Other Fuel Gases

The fimdamental rules and regulations for the design of ethene supply plants laid down in international and national rules, orders or directives have to be followed. The initial approval of ethene plants has to be carried out by qualified persons and/or a notified body. Recurrent inspections are also required. 

Before planning or modifying such plants it is advisable to contact a gas supplier who employs specialized application engineers and qualified staff. 

When operating, planning, constructing, at the initial and recurrent inspections, during maintenance and service of acetylene gas cylinders, bundles and their supply units the following has to be observed (among others)  

EC Directive 1999/92/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 Dec 1999 explosion protection 

Equipment used in gas welding, cutting and allied processes - safety devices for fuel gases and oxygen or compresses air - general specifications, requirements and tests 

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AGA The American Gas Association, Arlington. Virginia is an excellent source of information on the properties of natural and other Fuel gases and their measurement, including calorimetry. Publications arc frequently updated. http //WK.aga.oni/... 

Selected Properties of Hydrogen and Other Fuel Gases, 109... 

Methanol is conventionally produced from natural gas [138]. Alternatively, methanol ean be obtained from biomass, such as wood and agricultural waste [102]. Renewable methanol presents different advantages as fuel and raw material. For example, it is more easily transportable than methane or other fuel gases, it has high energy density and does not require desulphurization. 

The energy of the first combustion phase with oxygen, the primary flame, has to be added. Only this energy is of importance in autogenous engineering, a considerable advantage compared to other fuel gases. 

The preceding chapters dealt exclusively with the fuel gases acetylene and ethene. Other fuel gases, such as e.g. ammonia, chlorine ethane, chlorine methane. 

But these two gases have a great many other uses as well. Oxygen is used to produce stronger steels less expensively. It is also used together with acetylene and other fuel gases such as propane to weld or cut steel in fabricating structures and machinery. It is used in medical treatment and respiratory therapy. 

Industrial applications include its very wide utilization with acetylene, propane, hydrogen, and other fuel gases for such purposes as metal cutting, welding, hardening. 

The information about the chemical composition can be used to calculate physical properties of the gas, such as heating (calorific) value and relative density. Combustion characteristics, products of combustion, toxicity, and interchangeability with other fuel gases may also be inferred from the chemical composition. 

Provisions must be made to never crack a fuel gas cylinder valve near sources of ignition. Before a regulator is removed, the valve must be closed and gas must be released from the regulator. Red is used to identify the acetylene (and other fuel-gas) hose, green is for the oxygen hose, and black is for inert gas and the air hose. Pressure-reducing regulators are used only for gas and the pressures for which they are intended. 

Cylinders containing oxygen or acetylene or other fuel gas shall not be taken into confined spaces. 

Is red used to identify the acetylene (and other fuel gas) hose, green for the oxygen hose, and black for inert gas and air hoses ... 

Safety instrrunentation Hydrogen, oxygen, and other fuel gas leak detectors and alarms... 

The market penetration of synthetic fuels from biomass and wastes in the United States depends on several basic factors, eg, demand, price, performance, competitive feedstock uses, government incentives, whether estabUshed fuel is replaced by a chemically identical fuel or a different product, and cost and availabiUty of other fuels such as oil and natural gas. Detailed analyses have been performed to predict the market penetration of biomass energy well into the twenty-first century. A range of from 3 to about 21 EJ seems to characterize the results of most of these studies. 

This gas is of interest to industry as a fuel gas or even, on occasion, as a raw material from which ammonia and other compounds may be synthesized. 

Methanol, a clean burning fuel relative to conventional industrial fuels other than natural gas, can be used advantageously in stationary turbines and boilers because of its low flame luminosity and combustion temperature. Low NO emissions and virtually no sulfur or particulate emissions have been observed (83). Methanol is also considered for dual fuel (methanol plus oil or natural gas) combustion power boilers (84) as well as to fuel gas turbines in combined methanol / electric power production plants using coal gasification (85) (see Power generation). 

Natural gas upgra ding economics may be affected by additional factors. The increasing use of compressed natural gas (CNG) directiy as fuel in vehicles provides an alternative market which affects both gas price and value (see Gasoline and other motor fuels Gas, natural). The hostility of the remote site environment where the natural gas is located may contribute to additional costs, eg, offshore sites require platforms and submarine pipelines. 

Hexane refers to the straight-chain hydrocarbon, C H branched hydrocarbons of the same formula are isohexanes. Hexanes include the branched compounds, 2-methylpentane, 3-methylpentane, 2,2-dimethylbutane, 2,3-dimethylbutane, and the straight-chain compound, / -hexane. Commercial hexane is a narrow-boiling mixture of these compounds with methylcyclopentane, cyclohexane, and benzene (qv) minor amounts of and hydrocarbons also may be present. Hydrocarbons in commercial hexane are found chiefly in straight-mn gasoline which is produced from cmde oil and natural gas Hquids (see Gasoline AND OTHER MOTOR fuels Gas,natural). Smaller volumes occur in certain petroleum refinery streams. 

