is recommended to go to the coking area.

Coking covers a broader range of technologies; if you have the intention to get involved in oil refining, it’s better to go with coking

Although the coking process is on the decline, it is recommended to opt for coking rather than atmospheric and vacuum distillation units. There are many similarities among oil refining processes; the properties of the raw materials and the requirements for the products determine the importance of the facilities. Furthermore, the product of coking is petroleum coke, which is present throughout the entire process, which is quite different from ordinary liquid transportation and processing. If there are also catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, or residue hydrogenation units, I recommend choosing one of those.

What was said on the 4th floor is very comprehensive; if one goes somewhere, it’s better to choose a place with a high level of technical complexity, so as to have better opportunities for development in the future

In my opinion, a college student working at an oil refinery is different from an operator at an ordinary technical school; such a person still aspires to achieve something. Undoubtedly, the area in a typical refinery where leaders are most likely to emerge is catalysis. This is because catalytic devices are relatively complex, with many reactions and components involved in their design; once the catalytic element is removed, the other components become much simpler. Therefore, if one wants to make progress in the oil refinery industry, it is necessary to turn to more complex facilities. Atmospheric and vacuum distillation are relatively simple; coking is recommended.

Reply to 4# Mysterious Beyond Mystery: Thank you for your advice, sir; then I’ll head over to the coking unit. I’m going to the operation shift, not the decarburization shift, so it shouldn’t require much physical effort. Let’s see if I can get a role related to equipment management there!

Reply to 9# lilily9999: Others have also mentioned catalysis. There are many large-scale units that use catalysis; the process differs from coking mainly in terms of the reaction stage. In coking, it’s mainly about the furnace – it’s necessary to control the three doors and one plate properly, keep the furnace operating well, and regulate the temperature at the radiation outlet. Another aspect is tower replacement, which is relatively simpler. Catalytic reactions mainly involve operations in two types of reactors; it is a technology that requires a high level of expertise. There are many devices involved, and it differs from coking processes. It would be good to have the opportunity to study catalysis.

Our coking unit and the atmospheric and vacuum distillation units belong to the same department. It was indeed easy to handle only the atmospheric and vacuum distillation processes in the past; but now that we have the coking unit as well, it’s simply exhausting