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Oil Burner Emissions: Cottonseed Oil versus Diesel

G.A. Holt and J.D. Hooker


ABSTRACT

Cottonseed oil has been used as a fuel source either as a blend with diesel in varying proportions or undiluted (100%) in numerous studies evaluating its potential use in internal combustion engines. However, limited research is available on the use of cottonseed oil as a fuel source in a multi-fueled burner similar to those used by cottonseed oil mills and cotton gins in their drying operations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate emissions from five fuel oil treatments while firing a multi-fueled burner in a setup similar to those used for drying operations of both cottonseed oil mills and cotton gins. Four of the treatments were cottonseed oils. The five fuel oil treatments evaluated were: 1) No. 2 Diesel at 83 °F, 2) Prime Bleachable Summer Yellow (PBSY) cottonseed oil at 83°F (PBSY-83), 3) Crude cottonseed oil at 83°F (Crude-83), 4) PBSY at 140°F (PBSY-140), and 5) Crude at 140°F (Crude-140). For each treatment, gaseous emissions of oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NO) , and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were measured while firing the burner with 2, 14, and 23 gallons/hour of fuel oil. Results indicate that PBSY treatments had the lowest overall emissions of all treatments. The other treatments varied in emission rates based on treatment and fuel flow rate. Preheating the oil to temperatures higher than 83°F resulted in higher nitrogen oxide emissions but displayed varying results in regards to CO. The CO emissions for the crude treatments were relatively unaffected by the preheat temperature whereas the PBSY treatments demonstrated lower CO emissions when the fuel was heated to 140°F. Overall, both cottonseed oils performed well in the multi-fueled burner and displayed a promising potential as an alternative fuel source for cottonseed oil mills and cotton gins in their drying operations.





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Document last modified May 20, 2002