Schemes to control the outlet temperature of a process furnace by adjusting the fuel gas flow are shown in Figure 13. In the scheme without cascade control (Fig. 13a), if a disturbance has occurred in the fuel gas supply pressure, a disturbance occurs in the fuel gas flow rate, hence, in the energy transferred to the process fluid and eventually to the process fluid furnace outlet temperature. At that point, the outlet temperature controller senses the deviation from setpoint and adjusts the valve in the fuel gas line. In the meantime, other disturbances may have occurred in the fuel gas pressure, etc. In the cascade control strategy (Fig. 13b), when the fuel gas pressure is disturbed, it causes the fuel gas flow rate to be disturbed. The secondary controller, ie, the fuel gas flow controller, immediately senses the deviation and adjusts the valve in the fuel gas line to maintain the set fuel gas rate. If the fuel gas flow controller is well tuned, the furnace outlet temperature experiences only a small disturbance owing to a fuel gas supply pressure disturbance.

The uses of propylene may be loosely categorized as refinery or chemical purpose. In the refinery, propylene occurs in varying concentrations in fuel-gas streams. As a refinery feedstock, propylene is alkylated by isobutane or dimerized to produce polymer gasoHne for gasoHne blending. Commercial chemical derivatives include polypropylene, acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, isopropyl alcohol, and others. In 1992, ca 64% of U.S. propylene suppHes were consumed in the production of chemicals (74). Polypropylene has been the largest consumer of propylene since the early 1970s and is likely to dominate propylene utilization for some time. 

Fuel. Propylene has a net heating value of 45.8 MJ/kg (19,700 Btu/lb) and is often contained in refinery fuel-gas streams. However, propylene is diverted from streams for refinery fuel use in large quantities only when economics for other uses are unfavorable, or equipment for propylene recovery does not exist or is limited in capacity. Propylene is also contained in Hquid petroleum gas (LPG), but is limited to a maximum concentration of 5 vol % in certain grades (83) (see Liquefied PETROLEUM gas). 

Raw material usages per ton of carbon disulfide are approximately 310 m of methane, or equivalent volume of other hydrocarbon gas, and 0.86—0.92 ton of sulfur (87,88), which includes typical Claus sulfur recovery efficiency. Fuel usage, as natural gas, is about 180 m /ton carbon disulfide excluding the fuel gas assist for the incinerator or flare. The process is a net generator of steam the amount depends on process design considerations. 

The waste gas remaining after removal of ammonia and recovery of hydrogen cyanide contains enough hydrogen and carbon monoxide that it is flammable and has enough heat value to make it a valuable fuel. It is usually used to displace other fuel ia boilers. 

Ethers, esters, amides and imidazolidines containing an epithio group are said to be effective in enhancing the antiwear and extreme pressure peiformance of lubricants. Other uses of thiiranes are as follows fuel gas odorant (2-methylthiirane), improvement of antistatic and wetting properties of fibers and films [poly(ethyleneglycol) ethers of 2-hydroxymethyl thiirane], inhibition of alkene metathesis (2-methylthiirane), stabilizers for poly(thiirane) (halogen adducts of thiiranes), enhancement of respiration of tobacco leaves (thiirane), tobacco additives to reduce nicotine and to reduce phenol levels in smoke [2-(methoxymethyl)thiirane], stabilizers for trichloroethylene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (2-methylthiirane, 2-hydroxymethylthiirane) and stabilizers for organic compounds (0,0-dialkyldithiophosphate esters of 2-mercaptomethylthiirane). The product of the reaction of aniline with thiirane is reported to be useful in the flotation of zinc sulfide. 

Other systems such as the oxidation of H2S to SO2 and H2O are also used even though the SO2 produced is still considered a pollutant. The tradeoff occurs because the SO2 is much less toxic and undesirable than the H2S. The odor threshold for H2S is about three orders of magnitude less than that for SO2. for oxidation of HjS to SO2, the usual device is simply an open flare with a fuel gas pilot or auxiliary burner if the H2S is below the stoichiometric concentration. 

Fuel modification in terms of volatility, hydrocarbon types, or additive content. Some of the fuels currently being used are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG), fuels with alcohol additives, and unleaded gasoline. The supply of some of these fuels is very limited. Other fuel problems involving storage, distribution, and power requirements have to be considered. 

The fuel. skid. This could contain a gas compressor if the fuel gas pressure is low and a knockout drum for any liquid contamination that the gas may have. The requirement of fuel gas pressure is that it should be operated at a minimum of 50-70 psi (3.5-4.83 Bar) above the compressor discharge pressure. The compressor and its motor drive fall under the drive level hierarchy. In the case of liquid fuels, the skid may also contain a fuel treatment plant, which would have centrifuges, electrostatic precipitators, fuel additive pumps, and other equipment. These could be directly controlled by the D-CS system, which would then report its readiness to the gas turbine controller. 

Balances or summaries for the other utilities, such as cooling water and fuel gas, are also needed at this stage. 

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