Fuel and Industrial gases

Introduction
• Energy from the Sun is converted into chemical
energy by photosynthesis.
• When dried plants or wood are burned, produce
energy in the form of heat and light, releasing the
Sun’s energy originally stored in that plant or in
that wood through photosynthesis.
• We generally use dry wood, natural gas or oil,
and we use mainly oil and coal to heat the water
to produce the steam to drive the turbines for
our huge power generation systems.
• These fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas - are referred
to as fossil fuels.
• The knowledge of the fuel properties helps in
selecting the right fuel for the right purpose and for
the efficient use of the fuel.
• Fuel must necessarily contain one or several of the
combustible elements: carbon, hydrogen, sulphur,
etc. In the process of combustion, the chemical
energy of fuel is converted into heat energy.
• To utilize the energy of fuel in most usable form, it
is required to transform the fuel from its one state
to another, i.e. from solid to liquid or gaseous state,
liquid to gaseous state via single or many stages. In
this way, the energy of fuels can be utilized more
effectively and efficiently for various purposes.
 Applications
• The heat energy released by many fuels is harnessed
into mechanical energy via an engine.
• Other times the heat itself is valued for warmth,
cooking, or industrial processes, as well as the
illumination that comes with combustion.
• Fuels are also used in the cells of organisms in a
process known as cellular respiration, where organic
molecules are oxidized to release energy.
• Hydrocarbons are by far the most common source of
fuel used by humans, but other substances, including
radioactive metals, are also utilized.
 TYPE OF FUELS
• The fuel can be classified into three type’s
mainly liquid, solid, and gaseous on the bases
of their physical state.

 LIQUID FUELS
• Liquid fuels like furnace oil and LSHS (low
sulphur heavy stock) are predominantly used
in industrial applications.
SOLID FUEL (COAL)
• The chemical properties of coal refer to the
various elemental chemical constituents such as
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulphur.
• Coal is classified into three major types;
anthracite, bituminous, and lignite.
• Anthracite is the oldest coal from a geological
perspective. It is a hard coal composed mainly of
carbon with little volatile content and practically
no moisture.
• Lignite is the youngest coal from a geological
perspective. It is a soft coal composed mainly of
volatile matter and moisture content with low
fixed carbon.
 GASEOUS FUEL
• Gas fuels are the most convenient because they require the least amount of
handling and are used in the simplest way: burner systems.

TYPES OF GASEOUS FUEL

The following is a list of the types of gaseous fuel:
Fuels naturally found in nature:
 Natural gas from petroleum reservoir
 Methane from coal mines
Fuel gases made from solid fuel
 Gases derived from coal: producer gas, coke oven gas, water gas
 Gases derived from waste and biomass: mainly methane
From other industrial processes
 blast furnace gas
 Gases made from petroleum
 Liquefied Petroleum gas (LPG)
 Refinery gases
 Gases from oil gasification
 Industrial gases
• Industrial gases are the gaseous materials that are manufactured for
use in industry. The principal gases provided
are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, argon, hydrogen, helium and acetylene, although many other
gases and mixtures are also available in gas cylinders.
• Their production is a part of the wider chemical Industry (where
industrial gases are often seen as "specialty chemicals").
• Industrial gases are used in a wide range of industries, which include oil
and
gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, power, mining, steelmaking, metals,
environmental
protection, medicine, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food, water,
fertilizers, nuclear power, electronics and aerospace.
• Industrial gas is sold to other industrial enterprises; typically
comprising large orders to corporate industrial clients, covering a size
range from building a process facility or pipeline down to cylinder gas
supply.
Industrial gases
• This chapter is limited to fuel gases, chemical
synthesis gases and acetylene.

• Gaseous fuels in common use are liquefied

petroleum gases (LPG), Natural gas, producer
gas, blast furnace gas, coke oven gas
etc.
 LEL and UEL

