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Show 1. INTRODUCTION By the middle of the '80s, there will be a dramatic increase in the production of fuel-grade petroleum coke from Gulf Coast refiners along with the large quantities that are currently available along the Pacific Coast (Ref. 1, 2). This petroleum coke will be of fuel grade quality that is high in sulfur and metals as crude slates change to increasingly heavier and poorer quality crudes. The price of fuel grade coke will deteriorate substantially as only the best quality delayed petroleum coke will be used for the metallurgical industry. Active interest by the U. S. Government to develop coal-oil mixtures (COM) (Ref. 3, 4, 5, 6) has provided a sound foundation for the development and use of petroleum coke in Bunker "C" as an alternate fuel. The U. S. Maritime Administration is currently pursuing full-scale land combustion tests of marine burners using petroleum coke/petroleum oil mixtures (PETCOM) (Ref. 7). Cities Service has been actively pursuing potential markets for this petroleum coke for the past several years and has concluded that one of the brightest future markets for this fuel is in the production of PETCOM. Cities Service Research and Development Company began an intensive development program in 1980 to provide a PETCOM fuel that could be stored, handled and combusted in typical oil-fired-design marine, uti_ lity and industrial boilers. Because of the future availability and low cost of fuel grade petroleum coke, the profitability in producing and using PETCOM is high. The inherent compatability of petroleum coke in No. 2, No. 6 and Bunker "C" oils, along with its low ash content, makes PETCOM more attractive than other coal-based slurry fuels for marine applications. The low ash content of PETCOM also ensures less erosion and fouling problems. The objective of our program is to produce a fuel that is optimal when considering storage stability, pumping and combustion. Further refinements in fuel preparation technology are still being actively developed at Cities Service to promote a simple formulation which exhibits excellent fuel properties at a low cost. To date, Cities has achieved desirable fuel properties using ultrafine grinding without the use of additives. Initial small-scale-combustion tests 19-2 |
