Petroleum heating value

The hquid remaining after the solvent has been recovered is a heavy residual fuel called solvent-refined coal, containing less than 0.8 wt % sulfur and 0.1 wt % ash. It melts at ca 177°C and has a heating value of ca 37 MJ/kg (16,000 Btu/lb), regardless of the quaUty of the coal feedstock. The activity of the solvent is apparently more important than the action of gaseous hydrogen ia this type of uncatalyzed hydrogenation. Research has been directed to the use of petroleum-derived aromatic oils as start-up solvents (118). 

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). 

The heating of a fuel affects the overall size of the fuel system. Generally, fuel heating is a more important concern in connection with gaseous fuels, since liquid fuels all come from petroleum crude and show narrow heating-value variations. Gaseous fuels, on the other hand, can vary from llOOBtu/ft (41,000 KJ/m ) for natural gas to (11,184 KJ/m ) or below for process gas. The fuel system will of necessity have to be larger for the process gas, since more is required for the same temperature rise. 

Propane is a more reactive paraffin than ethane and methane. This is due to the presence of two secondary hydrogens that could be easily substituted (Chapter 6). Propane is obtained from natural gas liquids or from refinery gas streams. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a mixture of propane and butane and is mainly used as a fuel. The heating value of propane is 2,300 Btu/ft. LPG is currently an important feedstock for the production of olefins for petrochemical use. 

The chemical energy content of fossil fuels generally parallels the H/C ratio as shown in Table 1. Methane has the highest heating value of the hydrocarbon series, corresponding to its high H/C ratio while coal has the lowest heating value. The normal physical state of fossil fuels also parallels the H/C ratio. Methane is a gas at ambient temperature and pressure conditions. Petroleum fractions are mobile liquids except for the heaviest fraction which can be solid at ambient temperature. Coal is a solid material. 

Bulk physical property tests, such as density and heating value, as well as some compositional tests, such as the Orsat analysis and the mercuric nitrate method for the determination of unsaturation, are still used. However, the choice of a particular test is dictated by (1) the requirements of the legislation, (2) the properties of the gas under study, and (3) the selection by the analyst of a suitable suite of tests to meet the various requirements. For example, judgment by the analyst is necessary whether or not a test that is applied to liquefied petroleum gas is suitable for process gas or natural gas insofar as inference from the nonhydrocarbon constituents will be minimal. 

Fuel. With a heating value of 15,300 to 16,400 B.t.u. per pound, petroleum coke is an excellent fuel (30). Of the 3,392,000 tons produced during 1949 approximately 60% (over 2,000,000 tons) was used as fuel. In 1928 approximately 80% of the 1,300,000 tons produced was used as fuel—most of it by the petroleum refineries themselves (16). 

The petroleum industry uses four adjectives to describe heating values wet, dry, gross, and net.1... 

The value frequently used in the petroleum industry is gross heating value (dry). This refers to complete combustion of a bone-dry gas with the water produced during combustion condensed to liquid. 

Liquefied propane is marketed as a fuel for outlying areas where other fuels may not be readily available and for portable cook stoves. In this form, the propane may be marketed as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) or mixed with butane and pentane, the latter also constituents of natural gas (1.7% and 0.6%, respectively), LPG also is transported via pipelines in certain areas. The heating value ofpure propane is 2520 Btu/ft3 (283 Calones/m3) butane 3260 Biu/fL3 (366 Calories/m3) and pentane 4025 Btu/ft3 (452 Calories/m3). Propane and the other liquefied gases are clean and appropriate for most heating purposes, making them very attractive where they are competitively priced. 

The heating values of petroleum, heavy oil, and bitumen are measured as the gross heats of combustion that are given with reasonable accuracy by the equation ... 

Utilities have the least economic incentive to use tires.8 Often, power plants that use TDF only substitute up to 5 percent of their total energy requirements with TDF. Utilities must buy better quality coal (i.e., higher heat value and lower ash) than cement plants, but have significant bulk fuel-buying power. They are not usually interested in TDF unless the price is 1 per million Btu s (MMBtu s) ( 30— 31 per ton) or less.8 The use of petroleum coke has recently been increasing in the utility industry,... 

The last database of the eight key data items promised is enthalpy. I have broadly used the term enthalpy to signify all thermal properties that include specific heat, latent heat, and an absolute enthalpy value, expressed as Btu/lb. This section presents a table which, by interpolation, may be applied to any single component or component mixtures, or to any petroleum characterized component groupings. This enthalpy source table (Table 1.10) may be used conveniently and quickly to derive energy or heat values of both liquids and gases. It is compiled from data in Maxwell (pp. 98 to 127) [5]. 

The enthalpy source table (Table 1.10) offers data heat value points which are easily interpolated between. First, pure components are listed, and then petroleum fractions are listed, as in Maxwell s book. 

As a fuel, the most common uses of petroleum coke are in firing cement kilns and steam generators. In the cement industry, petroleum coke is suitable as fuel in kilns because of its low ash content, high heating value and the process s high sulfur allowances. As much as 50% coke can be burned in combination with bituminous coal or 75% coke when burned in combination with Oil and/or gas. 

It can be seen that compared with petroleum diesel fuel, methyl esters (1) have higher density, (2) fall into the lower range of viscosity, (3) have the same or higher cetane numbers, and (4) have lower heating value. Canola methyl esters are in the middle range of properties among the three oils, with low viscosity, good cetane... 

Note The heating values of common crude oils are quite variable, as are their chemical compositions and physical properties, and are generally in the range 39.68 to 43.00 MBtu/t. This corresponds to 5.40 to 5.85 MBtu/bbl. Europe commonly uses 10,000cal/g or 39.68 MBtu/t to define the tonne of oil or petroleum equivalent. An average of the range 5.40 to 5.85 MBtu/bbl, or 5.6 MBtu/bbl, is used here. 

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