Fuels petroleum-derived, properties

The oils derived from pyrolysis of plastics have the potential to be used directly as fuels. However, to act as direct substitutes for established petroleum-derived fuels requires detailed analysis of their fuel properties in comparison with those of petroleum refined fuels. Table 11.8 shows the fuel properties of oils derived from the pyrolysis of various plastics [46, 47]. Table 11.9 shows comparative data for refined pefroleum fuels [48]. 

Table 11.9 Fuel properties of petroleum-derived fuels [48]...

These complex alterations in the types of compounds generated from refinery operations have led to the development of a variety of technical nomenclatures to describe different petroleum fractions. Many commercial products still carry such traditional names as gasoline or heating oil. In terms of such basic physical and chemical properties as specific gravities and combustion performance, these traditional labels have held their meanings fairly well. New products, such as fuel oils derived from residuals, now join the original fuel oils derived from simple distillation, but the term "fuel oil" is still commonly used to organize data on petroleum imports, exports, and production. But the chemistry of these modern products is often considerably more complex than the chemistry of pre-World War II products with the same names. 

Specific gravity, freezing point and pour point data are shown in Table I. For each fuel four kinds of data are given (where available) the range of the data (minimum and maximum values obtained), the average value for all the sanples examined, the military specification requirement for that property, and an average value for a representative petroleum derived fuel. Also shown in the table are the number of fuel samples which were examined in each case. This format is also used for Table II which will follow. 

As in the case of the miscellaneous physical properties (Table I), the range of the data, averages, specification requirements, and representative values for petroleum derived fuels are given in the table. 

Competition from petroleum derivatives (Speight, 1991) and the desire to produce environmentally acceptable household fuels from bituminous coal require that more and more attention be given to the burning properties of briquettes. Briquettes must have a high heating value anthracite pitch briquettes average 13,300-13,900 Btu/lb. 

Unused oil such as bottom clean-out waste from virgin fuel oil storage tanks or virgin fuel oil recovered from a spill, do not meet EPA s definition. Also excluded are products used as cleaning agents or solely for their solvent properties, as well as certain petroleum-derived products like anti-freeze and kerosene. 

The products of bio-oil and biocrude HT have properties similar to the petroleum-derived liquid hydrocarbon fuels that are the commercial products of commerce in... 

Another possible solution to the problem of high temperature stability is the use of additives. Not exactly a stranger to petroleum people (as evidenced by use in gasoline and lubricants) they generally fall into two classes metallic and non-metallic. The former, for the most part are metal salts of sulfonates or naphthenates, whereas the latter are either amines or amine derivatives (later other organics may prove more effective) Use of additives in jet fuels, however, must of necessity be approached with caution. As surface active materials, many have a variety of uses and properties. Hence, they must not introduce new problems such as foaming at high altitudes, emulsification, or interference with low temperature flow. These could easily be severe limitations, but additives are under serious consideration thruout the industry... 

Table IV gives the properties of the SRC-II fuel oil compared to a low-sulfur residual oil utilized in a recent combustion test. The SRC-II fuel oil is a distillate product with a nominal boiling range of 350-900°F, a viscosity of 40 Saybolt seconds at 100°F and a pour point below -20°F. Thus, it is readily pumpable at all temperatures normally encountered in transportation of the fuel oil. The fuel oil has a very low content of ash and sediment as well as a low Conradson carbon residue. These characteristics are favorable from the standpoint of particulate emissions during combustion. Tests of compatibility with typical petroleum fuel oils and on stability of the coal distillates over time have not revealed any unusual characteristics that would preclude utilization of these coal-derived fuels in conventional boiler applications.

Bio-oil from rapid pyrolysis is usually a dark brown, free-flowing liquid having a distinctive smoky odor. It has significantly different physical and chemical properties compared to the liquid from slow pyrolysis processes, which is more like a tar. Bio-oils are multicomponent mixtures comprised of different size molecules derived primarily from depolymerization and fragmentation reactions of the three key biomass building blocks cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Therefore, the elemental composition of biooil resembles that of biomass rather than that of petroleum oils. Basic properties of biooils are shown in Table 33.7. More detail on fuel-related characteristics is provided in the literature.571... 

---