| Description |
Recent commitments to CO2/Green-House Gas emissions reductions by governmental, NGO and industrial corporations require that new energy sources be found to replace fossil fuels. While some are envisioning ‘The Electrification of Everything,' High temperature industrial heating processes have been identified as one of the key technologies that are difficult to electrify. Much of the recent discussion on this subject has focused on gaseous Hydrogen as a potential ‘energy-carrier' for such processes, as it has the potential to be produced directly from ‘lowcarbon' energy sources and can be delivered in large quantities via pipeline. However, as mentioned in our 2021 AFRC paper on alternative low-carbon fuels, Hydrogen currently remains one of the higher-cost options. In addition to Hydrogen compatible equipment, Bloom has developed burners and combustion systems, over the last several years, capable of firing a variety of liquid bio-derived fuels, which could also be viable fossil fuel alternatives. Some of these fuels are alcohols (ethanol and methanol for example), BioOil from cellulosic pyrolysis, as well as glycerin and biodiesel. We will provide a discussion of combustion characteristics, emissions, safety, and applicability of these various fuels based on our project experience as well as laboratory testing data. Clearly there remains a significant gap between the needs of industrial users and the cost and availability of ‘low-carbon' fuel options. In our opinion, industrial equipment will often need to be designed for fuel-flexible operation. In the upcoming transition period, as fuel production and delivery systems are developed, availability will likely vary according to local and regional conditions. Fuel flexible combustion equipment will reduce risk to users by allowing them to choose from a variety of suitable fuels. |
