One of the primary reasons leading to bulging and cracking in a coke drum is the severe temperature gradient due to cyclic temperature variation. Based on the two-dimensional heat conduction theory, an analytical solution of the transient temperature field in the coke drum is obtained, which is different from the known FEM results. The length of the coke drum is considered finite. The dynamic boundary conditions caused by fluid uninterrupted rising in oiling and watering stages are simulated with the iteration method. Numerical results show that the present theoretical model can accurately describe basic features of the transient temperature field in the coke drum. Effects of the geometry of the coke drum and the rising velocity of quench water on the axial temperature gradient are also discussed.