Blending fuels for more BTUs

[Blakers]

Here's an off the wall question that I don't think anyone has asked before...



Has anyone ever considered mixing some heavier fuel oil with #2 to increase the BTU? What if you mixed #6 with #2? Is there a heavier fuel oil available between #2 and #6?



I know it could probably only be done in the summertime.



I don't think I'd want to test this stuff in my new Cummins, but perhaps in a beater diesel or old tractor.



Thanks,

Blake

 

[illflem]

#4 is inbetween

This calculator we use for our still boilers when extracting biofuel from plant material will figure it out for you http://www.connel.com/freeware/fuels2.shtml

Input #2 fuel oil and 35 gallons then click submit at the bottom to get how much of the other types of fuel it takes to get the same btus.



When we burn straight #4 or #6 we have to run heaters in the tank even in the summer. Never have tried blending it.



Sort of interesting it it takes 1395 pounds of wood to get the same power as 35 gallons of #2

 

[Peter Campbell]

#6 is nasty stuff. I think the only diesels that can burn it are the large shipboard diesels. And that is only after they are warmed up on #2. The pour point of #6 varies with the "load" The amount of parrafins is large, usually also high in sulfur. To handle #6 it must be heated or "cut" with #2. I have had to deal with a #6 with a 140F pour point. The cleanup was easy. Flat shovels and ice scrapers, steam heated 55 gallon drums and a jabsco pump to put it back in the header. #6 has way to much "chunks" that can not be easily filtered. The only filtration we had was a strainer basket. That is why I think only crude large clearance injectors and pumps could use it.

Question- why are we running the boiler in the summer? A:To keep heat tracing on the oil lines. Q:What is the oil lines serving? A: The boiler

#6 has these advantages

Cheap

Cheap

Cheap

Cheap

And finally Cheap.

Disadvantages- Even the navy stopped using it because boiler techs would not stay in the navy and maintain the dirty equipment, has to be heated to move, dirty, smelly, hard to light off( need an separate fuel system for starups), high in sulfur

 

[illflem]

Originally posted by Peter Campbell





Question- why are we running the boiler in the summer?

We only run the boilers in the summer and fall for research. Steam from the boiler passes though airtight tractor pulled harvest trailers full of different types of plant material. Plant oil mixed with steam then goes though a still where the oil is separated.



Sure wish our boiler ran on natural gas, it would make life so much easier. In my opinion even coal would be a step up from the #4 or #6 goo.

 

[Blakers]

Thanks guys,



From the link Bill gave, it does not look like there would be much benefit using #4 or #6 on a BTU standpoint. Not that much different than #2.



What is #4 fuel like? At what point does it become too heavy to pump?



The main idea I had was to supplement #2 with a small amount of heavier oil to compensate for the loss in BTU from winter blend, or perhaps from future lightening of diesel fuel for emissions purposes.



On the subject of boilers, here at work we use natural gas and landfill gas (methane is the combustible part). Since we're a fatty acid plant and refine animal fats and vegetable oils, we're in the process of setting up one water tube boiler to burn scrap fat and residue fat. Since some of this stuff is hydrogenated and solid at room temperature, it will all be heated before going into the burner. At this point I'm not sure what kind of burner we'll be using.



Blake

 

[illflem]

Blake if you look at the difference between #1 and #2 it's about the same as the difference between #2 and #4. You know how we all complain about the lower mpgs and power from winter fuel. Could be worth it.



#4 is a little bit thicker than 90w gear oil.



A boil operator friend of mine worked in a plant where they extracted animal fats. Said it was real pain because if the guys on the oil end of the process didn't do things just right the fats would siphon back into the boiler causing all kinds of dangerous problems.

 

[Blakers]

Bill, from the site you linked to, here is a chart of the equivalent in energy content of these fuels to 1 gallon of #2 fuel oil:



1 gallons of #2 fuel oil is equivalent to:



#1 Grade Fuel Oil (Gallons) 1. 03731343283582

#1 Grade Fuel Oil (Pounds) 7. 14665906716418

#2 Grade Fuel Oil (Gallons) 1

#2 Grade Fuel Oil (Pounds) 7. 22609

#4 Grade Fuel Oil (Gallons) 0. 946866485013624

#4 Grade Fuel Oil (Pounds) 7. 33628838555858

#6 Grade Fuel Oil (Gallons) 0. 926666666666667

#6 Grade Fuel Oil (Pounds) 7. 6301131



With some simple algebra, I would think one could calculate how much #4 would need to be added to #2 (or its lighter winter substitute) to attain the desired BTU.



From the same link, here's the specifications of various fuel oils:



#1 Grade Fuel Oil (BTUs per Gallon) 134000

#1 Grade Fuel Oil (Specific Gravity) 0. 8251

#2 Grade Fuel Oil (BTUs per Gallon) 139000

#2 Grade Fuel Oil (Specific Gravity) 0. 8654

#4 Grade Fuel Oil (BTUs per Gallon) 146800

#4 Grade Fuel Oil (Specific Gravity) 0. 9279

#6 Grade Fuel Oil (BTUs per Gallon) 150000

#6 Grade Fuel Oil (Specific Gravity) 0. 9861

 

[d90boy]

There's a competetion diesel out there called pure purple. It's supposed to be awesome. At $15/gallon it's not very practical though. Still I'd like to get some to try out. Worst thing would be the dilution from current fuel in the tank and not getting the full effect.