11/03/2014

What is the effect of moisture and sediments in oil burning?

As the specific gravity and the viscosity of fuel oils increase, the sediment level, which originates primarily from transport and storage contamination, will increase as a result of a slowing of the natural settlement process. As both the water and sediment content of heavy fuel oil increase, the usable energy in the fuel decreases.

The moisture in fuel oil when burnt is converted into steam, which then carry the heat to the chimney & is a direct loss to boiler.  Also too large moisture content sometimes result in lowering of the burning temperature, improper combustion, choking of burner tips and erosion & corrosion of boiler parts like Air preheater, ID  fan, chimney internal, ducts etc.

Water content of oil when supplied is normally very low as the product at refinery site is handled hot and maximum limit of 1% is specified in the standard. Water may be present in free or emulsified form and can cause damage to the inside furnace surfaces during combustion especially if it contains dissolved salts. It can also cause spluttering of the flame at the burner tip, possibly extinguishing the flame and reducing the flame temperature or lengthening the flame.

Sediments in fuel oil are nothing but incombustible which lowers the calorific value of fuel, choke burners & form slag & deposits on the outer surfaces of the various tubes thereby lowering the heat transfer.

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