Fuel low temperature

The pour point test is used to determine the lowest temperature at which a fuel can be effectively pumped. However, the pour point value can be misleading, especially when it is used to determine the low-temperature handling characteristics of residual fuel oil and other heavy fuels. Low-temperature viscosity measurements are considered more reliable than pour point values for determining the flow properties and pumpability of these oils. 

Usually more difficult to handle at low temperatures than conventional diesel fuel when blended with conventional diesel fuel, low-temperature handling of biodiesel improves. 

Brown, G. I., and Gaskill, G. P. 1990. Enhanced Diesel Fuel Low Temperature Operability Additive Developments. Erdole und Kohle-Erdgas Petrochemie, 43, 196-204. 

The lower lines in Fig. 2 plot the conditions when the rates of branching (via RO2) and of termination (via R) are equal for two alkanes of widely differing autoignition propensities. Below the line for a particular fuel low-temperature alkyl peroxy radical chemistry is dominant. Above the line alkyl peroxy radicals are of less significance. 

Ding, D., Liu, Z.B., Li, L. Xia, C.R. An octane-fueled low temperature solid oxide fuel-cell with Ru-fiee artodsB. Electrochem. Commun. 10 (2008a), pp. 1295-1298. 

PPha, pyridine) organic groups (olefines, aromatic derivatives) and also form other derivatives, e.g. halides, hydrides, sulphides, metal cluster compounds Compounds containing clusters of metal atoms linked together by covalent (or co-ordinate) bands, metaldehyde, (C2H40) ( = 4 or 6). A solid crystalline substance, sublimes without melting at I12 1I5" C stable when pure it is readily formed when elhanal is left in the presence of a catalyst at low temperatures, but has unpredictable stability and will revert to the monomer, ft is used for slug control and as a fuel. 

Knowledge of their qu nt ty tjieir distribution by number of carbon atoms is Indispensable for the evaluation of low temperature behavior of diesel motor fuels as well as the production and transport characteristics of paraffinic crudes. 

The density, distillation curve, viscosity, and behavior at low temperature make up the essential characteristics of diesei fuel necessary for satisfactory operation of the engine. 

For a long time the official specifications for diesel fuel set only a mciximum viscosity of 9.5 mm /s at 20°C. Henceforth, a range of 2.5 mm /s minimum to 4.5 mm /s maximum has been set no longer for 20°C but at 40°C which seems to be more representative of injection pump operation. Except for special cases such as very low temperature very fluid diesel fuel and very heavy products, meeting the viscosity standards is not a major problem in refining. 

Low temperature characteristics of a diesei fuei affect more its fuel feed system than its behavior when burning. However, we will examine them here because of their strong impact on refinery flow schemes. 

For jet fuels, the elimination of free water using filters and coalescers by purging during storage, and the limit of 5 ppm dissolved water are sufficient to avoid incidents potentially attributable to water contamination formation of micro-crystals of ice at low temperature, increased risk of corrosion, growth of micro-organisms. 

An fuel-air mixture explosion can be initiated by a sudden discharge of static electricity. Yet, while flowing in systems, a fluid develops an electrical charge which will take as long to dissipate as the fluid is a poor conductor. The natural electrical conductivity of jet fuel is very low, on the order of a few picosiemens per meter, and it decreases further at low temperature. 

David, P G.l. Brown and E.W. Lehman (1993), SFPP - A new laboratory test for assessment of low temperature operability of modern diesel fuels". CEC 4th International Symposium, Birmingham. 

Sasol produces synthetic fuels and chemicals from coal-derived synthesis gas. Two significant variations of this technology have been commercialized, and new process variations are continually under development. Sasol One used both the fixed-bed (Arge) process, operated at about 240°C, as weU as a circulating fluidized-bed (Synthol) system operating at 340°C. Each ET reactor type has a characteristic product distribution that includes coproducts isolated for use in the chemical industry. Paraffin wax is one of the principal coproducts of the low temperature Arge process. Alcohols, ketones, and lower paraffins are among the valuable coproducts obtained from the Synthol process. 

Chlorine ttifluoride is utilized in the processing of nuclear fuels to convert uranium to gaseous uranium hexafluoride. Chlorine ttifluoride has also been used as a low temperature etchant for single-crystalline siHcon (122,123). 

In low temperature fuel ceUs, ie, AEG, PAEC, PEEC, protons or hydroxyl ions are the principal charge carriers in the electrolyte, whereas in the high temperature fuel ceUs, ie, MCEC, SOEC, carbonate and oxide ions ate the charge carriers in the molten carbonate and soHd oxide electrolytes, respectively. Euel ceUs that use zitconia-based soHd oxide electrolytes must operate at about 1000°C because the transport rate of oxygen ions in the soHd oxide is adequate for practical appHcations only at such high temperatures. Another option is to use extremely thin soHd oxide electrolytes to minimize the ohmic losses. 

