Stability, Combustion, and Compatibility of High-Viscosity Heavy Fuel Oil Blends with a Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil

Michael D. Kass, Beth L. Armstrong, Brian C. Kaul, Raynella Maggie Connatser, Samuel Lewis, James R. Keiser, Jiheon Jun, Gavin Warrington, Dino Sulejmanovic

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

Properties related to the combustion, stability, and compatibility of blends composed of high-viscosity heavy fuel oil (HFO) and highly acidic pyrolysis bio-oil were determined to assess the utility of bio-oil as a marine fuel. The addition of bio-oil was shown to be fully stable with HFO at blend levels up to 50 mass % for up to 2 weeks. Bio-oil concentrations as low as 5 mass % significantly reduced the viscosity of HFO at 25 and 50 °C. Aging studies at 50 and 90 °C showed that the HFO inhibited the polymerization of bio-oil. The heating value and lubricity showed a linear dependency with bio-oil content, and combustion quality was acceptable for blends containing up to 15% bio-oil. The highly acidic bio-oil was found to be corrosive to carbon steel, 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, and 409 stainless steels, but not 304L and 316L. When blended into HFO at levels less than 19 mass %, no measurable corrosion was observed on any of the steel materials, but a 50 mass % concentration produced low-to-moderate corrosion in the carbon steel, 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, and 409 stainless steel grades. The combination of good blend stability, polymerization inhibition, reduced viscosity, and acceptable compatibility for low blend levels suggests that bio-oils may be suitable for use as a marine fuel.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)8403-8413
Number of pages11
JournalEnergy and Fuels
Volume34
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 16 2020

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) under the Award Number DE- AC05-00OR22725.

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