Fuel Oil Properties

Oil Burner Technician 3 Manual

What family is fuel oil apart of?

Hydrocarbon

Hydrocarbon family consists of?

Hydrogen and carbon atoms

What atom is the lightest?

Hydrogen

How much heavier is Carbon than Hydrogen?

12x heavier

what state is carbon typically found in?

Solid

If not completely burned with the heat of combustion, Carbon will appear as?

Soot

Heavier molecule, slower burn, and more heat per volume it produces is what happens when?

The carbon-to-hydrogen ratio increases

What is heavier propane or natural gas?

Propane

Is methane lighter than air?

Yes

What state is methane at normal temperatures?

Gas

Propane is heavier than air?

Yes

Propane can easily be turned into a a liquid how?

Cooling or pressurizing it

What is the refining process?

Separating molecules in crude oil into its various components to make different types of fuels and oils.

What is the first step of the refining process?

Distillation

What is the process of disilation?

Crude oil is heated into vapor and sent into a fractionating tower, where it cools and separates lighter molecules condense at the top, and heavier ones at the bottom.

Does distillation alter the molecular structure?

No

What are straight-run oils?

The natural products you get when crude oil is heated and separated (straight result of distillation)

Does gasoline have a lower or higher boiling point?

Lower

What is the process of catalytic cracking?

Using heat and a catalyst to breakdown the oil. 

What is a catalyst?

A chemical compound that promotes chemical change

Does catalytic cracking alter the molecular structure?

Yes

Cat-cracking does what with molecular structure chains?

breaks longer to smaller and linear to circular 

Cat-cracked fuels are higher in what?

Aromatic hydrocarbons that are harder to burn because of their carbon to hydrogen ratio

What are the six grades of fuel oil in Canada?

0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

Kerosene has a different classification than Canadian standards, what is it?

No. 1-k and No. 2-k

No. 1-k is used for?

unvented space heaters

No. 2-k is used for?

wick-fed illuminating lamps and vented stoves and heaters

No. 0 is used for?

Appliances in far northern regions (-50 C temps)

No. 1 is often substituted for No. 2 when No. 2 is subjected to colder temperatures, why?

It has greater fluidity at lower temperatures

Is No. 2 heavier than No. 1?

Yes

What oil type is used in most domestic burners?

No. 2

No. 4 is an industrial type fuel intended for burners that are not equipped with what?

Preheaters

No. 5 is a blend of what?

No. 2 and No. 6

No. 6 is often called?

Bunker C

What are the critical properties of fuel oil?

• density

• heat content

• viscosity

• flash and fire point

• distillation

• carbon residue

• pour and cloud point

• sulphur

• corrosion

• bottom sediment and water

• colour and odor

• additives

The standard temperature of ___ will remove this variable for comparisons?

15.6 C (60 F)

what is the formula for API gravity?

(141.5 / Specific gravity at 60 F) -131.5

the lower the API the higher the grade meaing?

heavier fuel oil (more carbon)

If the API is lower, making the fuel heavier, what does that mean?

more solid and thick

If the API is lower will it be more hard to ignite?

Yes, because hydrogen is easily combustible compared to carbon

If the API is lower will it burn quicker or slower?

Slower, but it will produce more heat per volume since carbon is denser than hydrogen

What does Btu stand for?

British thermal unit

What is a Btu?

the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree F

Higher grade = ___ API

lower

The heat value of No. 2 is?

140 000 Btu/U.S. gallon

An appliance that is firing 1 gallon per hour will have an input of?

140 000 Btu/h

what is viscosity?

Measure of a fluids internal resistance to flow

What is the most important characteristic of fuel oil with the most affect on burner operations?

Viscosity

What flows faster cold or hot oil?

Hot

Will fuel oil burn as a liquid?

No

What is a flash point?

The lowest temperature vapours will first ignite when exposed to an open flame

What is fire point?

lowest temperature at which a fuel produces enough vapour to keep burning for after being ignited

minimum flashpoint for No. 2 oil?

40 

What is Carbon residue?

Amount of solid carbon left behind after a fuel is burned or evaporated.

What is pour point?

Lowest temperature at which a fuel will still flow.

What is cloud point?

Temperature at which wax crystals start to form in a fuel, making it look cloudy.

What temp does cloud point happen?

-12 to -4 above the pour point

How do wax crystals return to their liquid state?

When it is heated above the cloud point

Is sulphur corrosive?

It is in all forms

What’s heavier water or oil?

Water

BSW stands for

Bottom sediment water

field conditions can do what to BSW

Increase it

Colour and odor are indicators of what?

The quality of oil

Why is red dye added?

To mark is as distinct from vehicle diesel fuel

No.2 oil is what colour?

Transparent

If No.2 oil is transparent is the lightness or darkness a good indicator?

No

What are additives for?

to control or eliminate contamination