Emissions of industrial furnaces burning vanadium‐contained heavy oils

Abstract

Heavy oil‐fired power plants are widely used in the world to provide a large percent of energy resource for industry and transportation. The emissions of these power plants attract much concern because the organic compounds of toxic metal such as vanadium, sodium, potassium contained in heavy oil could cause health and environmental pollution problems. A small furnace associated with a burner was employed to investigate the influences of vanadium pentoxide content on the emission characteristics of industrial furnaces. The composition of vanadium pentoxide which could be as high as 600 ppm in ash of heavy fuel oils is responsible for the alteration of emission characteristics and combustion efficiency. The diesel fuel oil added with 600 ppm V₂O₅ was burnt within the furnace. The burning gas compositions such as oxygen, carbon dioxide at various axial locations of the furnace were analyzed using a gas analyzer. This study shows that the existence of vanadium pentoxide in fuel oils caused poorer atomization and less complete buming of the injected oil. The formations of excess oxygen and carbon monoxide were enhanced while the carbon dioxide emission was hindered with the addition of vanadium pentoxide in the fuel oil. In addition, the formation of nitrogen oxides decreased with the existence of vanadium pentoxide primarily because of the reduction of the attainable gas temperature.

Key words:

• Emissions
• heavy oils
• vanadium pentoxide
• industrial furnaces