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Zachry Integrity has been contributing to/participating in ASME PVP Conferences since 2018. We just got back from PVP2026 in Anaheim, where we presented our two papers related to optimization of coke drum operation!

PVP2026-174722: Coke Drum Blowdown Line Optimization for Reliability and Fatigue Resistance – This paper presents a case study involving a series of blowdown lines that experienced different types of failures related to overall piping design and fatigue damage. The purpose of this paper is to highlight various optimization strategies that were used to counteract the common failure mechanisms, which have proved to be effective measures to minimize the frequency of failures.

PVP2026-174723: A Novel Approach to Delay Coke Drum Keyhole Cracking Using Stiffening Bars – This study presents a novel methodology to minimize the propagation of cracks that have already formed on coke drum skirt keyholes. Stiffening bars (appropriately sized using FEA) were welded above the keyhole cracks, which theoretically reduces the stress intensity factor at the crack tip. The latest field data indicates that the stiffening bars have promising crack arresting properties and will be continually monitored in the coming years to validate the effectiveness of this mitigation strategy.

As usual, the opportunity to interact with leading experts in various industries and share our expertise with others was an invaluable experience! Let us know if you would like to know more about the services we provide/research we’ve been involved with over the years!

For research papers before 2026 click here.