Review of bench-, pilot-, and full-scale Orimulsion{trademark} combustion tests. Report for November 1998--January 1999
During the late 1980s and through the 1990s, a new fossil fuel with the trade name Orimulsion has been marketed by its producer, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), as an alternative to coal and heavy fuel oil. Orimulsion, a bitumen-in-water emulsion, is produced from bitumen extracted from the Cerro Negro field of the Orinoco Belt of eastern Venezuela. Economically recoverable Orinoco bitumen reserves are estimated at 267 billion barrels (oil equivalent) representing approximately 26% of the world`s recoverable crude oil reserves and 27% of the US recoverable coal reserves. Orimulsion is produced by Bitumenes Orinoco, S.A. (Bitor), a subsidiary of PdVSA, and derives its name from the combination of Orinoco and emulsion. In 1997, the US Congress directed the Environmental Protection Agency to ``initiate a research activity to provide better scientific data on the qualities and characteristics of this product and the potential environmental impact of its introduction.`` As a first step in conducting this research activity, a review of the available literature on the topic of Orimulsion combustion and emissions was undertaken. The emphasis of this review is on the emissions of air pollutants rather than on the combustion behavior of the fuel, and particular emphasis will be placed on emissions from electric utility power boilers. While the combustion characteristics of Orimulsion will be addressed, it will be addressed primarily from the perspective of its ability to strongly influence the emissions of air pollutants.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental Protection Agency, Air Pollution Prevention and Control Div., Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 362155
- Report Number(s):
- PB-99-139446/XAB; EPA-600/A-99/018; CONF-990321-; TRN: 91442152
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 24. international conference on coal utilization and fuel systems, Clearwater, FL (United States), 8-11 Mar 1999; Other Information: PBD: 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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