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Show Introduction The oil embargo of 1973 was of major concern to all who depended on fuel oil as a source of energy; particularly those who needed steam and hot water for day-to-day operations. The convenience of fuel oil (it is easily handled and requires no solid waste disposal) was a primary factor contributing to the development and wide general acceptance of firetube packaged boilers. It is conservatively estimated that 75,000 such boilers in the 100 to 1500 HP range firing fuel oil are in operation in the U. S. today. Thus, a fuel which could replace or minimize the need for fuel oil and which would require at most only modification of the burner and burner related equipment would be attractive. Further, this alternate fuel should have convenience features similar to those of fuel oil so that boiler operation requires no additional personnel or significant change in firing or control and safety monitoring procedures. Coal Oil Mixtures (COM) appear to satisfy these requirements. This paper summarizes the work by Cleaver-Brooks and others in an effort to determine if COM can be used to replace fuel oil as a fuel for packaged firetube boilers. COM Availability COM are currently available from several sources as reported by Kapp (1). Most commonly available mixtures consist of 50 percent (by weight) coal particles - 80 percent passing through 200 mesh - and 50 percent heavy fuel oil. Some suppliers are involved in preparing COM with finer coal particles, however, these are not generally available as a commercial product. Rheological Properties The rheological properties of COM as a function of fuel oil properties and coal characteristics have been studied by Dooher (2) and others (3, 4, & 5). The short and long term stability, as well as control of viscosity, are primary concerns. 15-2 |
