MECHANISM OF PARTICULATE REDUCTION IN HEAVY FUEL-OIL COMBUSTION

A residual fuel oil, neat and with four different additives, was teste d using three experimental devices: a very fast pyrolyser of fuel drop lets which produced cenospheres; a thermogravimetric analyser which ga ve information on the reactivity of the cenospheres; and a 1.16 MW boi ler. The additives did not modify cenosphere production in the pyrolys er, but changed their reactivity. This reactivity change was in accord ance with particulate reduction in the boiler and with the retention o f the metal additive in the cenospheres. The retention of the metal de pended on the nature of the organic part of the additive.