Category Archives: Fuel blending

The structure of the financial expenses of automotive businesses and boiler plants is quite varied, though it still allows to identify the main expenditures.  First of all, it is the fuel, which accounts for no less than 40% of all costs.

Fuel homogenization devices are designed to increase the quality of combustion, thereby saving resources.  Homogenized fuel features good performance, burns cleaner, increases the efficiency of boilers and has a sparing effect on the environment.

How to make homogenized fuel?

Generally, in addition to hydrocarbons, diesel fuel also includes water, paraffins, mechanical impurities and organosulfur compounds.

Fuel structure is such that most of its molecules are linked (polymerized).  If such a mixture is ignited, the oxidation process will begin at the active side of large polymeric units.  The combustion rate will decrease due to collisions with water molecules, while sulfur and paraffin will not burn out completely.  These factors lead to incomplete combustion of the fuel mixture and toxic waste.

The question is what happens if the fuel is deprived of its “variability”?  Fine dispersion and homogeneity of fuel mixture has a direct effect on its calorific value and combustion quality.  In particular, we are talking about intensification of oxidation processes, breaking the bonds between molecules with further formation of free radicals, destruction of water polymer chains and transition into a finely dispersed state.

During the homogenization process, sulfur and paraffins break, resulting in the formation of surfactants.  They isolate emulsion particles from each other, not allowing them to coagulate.

Today, there is a wide range of equipment on the market which can be used for homogenization of fuel and creation of water-fuel emulsions.  The most promising in terms of profitability and achievement of the required quality characteristics are plants that operate based on cavitation effect. GlobeCore is involved in development of such equipment  (USB-type units).

What is cavitation?

The phenomenon of cavitation was first mentioned over a hundred years ago.  It was connected with the work of a British scientist Reynolds.

Cavitation is in some ways similar to boiling of liquid, but there are some fundamental differences.  In particular, increasing flow rate relative to a body causes flow pressure reduction to the level of saturated vapor pressure (vacuum).  This leads to boiling of the liquid and formation of cavitation steam bubbles of microscopic size.  When these bubbles get into the high pressure are, they burst. Their sudden bursts cause hydraulic impacts,  which result in the occurrence of a liquid compressional wave with ultrasound frequency.  In case this wave contacts an obstacle, it just breaks its surface.

Why is it advantageous to use GlobeCore equipment?

GlobeCore USB-type plants allow production of high quality homogenized fuel, which does not break down even after prolonged storage.  The use of GlobeCore regeneration technology also allows to:

• Reduce fuel costs;
• Improve consumer appeal of the processed fuel with respect to the initial product;
• Use low-quality fuel feedstock, which also saves funds;
• Improve reliability of engines and boilers;
• Increase efficiency of diesel engines and diesel generators;
• Reduce the amount of harmful emissions into the environment.

We often hear the words “high quality diesel fuel». What are the criteria which define fuel quality? Cetane number is the most important parameter. It defines the ability of the fuel to ignite. In essence, it indicates the rate at which the pressure grows in piston engines when fuel ignites from pressure.

Higher cetane number means faster ignition, uniform growth of pressure and regular smooth engine running.

The theoretical range of cetane number is 0 to 100. Zero is the cetane number of alphamethylnaphtalene, 100 is the cetane number of hexadecane (cetane).

The logical question is can cetane number be increased? Large amounts of low quality diesel are often kept in storage. They could be used as fuel without damage to the engine and fuel system.

Additives are used for practical increase of cetane number. The most popular are thionitrites, amyl nitrates, acetic peroxide.

Cetane number is increased by using amyl nitrite. If 1.5% of the substance is added to diesel fuel with cetane number of 26 to 55, the parameter grows by four points on average.

To use additives with large volume of fuel, special equipment is required, since most of the existing mixing methods cannot ensure homogeneity and stability of the finished product.

The USB type blending system by GlobeCore is designed for mixing of any two to five liquid streams, in particular, low quality diesel fuel with additives. This equipment is designed for oil refineries and filling stations.

A feature of the unit is that the use of injection and hydrodynamic shock allows to increase cetane number of diesel fuel and keep the mix stable to at least 180 days.