• Before a fire or explosion can occur, three conditions must be

met simultaneously: a fuel (ie. combustible gas) and oxygen
(air) must exist in certain proportions, along with an ignition
source, such as a spark or flame. The ratio of fuel and oxygen
that is required varies with each combustible gas or vapor.
• The minimum concentration of a particular combustible gas
or vapor necessary to support its combustion in air is defined
as the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) for that gas. Below this
level, the mixture is too "lean" to burn.
• The maximum concentration of a gas or vapor that will burn
in air is defined as the Upper Explosive Limit (UEL). Above this
level, the mixture is too "rich" to burn. The range between
the LEL and UEL is known as the flammable range for that gas
or vapor.
 Blast Furnace Gas
• Blast furnace gas (BFG) is a by-product of blast furnaces that is generated when
the iron ore is reduced with coke to metallic iron. It has a very low heating value,
3500 kJ/m3, because it consists of about 60 % nitrogen and 18-20% carbon
dioxide, which are not flammable. The rest is mostly carbon monoxide, which has
a fairly low heating value already and some (2-4%) hydrogen.
• It is commonly used as a fuel within the steel works, but it can be used
in boilers and power plants equipped to burn it. It may be combined with natural
gas or coke oven gas before combustion or a flame support with richer gas or oil
is provided to sustain combustion.
• Particulate matter is removed so that it can be burned more cleanly. Blast
furnace gas is sometimes flared without generating heat or electricity.
• Blast furnace gas is generated at higher pressure and at about 100–150 °C in a
modern blast furnace.
• Auto ignition point of blast furnace gas is approximate 630–650 °C and it has LEL
(Lower Explosive Limit) of 27% & UEL (Upper Explosive Limit) of 75% in an air-gas
mixture at normal temperature and pressure.
 Producer Gas
• Producer gas is a combustible gas manufactured by blowing a mixture of air
upwards through a bed of hot coke, or coal, such that the fuel is completely
gasified. The gas obtained from coke consists mainly of a mixture of carbon
monoxide and hydrogen with the nitrogen. When coal is used the gas will
contain, in addition, tar and the gases liberated during the carbonization of the
coal in the fuel bed.
• A typical producer gas obtained from coke contains 27% carbon monoxide,
12% hydrogen, 0.5% methane, 5% carbon dioxide and 55% nitrogen, by
volume. It has a heating value of about 5,000 kJ/m3. When coal is used as fuel
the producer gas contains about 3% methane and 0.5% higher hydrocarbons.
• It is called "Producer" gas because it was used in the production of iron and
steel. Producer gas is also known as Wood gas or Suction gas.
• When producer gas was used to power cars and boats or distributed to remote
locations it is necessary to scrub the gas to remove the materials that can
condense and clog carburetors and gas lines.
• Anthracite and coke are preferred for automotive use because they produce
the smallest amount of contamination, allowing smaller, lighter scrubbers to
be used.
 Water Gas
• A mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen
(H2) produced by passing steam over red-hot
coke using the endothermic reaction C + H2O →
CO + H2.
• This product had a lower calorific value so the gas
was often passed through a heated retort into
which oil was sprayed; the resulting mixed gas
was called carburetted water gas.
• The water-gas shift reaction can be used to
reduce the carbon monoxide while producing
additional hydrogen, resulting in water gas.
 Synthesis gas
• Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a fuel gas mixture consisting primarily
of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and very often some carbon dioxide.
• Syngas is an intermediate in producing ammonia , methanol.
• Syngas is combustible and can be used as a fuel of internal combustion
engines.
• Syngas is usually a product of coal gasification.
• Syngas can be produced from many sources, including natural gas,
coal, biomass, or virtually any hydrocarbon feedstock, by reaction with
steam (steam reforming), carbon dioxide (dry reforming) or oxygen
(partial oxidation).
• Syngas is a crucial intermediate resource for production of hydrogen,
ammonia, methanol, and synthetic hydrocarbon fuels.
• Syngas is also used as an intermediate in producing synthetic
petroleum for use as a fuel or lubricant.
• Synthesis gas and water gas are the same thing -
a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used
as a feedstock for chemical production.
• The reason for the two names is down to the
method of manufacture. The older name, water
gas, is used due to the method of passing steam
over hot coke.
• The name "synthesis gas" came about due to
process of synthetic steam reforming of natural
gas (methane decomposition in steam under
catalysis).
 Coke Oven Gas
• Coke-oven gas is a fuel gas having a medium
calorific value that is produced during the
manufacture of metallurgical coke to
temperatures of 900°C to 1000°C in a chamber
from which air is excluded.
• The main constituents are, by volume, about 50%
hydrogen, 30% methane and 3% higher
hydrocarbons, 7% carbon monoxide, 3% carbon
dioxide and 7% nitrogen.
• The gas has a heating value of about 20,000
kJ/m3.
 NATURAL GAS
• Methane is the main constituent of natural gas
and accounting for about 95% of the total
volume. Other components are: Ethane, Propane,
Butane, Pentane, Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, and
traces of other gases. Very small amounts of
sulphur compounds are also present.
• Natural gas is a high calorific value fuel. It mixes
with air readily and does not produce smoke or
soot.
• It is lighter than air and disperses into air easily in
case of leak.
 LPG
• LPG is a predominant mixture of propane and
butane with a small percentage of unsaturated
(Propylene and Butylene) and some lighter C2 as
well as heavier C5 fractions.
• LPG may be defined as those hydrocarbons, which
are gaseous at normal atmospheric pressure, but
may be condensed to the liquid state at normal
temperature, by the application of moderate
pressures.
• Liquid LPG evaporates to produce about 250 times
volume of gas.
Summary
Thank You