Evaluation of a zirconium additive for the mitigation of molten ash formation during combustion of residual fuel oil Page: 7 of 51
This report is part of the collection entitled: Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
EVALUATION OF A ZIRCONIUM ADDITIVE FOR THE MITIGATION OF MOLTEN
ASH FORMATION DURING COMBUSTION OF RESIDUAL FUEL OIL
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Florida Power & Light Company (FP&L) currently fires a residual fuel oil (RFO) containing
catalyst fines, which results in a troublesome black aluminosilicate liquid phase that forms on heat-
transfer surfaces, remains molten, and flows to the bottom of the boiler. When the unit is shut
down for a scheduled outage, this liquid phase freezes to a hard black glass that damages the
contracting waterwalls of the boiler. Cleaning the boiler bottom and repairing damaged surfaces
increase the boiler downtime, at a significant cost to FP&L. The Energy & Environmental
Research Center (EERC) proposed to perform a series of tests for FP&L to evaluate the
effectiveness of a zirconium additive to modify the mechanism that forms this liquid phase,
resulting in the formation of a dry refractory phase that may be easily handled during cleanup of the
boiler.
2.0 BACKGROUND
Since 1984, FP&L has experienced significant slagging problems in some of their oil-fired
units, resulting from impurities in the residual fuel oil that is fired. Figure 1 illustrates the nature
of these deposits, which are composed of mainly catalyst fines that are remnant aluminosilicate
zeolites, vanadium, sodium, iron, and nickel. A laboratory study was performed during the latter
part of 1984 and into 1985 to characterize these deposits and determine the effect of using MgO to
mitigate this problem. Some success was noted when large quantities of MgO were added;Figure 1. Molten ash deposits.
1
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Evaluation of a zirconium additive for the mitigation of molten ash formation during combustion of residual fuel oil, report, December 1, 1996; Grand Forks, North Dakota. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc698765/m1/7/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.