Emission characteristics of Paraho Shale Oil as tested in a utility boiler. Final report

Technical Report · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6810119· OSTI ID:6810119

Mansour, M. N.; Jones, D. G.

Combustion tests of Crude Paraho Shale Oil (0.7% sulfur and 2% nitrogen) were conducted in a 45 MW Combustion Engineering boiler at SCE's Highgrove Generating Station. Shale oil was blended in various proportions with low sulfur oil before its combustion in the boiler so that the sulfur content of the fuel blend did not exceed 0.5%. Emission of air contaminants was determined when shale oil blends are burned in all burners (tank blending), and when the oil blend is burned in the lower boiler elevation only, followed by the combustion of low nitrogen fuels in the upper elevations. The segregation of the high and low nitrogen fuels, in two independent fuel systems, was originated by SCE and named ''Dual Fuel Combustion.'' NOx emissions were evaluated for both a developmental low NOx burner (LNB) and a conventional mechanical atomized Peabody burner using both tank blending and dual fuel combustion systems. The emission levels were determined under normal and off-stoichiometric (o/s) modes of combustion. The maximum reduction in emission level occurred during the fuel-rich combustion of shale oil in the lower boiler elevation followed by the combustion of natural gas in the upper elevation. Both fuel nitrogen conversion into NOx and thermal NOx formation were found to be very dependent upon burner air/fuel ratio. The conversion efficiency of fuel nitrogen into NOx was calculated and found to be inversely proportional to the nitrogen content of the fuel. The emission of particulate matter trace elements and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons from the combustion of shale oil was also evaluated during the study.

• Research Organization: Southern California Edison Co., Rosemead (USA); Paraho Oil Shale Demonstration, Inc., Grand Junction, Colo. (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6810119
• Report Number(s): EPRI-AF-709
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040600* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Products & By-Products
AROMATICS
BOILER FUEL
BOILERS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUE GAS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASEOUS WASTES
HYDROCARBONS
MINERAL OILS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARAHO PROCESS
PARTICLES
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
SHALE OIL
SYNTHETIC FUELS
SYNTHETIC PETROLEUM
WASTES
YIELDS