Fuel (Furnace) Oil is one of the cheapest fuels available for industrial use. It is a by-product of petroleum refineries. While processing the CRUD Oil, FO is one of the products along with other petroleum fuels like HSD, Petrol etc.
Benefits
- Cheapest petroleum fuel available – gives most heat per litre at lowest cost.
- Readily stored – occupies half the space of coal for equivalent heat content.
- Easily handled, regulated and controlled.
- Less maintenance than coal-fired equipment.
- Less labor required than with coal, no stoking, ash removal or conveyors required.
- Less capital expenditure than equivalent coal plant.
- Clean operation – no fly ash or dust problems, easy smoke control.
Typically it has a calorific value as 10000 cal/gm. The furnaces which are used mainly for heating or pre-heating a large quantity of metal, are the main users of FO. This can be stored in vertical as well as horizontal tanks, above ground or even underground in some cases.
Following is the Quality Parameters for Reference.
| Sr.No. | Tests | Units | Method | Limit | Test Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acidity Inorganic | Mg KOH/gm | ASTM D974 | NIL | NIL |
| 2 | Ash Content | % mass | IS 1448 [P:4] | 0.100 MAX | 0.04 |
| 3 | Calorific value (gross) | Kcal/kg | IS 1448 [P:6] | To Report | 10100 (42.3 MJ/Kg) |
| 4 | Density at 15 deg Cel | Kg/m3 | IS 1448 [P:16] | To Report | 960 |
| 5 | Flash Point (PMCC) | Deg Celcius | IS 1448 [P:21] | 70 Min | 110 |
| 6 | Kinematic Viscosity at 50 deg Cel | cSt | IS 1448 [P:25] | 380 Max | 160 |
| 7 | Sediments | % mass | IS 1448 [P:30] | 0.25 Max | 0.04 |
| 8 | Total Sulfur | % mass | ASTM D4294 | 3.0 Max | 1.10 |
| 9 | Water Content | % vol | IS 1448 [P:40] | 1.00 Max | 0.20 |
| 10 | Carbon Residue | % mass | ASTM D4868 | 15 Max | 9.54 |