Modern hydrodynamic (stream) systems have proven themselves to be reliable in industrial operation as economic, precise and stable units for production of high quality motor fuel at optimal cost.

In the process of blending, the flow rate of each component is constantly adjusted to ensure consistent product quality as per the formulation.

The economy and profit margin, compared to the existing mixing methods, allow to accelerate return on investment by 60% per year and make the project reach break even point in less than a year.

Flexible (elastic) tanks have been especially developed for transportation of petroleum products by sea and for their storage under water.  Such storage reservoirs are primarily made of materials with synthetic fibers, rubbers and plastics.  Preference is often given to rubber materials obtained by vulcanization of rubber mixtures.

Nylon, PVC, polyester, fluorine-containing fibers, polypropylene and copolymer are the most common synthetic fibers.  They have high strength and resistance to abrasion, influence of acids, oxidizing agents, light and atmosphere.

Synthetic rubber elastic tanks

Prior to manufacturing flexible storage reservoirs, both natural and synthetic rubber should be subjected to hot vulcanization that helps to receive durable material. Rubber mixture which is based on butadiene-acrylonitrile and polychloroprene caoutchouc has especially good features.

Plastic tanks

Plastic tanks for oil and oil-products are also widespread along with rubber storage reservoirs. Plastic coatings show good strength and resistance to the impact of most petroleum products and chemicals.

Elastic tanks are most commonly made in the form of a cylinder. Conical extensions are covered with special shells made of metal or fiberglass to strengthen them.

Ground tanks

Ground tanks have impermeable elastic covering. The holding capacity of such tanks depends on their cross-section shape and length. But there is a limitation: liquid surface area should not exceed 3000 m3. In practice, the holding capacity of ground tanks can vary from 1900 to 33000 gallons. Ground tanks require precast concrete constructions regardless of their capacity.

Preparation and homogenization of mixed fuels for storage in flexible tanks

For better storage in elastic tanks, fuel is prepared from relatively inexpensive primary components. The quality of the finished product (and so  fuel economy) depends on blending equipment.

Blending units have a special hydrodynamic blender. All the components are simultaneously supplied into a common reservoir. High quality commercial gasolines such as 92 RON, 92 RON EC, 95 RON, 95 RON EC, 98 RON and 98 RON EC are poured into a flexible tank for oil-products storage after blending.

The cost of mixed gasoline depends on the cost of starting components: alcohols, gaseous stable gasolines,  fuel economy, straight-run gasoline, lower octane gasolines and biological components of motor fuels as well as gasoline octane boosters.

The main advantages of GlobeCore blending technologies are a precise control of each component and reduced blending cycle. Mixed fuels that are prepared with the help of blending units, are characterized by high homogeneity, they do not settle or separate in long storage.

In recent years, the international community has been discussing the use of  alternative energy sources.  In the last century and now both oil and gas are still the main sources of energy and the issue of reducing the volume of their use should be addressed virtually in every country.

Experts predict that in 2016-2017 oil demand will grow slowly.  At the same time, the increase in demand for “black gold” will also promote the consumption of fuel ethanol as the most feasible alternative to crude oil.

Compared to 2015, in the coming years the world economy demand for oil  will increase by 1.8 million barrels per day and  will amount to 98.8 million barrels per day as a whole.  The United States which, for example, in 2015 consumed 19.4 million barrels of oil per day, stands out among the largest oil consumers in the world.

Fig. 1 shows the oil-products yield from one barrel of oil.

Fig. 1.  The yield of various oil-products from one barrel of oil (data as of 2009)

In recent decades, the oil refining industry has witnessed significant structural and technological transformation. In particular, the total percentage of such processes as catalytic cracking, hydrocracking,  visbreaking thermal cracking, coking, catalytic reforming, alkylation and isomerization in the petroleum refining industry has grown to 50%. Simultaneously there has been a tightening of environmental regulations for motor fuels.  The following materials have been considered as the alternatives to traditional fuels:

• reformulated gasolines.  These are oil-products with modified composition and characteristics, ensuring environmental safety;
• unleaded high-octane gasolines;
• alternative types of fuel (oxygenated gasolines, gasolines with ethanol).

