US Patent 7524411 Alternate coke furnace tube arrangement

Tubes within a radiant heating section of a coking furnace are arranged differently than in a single vertical column and connected together in a simple, planar serpentine pattern. The tubes are arranged in a plurality of offset or staggered vertical columns. This arrangement permits the upper tubes to be close to the radiant heat source and also allows the tube bends connecting adjacent tubes to be of greater radius, so that the pressure at which the feedstock is passed through the tube bundle can be lower allowing more vaporization of the cracked process fluids.