Uddcomb’s mechanized welding expertise offers a foundation for tailored coke drum repair solutions.
Coke drums operate under demanding thermal cycles. Repeated heating and quenching can lead to cracking, shell deformation and damage to internal cladding—creating challenges for refinery operators seeking to maintain equipment integrity.
For suitable applications, weld overlay offers a route to reinforce damaged regions and introduce new material at the surface of an ageing and degraded coke drum. At Uddcomb, we see an opportunity to apply our mechanized weld overlay and repair engineering capabilities to these challenges.
More than a local crack repair
When cracking is driven by bulging and concentrated stresses, repairing the crack alone may not address the underlying problem.
Filler material, Weld overlay location, coverage, transition geometry and weld surface quality all influence repair performance.
Uddcomb provides mechanized and automated weld overlay solutions for pressure vessels, supported by customized welding equipment and in-house welding procedure development and qualification. These capabilities provide a strong starting point for developing application-specific coke drum repairs, refurbishments and upgrades.
Our focus is on matching the repair approach to the component – not applying a standard weld overlay regardless of its condition. Uddcombs coke drum repair solutions focus on compatibility between the shell, existing cladding and deposited weld metal, particularly where older stainless steel cladding is present.
Engineered solutions for each coke drum
Weld overlay is not a universal solution to all coke drums. Published studies and practical experience show that the effect of reinforcement depends on the drum’s deformation pattern and repair design. A solution that benefits one configuration may increase stresses in another.
Each application therefore requires a project-specific engineering assessment, appropriate procedure qualification and compliance with applicable repair requirements before execution. The objective is a repair that addresses the damage mechanism as well as the visible defect. Contact Uddcomb for more information about our tailored coke drum repair and refurbishment solutions.