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HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FROM THE COMBUSTION OF AN EMULSIFIED HEAVY FUEL OIL IN A FIRETUBE BOILER
Citation:
Miller*, C. HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FROM THE COMBUSTION OF AN EMULSIFIED HEAVY FUEL OIL IN A FIRETUBE BOILER. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-96/019 (NTIS PB96-168281), 1996.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
The report gives results of measuring emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from the combustion flue gases of a No. 6 fuel oil, both with and without an emulsifying agent, in a 2.5 million Btu/hr (732 kW) firetube boiler with the purpose of determining the impacts of the emulsifier on HAP emissions. The boiler flue gases were sampled and analyzed for both metal and organic HAPs, and the effects of the emulsification on criteria emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) were also measured. Measured in pounds per million British thermal units, the emulsified oil showed a decrease in the CO2 emission factor of 24%, a decrease of 35% in the NOx emission factor, and a decrease of 37% in the PM emission factor compared to emission factors measured from burning the base oil (i.e., the same oil without the emulsifying agent). Emissions of sulfur dioxide and metals were essentially unchanged for the emulsified oil compared with the base oil. No polychlorinated dibenzodioxins or polychlorinated dibenzofurans were detected in the flue gases of either fuel. There was a notable shift in the particle size distribution toward smaller size ranges for the emulsified oil compared to the base oil, although it is currently unclear whether the reduction in total PM emissions also results in a reduction of smaller particles.