A viable electrocatalyst operating with minimal polarization for the direct electrochemical oxidation of methanol at low temperature would strongly enhance the competitive position of fuel ceU systems for transportation appHcations. Fuel ceUs that directiy oxidize CH OH would eliminate the need for an external reformer in fuel ceU systems resulting in a less complex, more lightweight system occupying less volume and having lower cost. Improvement in the performance of PFFCs for transportation appHcations, which operate close to ambient temperatures and utilize steam-reformed CH OH, would be a more CO-tolerant anode electrocatalyst. Such an electrocatalyst would reduce the need to pretreat the steam-reformed CH OH to lower the CO content in the anode fuel gas. Platinum—mthenium alloys show encouraging performance for the direct oxidation of methanol. 

One factor contributing to the inefficiency of a fuel ceU is poor performance of the positive electrode. This accounts for overpotentials of 300—400 mV in low temperature fuel ceUs. An electrocatalyst that is capable of oxygen reduction at lower overpotentials would benefit the overall efficiency of the fuel ceU. Despite extensive efforts expended on electrocatalysis studies of oxygen reduction in fuel ceU electrolytes, platinum-based metals are stiU the best electrocatalysts for low temperature fuel ceUs. 

Thermochemical Liquefaction. Most of the research done since 1970 on the direct thermochemical Hquefaction of biomass has been concentrated on the use of various pyrolytic techniques for the production of Hquid fuels and fuel components (96,112,125,166,167). Some of the techniques investigated are entrained-flow pyrolysis, vacuum pyrolysis, rapid and flash pyrolysis, ultrafast pyrolysis in vortex reactors, fluid-bed pyrolysis, low temperature pyrolysis at long reaction times, and updraft fixed-bed pyrolysis. Other research has been done to develop low cost, upgrading methods to convert the complex mixtures formed on pyrolysis of biomass to high quaHty transportation fuels, and to study Hquefaction at high pressures via solvolysis, steam—water treatment, catalytic hydrotreatment, and noncatalytic and catalytic treatment in aqueous systems. 

Low Temperature Carbonization. Low temperature carbonization, when the process does not exceed 700°C, was mainly developed as a process to supply town gas for lighting purposes as well as to provide a smokeless (devolatilized) soHd fuel for domestic consumption (30). However, the process by-products (tars) were also found to be valuable insofar as they served as feedstocks (qv) for an emerging chemical industry and were also converted to gasolines, heating oils, and lubricants (see Gasoline and OTHER motor fuels Lubrication and lubricants) (31). 

Some additives have the ability to lower the pour point without lowering the cloud point. A number of laboratory scale flow tests have been developed to provide a better prediction of cold temperature operability. They include the cold filter plugging point (CFPP), used primarily in Europe, and the low temperature flow test (LTFT), used primarily in the United States. Both tests measure flow through filter materials under controlled conditions of temperature, pressure, etc, and are better predictors of cold temperature performance than either cloud or pour point for addithed fuels. 

Fuels ndEfficiency. Natural gas, oil, and electricity are the primary sources of energy propane is used as backup reserve in emergencies. Natural gas is the least expensive and most frequently used fuel, with heat content ranging from 34—45 MJ/nf (900—1200 Btu/ft ) for raw gas and approximately 3 MJ/m (80 Btu/fT) for air-gas mixtures. Fuel oil has heat content between 39—43 MJ/L (139,600—153,000 Btu/U.S. gal). Fuel oil is viscous at low temperature and must be heated before being fed to atomizing burners where it is mixed with air for combustion. 

Condensable hydrocarbons are removed from natural gas by cooling the gas to a low temperature and then by washing it with a cold hydrocarbon hquid to absorb the condensables. The uncondensed gas (mainly methane with a small amount of ethane) is classified as natural gas. The condensable hydrocarbons (ethane and heavier hydrocarbons) are stripped from the solvent and are separated into two streams. The heavier stream, which largely contains propane with some ethane and butane, can be Hquefied and is marketed as Hquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (qv). The heavier fractions, which consist of and heavier hydrocarbons, are added to gasoline to control volatihty (see Gasoline and other motor fuels). 

Use of a low temperature shift converter in a PSA hydrogen plant is not needed it does, however, reduce the feed and fuel requirements for the same amount of hydrogen production. For large plants, the inclusion of a low temperature shift converter should be considered, as it increases the thermal efficiency by approximately 1% and reduces the unit cost of hydrogen production by approximately 0.70/1000 (20/1000 ft ) (140,141). 

---