Fuel Enhancement Process

Abstract

A process for breaking hydrocarbon bonds during the combustion or heating of a particulate hydrocarbon containing fuel bound carbon and fuel bound nitrogen comprises the steps of: heating the particulate hydrocarbon with a fuel improver in a burner, the fuel improver comprising predominantly iron oxide and silicon dioxide. The proportion of fuel improver to fuel is up to 33%, by weight of particulate hydrocarbon. The particulate hydrocarbon has a particle size distribution and the fuel improver has a particle size distribution, and particles of hydrocarbon at the 90th percentile of its particle size distribution are larger than the particles of the fuel improver at the 90th percentile of its particle size distribution, and wherein the particles of fuel improver at the 10th percentile of its particle size distribution are an order of magnitude smaller than the hydrocarbon particles at the 90th percentile its particle size distribution.

1 . A process for breaking hydrocarbon bonds during the combustion of a particulate hydrocarbon containing fuel bound carbon and fuel bound nitrogen, the process comprising the steps of:
 heating the particulate hydrocarbon with a fuel improver in a burner, the fuel improver comprising predominantly iron oxide and silicon dioxide, wherein:   the particulate hydrocarbon has a particle size distribution and the fuel improver has a particle size distribution, and wherein particles of hydrocarbon at the 90th percentile of its particle size distribution are larger than the particles of the fuel improver at the 90th percentile of its particle size distribution, and wherein the particles of fuel improver at the 10th percentile of its particle size distribution are an order of magnitude smaller than the hydrocarbon particles at the 90th percentile its particle size distribution;   
       and wherein the proportion of fuel improver to fuel is up to 33% by weight of particulate hydrocarbon and wherein the particle size of the fuel improver at the 90th percentile is not greater than 55 micron, and wherein the particle size of the particulate hydrocarbon at the 90th percentile is not less than 60 micron, and wherein the particle size of the fuel improver at the 10th percentile is less than 6 micron. 
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the particle size of the particulate hydrocarbon in the 100th percentile is between 60 micron and 700 micron. 
     
     
         4 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the particle size of the fuel improver at the 90th percentile is selected from the group comprising: not greater than 35 micron, not greater than 32 micron, and not greater than 25 micron. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the volume weighted mean particle size of the fuel improver particles is selected from the group comprising: not greater than 26 micron, and not greater than 17 micron. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the volume weighted mean particle size of the particulate hydrocarbon is 29 micron to 90 micron. 
     
     
         10 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the surface weighted mean particle size of the fuel improver is selected from the group comprising: not greater than 9 micron, and not greater than 6 micron. 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the surface weighted mean particle size of the particulate hydrocarbon is 9 micron to 35 micron. 
     
     
         13 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the particles of the particulate hydrocarbon at the 90th percentile have a size selected from the group comprising: not greater than 220 micron, and not greater than 180 micron. 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the proportion of fuel improver to fuel is in the range selected from the group comprising: 1% to 33% by weight of particulate hydrocarbon, and 5%-12% by weight of particulate hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the fuel improver replaces between 1% and 5% of the particulate hydrocarbon and the proportion of fuel improver is at least equal to the amount of particulate hydrocarbon replaced. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the particulate hydrocarbon is coal. 
     
     
         20 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the fuel improver includes a selected one of: aluminium oxide, calcium oxide, and a mixture of aluminium oxide and calcium oxide. 
     
     
         21 . A process according to  claim 20 , wherein the fuel improver includes a selected one of: up to 7% aluminium oxide by weight, up to 10% calcium oxide by weight, and a mixture of up to 7% aluminium oxide by weight and up to 10% calcium oxide by weight. 
     
     
         22 . A process according to  claim 21 , wherein the fuel improver includes a selected one of: between 3% and 5.5% aluminium oxide by weight, between 2% and 7.5% calcium oxide by weight, and a mixture of between 3% and 5.5% aluminium oxide by weight and between 2% and 7.5% calcium oxide by weight. 
     
     
         23 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the fuel improver comprises between 70% and 91% iron oxide and silicon dioxide, combined, by weight. 
     
     
         24 . A process according to  claim 23 , wherein the fuel improver comprises between 41 and 52% iron oxide, by weight. 
     
     
         25 . A process according to  claim 23 , wherein the fuel improver comprises between 32 and 40% silicon dioxide, by weight. 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . (canceled) 
     
     
         40 . A process for reducing NOx emissions during the combustion of a particulate hydrocarbon containing fuel bound carbon and fuel bound nitrogen, the process comprising the steps of:
 performing the process of  claim 1  to increase the proportion of volatile nitrogen to char nitrogen and volatile carbon to char carbon.   
     
     
         41 . A process for reducing NOx emissions according to  claim 40 , wherein combustion of the particulate hydrocarbon produces a flame having a fuel rich zone and wherein a selected one of the following is increased in the fuel rich zone: the proportion of volatile nitrogen to char nitrogen, the proportion of volatile carbon to char carbon, and both the proportion of volatile nitrogen to char nitrogen and the proportion of volatile carbon to char carbon. 
     
     
         42 . A process according to  claim 40 , comprising the further step of reacting volatile nitrogen with metal oxides of the fuel improver and volatile carbon oxides. 
     
     
         43 . (canceled) 
     
     
         44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . (canceled) 
     
     
         46 . (canceled) 
     
     
         47 . (canceled) 
     
     
         48 . (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . (canceled) 
     
     
         50 . (canceled)