It is well known that gasoline is one of the most qualified and expensive energy resource.  To get this oil-product, it is necessary to apply a set of processes of primary and secondary oil processing, as well as special additives.  This  produces gasolines corresponding modern requirements in their composition and quality.  To improve their environmental properties, it is recommended to add oxygenated ethers and ethanol to gasolines.  The most common additives are:

• methyl tert- butyl ether (MTBE);
• ethyl tert- butyl ether (ETBE);
• ethanol;
• methyl tert- amyl ether (MTBE).

In 2015, 1,000 million tons of gasoline was used worldwide.  The biggest consumer of this oil-product is the United States (about 40% of total consumption volume).  Asia and Pacific countries are running second to the US – 21.6% of world gasoline consumption volume (almost half of it is used by China and Japan).  The countries of Western and Eastern Europe consume 17%.  The largest increase in the dynamics of gasoline consumption was observed in China – 46.9%.

As at the beginning of 2015, there were registered 636 oil refining factories in the world with a total capacity of 4.63 billion tons of oil per year.

In recent years, European gasoline component composition was as follows: Fuel catalytic cracking  to produce gasoline – 30%, catalytic reforming for high octane gasoline – 50%, alkylated products – 5%, isomerization products – 8%, additives – 7%.

Experts point out that among the European manufacturers Germany has the most successful component composition of gasoline.

Today in Europe there is EN 228 standard, specify norms for ethanol mixtures.  According to EN228,  Euro 5 (European emission standard) for gasoline is: Aromatics (35%), Benzene (1%), Olefins (18%), Oxygen (3,7%), Sulphur (10.0 mg/kg).

The document is periodically reviewed for the content of ethanol in mixtures from E5 to E10.  From 2007, the E85 gasoline standard (benzene – 15% ethanol – 85%) began to officially operate in France and Austria, and from 2008 – in Germany.  Generally speaking, today about 40 countries already use E85 gasoline standard.  In addition to general standards, European Union countries also have internal standards for ethanol mixtures, corresponding in quality to general standards.

The following symbols are used to indicate bioethanol and mixed gasolines.  First comes letter E (for «ethanol»), and then a figure showing the percentage of ethanol in the fuel.  According to statistics, the most common mixtures are: E5, E10 and E85.  In some countries, particularly in Brazil, pure ethanol E100 is used.

There are 149 oil refining factories across the US with total capacity of 872 million tons, accounting for 20.5% of global oil refining.  The US gasoline blendstock is : catalytic cracking gasoline – 34%, reforming gasoline – 28%, alkylate – 12%, isomerate – 4%, additives – 15%, and others – 7%.

Table 1 shows the statistics of global gasoline consumption.

Global gasoline consumption (million tons)

№	Countries and continents	% of global consumption	2014
1	USA	39.6	385.9
2	Asia and Pacific	21.6	210.8
3	Western Europe	11.5	112.5
4	Central and South America	6.0	58.2
5	North America	5.4	52.8
6	Eastern Europe and CIS countries	5.4	52.8
7	Middle East	7.0	67.9
8	Africa	3.5	34.2
9	Total consumption	100	975.1

Fuel ethanol is the most capacious product that is added to gasoline.  In 2015 it global gasoline production amounted to 15.200 million gallons.  Today, there are 575 factories in the world, producing ethanol.  Their total capacity is 80.631 million tons.  Most often, ethanol is derived from sugarcane, corn, wheat, sugar beet, etc.

Consumption of ethanol fuel  in 2015 was 85 million tons, which is equivalent to annual consumption volume of such countries as the Netherlands and Poland combined.

Table 2 shows the average price of gasoline and fuel ethanol.

The price of gasoline and ethanol fuel as of January 15, 2016

№	Country	Price of one liter of gasoline, $	Price of one liter of ethanol
1	USA	1.98	1.86
2	Brazil	1.02	1.9
3	The European Union (Rotterdam)	1.75	1.81

Today the production of biofuels (including bioethanol) is connected with preserving the environment and a fight against global warming, which requires switching using oil and gas to alternative renewable types of fuel.

