A robot system includes a cooking device to heat a cooking container and having an operation unit configured to select a temperature level; a robot configured to control the temperature level and a cooking time of the cooking device; a dust sensor disposed around the cooking device or on the robot to sense a concentration of foreign substances; a temperature sensor disposed around the cooking device or on the robot to sense a temperature of the cooking container or the cooking device; and a controller configured to control the robot in a safe mode such that at least one of the temperature level and the cooking time is varied according to a danger level determined by a concentration sensing value of the dust sensor and a temperature sensing value of the temperature sensor.

In one embodiment, a method for producing coke that includes mixing at least a first and a second carbonaceous material into a single feedstock of carbonaceous material. The coking feasibility of the single feedstock of carbonaceous material is then determined. The single feedstock is customized into a predetermined material composition, and then the customized single feedstock is pyrolyzed to produce coke material and coke by-products. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

A method of operating a refinery including at least one coke drum coupled to a coker fractionator. A pump characteristics curve is provided for a fractionator bottom pump coupled to the coker fractionator comprising a net positive suction head required (NPSHr) curve as a function of a pump flow rate. Fog computing utilizes the pump characteristics curve along with at least one sensed input parameter including a real-time value for the pump flow rate to control the fractionator bottom pump to dynamically control a column pressure (Pc) in the coker fractionator. A reduction in Pc is obtained that reduces an available NPSH (NPSHa) which lessens a difference between the NPSHa and the NPSHr.

A robot system includes a cooking device to heat a cooking container and having an operation unit configured to select a temperature level; a robot configured to control the temperature level and a cooking time of the cooking device; a dust sensor disposed around the cooking device or on the robot to sense a concentration of foreign substances; a temperature sensor disposed around the cooking device or on the robot to sense a temperature of the cooking container or the cooking device; and a controller configured to control the robot in a safe mode such that at least one of the temperature level and the cooking time is varied according to a danger level determined by a concentration sensing value of the dust sensor and a temperature sensing value of the temperature sensor.

A method of operating a refinery including at least one coke drum coupled to a coker fractionator. A pump characteristics curve is provided for a fractionator bottom pump coupled to the coker fractionator comprising a net positive suction head required (NPSHr) curve as a function of a pump flow rate. Fog computing utilizes the pump characteristics curve along with at least one sensed input parameter including a real-time value for the pump flow rate to control the fractionator bottom pump to dynamically control a column pressure (Pc) in the coker fractionator. A reduction in Pc is obtained that reduces an available NPSH (NPSHa) which lessens a difference between the NPSHa and the NPSHr.

In one embodiment, a method for producing coke that includes mixing at least a first and a second carbonaceous material into a single feedstock of carbonaceous material. The coking feasibility of the single feedstock of carbonaceous material is then determined. The single feedstock is customized into a predetermined material composition, and then the customized single feedstock is pyrolyzed to produce coke material and coke by-products. Other embodiments are also disclosed.