Homogenised fuel has better consumer properties, good combustion characteristics, improves efficient performance of the machine, does not carburise  motors or boilers, and causes less polluting emissions.  And, last but not least, as a result it saves itself.

What  makes homogenized fuel better than ordinary fuel?

In addition to hydrocarbons, the composition of conventional diesel fuel also includes water molecules, paraffins, organic sulfur compounds and mechanical impurities.  Most of the molecules in this case are in a bound state.  At ignition of fuel mixture, the combustion processes begins on the active side of molecules.  But in contact with  water  molecules the flow of combustion decelerates. Paraffins and sulfur do not completely combust.  As a result – the combustion slows down, which gives rise to toxic waste and causes coking/ carburization.

The more uniformly the fuel composition is dispersed, the more positive effects it achieves, such as:

• breaking of polymer chains of organic fuel and generation of active sides of molecules.  Active sides enter into oxidation processes much faster and simultaneously;

• breaking of molecular linkage to form free radicals that get inflamed better than closed molecules;
• destruction of polymer chains of water into free ions H+ and OH-.  Such ions are more actively involved in combustion process and form unstable, easily oxidized compounds with free radicals of organic fuel;
• sulfur and paraffins form surfactants that isolate emulsion microparticles and do not allow further clumping.

Emulsified mixtures combust evenly and are economically consumed.  They emit 2-3 times less harmful substances during combustion than conventional fuels.  Among the variety of technical equipment for fuel homogenization that is available on the market – the most effective are: cavitation emulsifiers, homogenizers, dispersants or cavitators – with cavitation processes being most cost effective and efficient.

To achieve the best effect, fuel mix should have a high level of dispersion, be homogeneous and not flake for a few months.  All of the listed effects are achieved with the use of GlobeCore USB hydrodynamic mixer with capacity  5 to 150 m3/h.

These devices obtain homogeneous fuel compositions that do not flake for a long time.

For example, cavitation effect converts black oil into homogeneous emulsion in which light and heavy fractions, bitumen and water particles are perfectly mixed.  This improves operation of burner nozzles.  As a result of this, nozzles are less coked/carburized; the amount of soot decreases and flame becomes uniform and does not pulsate.  The negative impact of water is neutralized completely.

Costly sorts of black oil can be replaced with low-grade ones while retaining all the physical-mechanical fuel characteristics (combustion heat, viscosity, etc.).

Application of USB hydrodynamic homogenizers/ blenders

GlobeCore USB hydrodynamic homogenizers restore and improve the properties of stale and watered black oil, produce light oil, achieve complete combustion of black oil in boilers and marine engines, obtain furnace fuel from sludge and completely clean the external walls of boiler collectors.  The overall savings with USB homogenizers amounts up to 20% when using black oil and 15% when using light fuel.

Homogenizers obtain different mixtures of dual fuel (DF): black oil and production waste, black oil and coal tar, coal-water fuel, biofuel.  They also prepare a variety of liquid waste for effective utilization at heat and power stations.

The use of homogenized fuels by consuming enterprises

Fuel property after treatment	Specific groups of consumers
	Motor transport and railway companies (DF)	Diesel power stations (DF)	Boiler stations (black oil)
Improved consumptive qualities of fuel:	Between season, homogenization helps for a smooth transition from summer to winter fuel without technical problems for an engine. With additives  adapting fuel for “winter” characteristics		Utilize water-oil emulsions (stale black oils) with water content more than 50% and black oils with impurities.
*increased cetane number by 3-5 units. (DF)
*decreased  viscosity,
*reduced flash point,
*complete combustion of fuel
Cost savings	From 3% to 10%		It can reach more than 20% (with low-quality and mixed fuels)
Increased efficiency	The volume of commercial work or the amount of electricity produced is increased by more than 3%
Increased engine durability	Using homogenized fuel cleans engines and boilers from soot and tar deposits, and prevents subsequent carburizing
Environmentally friendly:  with reduced combustion  and toxicity	Reduces the content of harmful substances in flue gases (CO, NOx, SOx – 2-fold, soot particles – 3-4-fold)