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HOW PRI-RS WORKS Carbon | Sulfur | Vanadium | Sludge | Home THE PROBLEM
Two factors contribute. First, the fuel may contain excessive amounts of carbon. Second, even with smaller amounts of carbon, all fuels are inherently unstable. Masses of carbon form when the fuel heats during combustion. The masses are too big to completely combust, leaving unburnable residue to deposit on engine components. The formation of these masses can also lead to ignition delay problems, causing excessive amounts of carbon deposits and increased thermal stress on engine components. THE SOLUTION
By preventing the formation of abrasive hard carbon, PRI-RS usage dramatically reduces wear rates on critical engine components.- resulting in documented savings of $50,000 to $100,000 plus annually after cost of PRI-RS. Schedules are met. Engineering staff has more time to attend to routine maintenance. Problems associated with sulfur begin with combustion. The sulfur in heavy fuel oil is progressively released during combustion and is promptly oxidized to sulfur dioxide (SO2) . The hottest part of the flame then works to oxidize sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide (SO3). The SO3 exists in the flue gas stream, where it has the opportunity to combine with water molecules and form harmful sulfuric acid. Corrosion becomes an issue. Oil fired boilers and engines are especially susceptible to sulfuric acid corrosion, as the vanadium in the oil ash deposits is a good catalyst for the conversion of SO2 to SO3. As the presence of SO3 is increased, so is that of sulfuric acid. The end result is low temperature corrosion of exhaust gas economizers, cylinder liners, water-cooled exhaust valves and other exhaust system components. Sulfur also combines with sodium and vanadium into complex compounds, which result in high temperature corrosion of piston crowns and exhaust valves.
With the level of SO3 greatly reduced, very little sulfuric acid is allowed to form and metal surfaces are protected. The sulfate compounds that do form are relatively dry and easily removed by normal cleaning procedures. PRI-RS also prevents sulfur from compounding with sodium and vanadium. This, in turn, eliminates high temperature corrosion. While PRI-RS's chemical process is simple, it provides extremely valuable benefits for the plant operator. By reducing the presence of sulfuric acid, corrosion is mitigated. Mechanical parts will have extended life-spans and costly premature replacements can be avoided. Additionally, emissions of SO2 and SO3 are significantly reduced, and this means that strict emissions regulations no longer have to pose a concern. By treating the fuel with PRI-RS, emissions limits can be more readily met and costly violations avoided. Whether it's maintenance cost savings, emissions control, or both, PRI-RS is the sulfur solution that pays for itself many times over.
These compounds have very low melting points, specifically, temperatures between 480° F and 1,200° F. Many of these temperatures fall within the range of temperatures within boilers and motors. The compounds melt and form harmful metallic slag found on boiler tubes and turbocharger blades. This slag reduces operating efficiency and results in high temperature corrosion of boiler tubes, exhaust valves and piston crowns.
Simply, PRI-RS reacts with vanadium during the combustion process, preventing it from complexing with sodium and sulfur. The low melting point vanadates simply do not form. The result is a high melting point ash that does not adhere to mechanical parts, including turbocharger blades and boiler tubes. A frequently asked question is "does PRI-RS get rid of vanadium'?" The answer is simple: no. The vanadium remains in its original state. Most is exhausted as a light, dry ash. In boilers, a small quantity of this ash will form a light dust on tube surfaces which can be effortlessly removed during routine maintenance procedures. The benefits of PRI-RS use are multiple. • With PRI-RS, components remain vanadate-free - eliminating costly spares replacement. • With PRI-RS, components can stay in service their full-service life - and beyond. Savings increase as costly change-outs of boiler tubes, exhaust valves, turbocharger blades, etc. are reduced. • With PRI-RS fuel choice options are expanded. Less costly, higher vanadium content fuels can be used with no sacrifice in plant reliability. It should be noted that even fuels low in vanadium produce severe slag and deposits if the ratio of vanadium to sodium is 6:1 or lower. Treating the fuel oil with PRI-RS will give peace of mind that the problems associated with vanadium have been solved.
Similar problems result when a vessel operator mixes two different heavy fuel oils on board. Incompatibility between these fuels causes sludging. Sludge builds up in layers over a period of time. These layers are most commonly found on tank bottoms, interior surfaces of fuel oil heaters, fuel lines, fuel pumps, and the main engine fuel filters. Heavy amounts of fuel sludge can quickly wear out separators. When a heavy fuel oil contains excessive amounts of water, the rate of sludging is accelerated. The results of these sludging problems are higher maintenance costs. The time and expense of cleaning or replacing fuel system components can prove to be excessive. PRI-RS has powerful dispersant chemistries that emulsify sludge and keep its components suspended in the fuel. Instead of agglomerating and dropping out, these components remain in solution and are burned off during the combustion process. Lab tests demonstrate PRI-RS's ability to reduce sludge 50-to-95%. PRI-RS works immediately when applied to fuel, and continues to work until that fuel is combusted. PRI-RS is a highly effective tool for sludge prevention in long-term storage situations. Users of PRI-RS will notice results immediately. The frequency of main engine fuel filter changes is dramatically reduced. Tanks, fuel lines and purifiers remain cleaner longer. Overall, the level of sludge build-up is drastically reduced with consistent application of PRI-RS. With PRI-RS, maintenance costs are drastically reduced. Also, since more of the energy producing asphaltene mixture is allowed to reach the point of combustion, more energy is attained from the fuel. PRI-RS improves operational performance. PRI-RS is the sludge solution. |
Carbon fouling is a costly problem. Hard
carbon deposits are very abrasive - causing premature wear and unscheduled component
failure. Unburned carbon in exhaust gas results in excessive smoke and dangerous soot
fouling in exhaust gas economizers and stacks - increasing the potential for soot fires.
PRI-RS's enhanced thermal
stability chemistry chemically prevents the formation of these large carbon masses during
combustion. With PRI-RS the fuel oil is combusted more completely. The
thick, hard layers of abrasive carbon do not form. Instead, piston
crowns, exhaust valves, upper ring areas and turbocharger blades remain clean. Fuel
injector tips remain free of "trumpets". Smoke is dramatically reduced (as
proven in
PRI-RS
contains a
proprietary series of organic chemistries which work in HFOs to chemically reduce the
amount of SO3. Specifically, PRI-RS reacts with sulfur during
combustion. Instead of oxidizing, the sulfur is converted into a non-corrosive refractory
sulfate. 
Vanadium has a melting point of 3,155° F.
and would not be a problem without the presence of sodium and sulfur. However, during
combustion, vanadium oxidizes, reactions take place between vanadium, sodium and sulfur,
and the result is the formation of complex vanadium compounds (vanadates). 
Power Research Inc. has solved this
vanadium problem with PRI-RS. While conventional bunker fuel treatments
typically use magnesium oxide for vanadium control, PRI-RS incorporates a
far more effective, oil soluble chemistry that provides a more extensive surface area to
inhibit the buildup of metallic slag. 
Most sludging occurs in today's heavy fuel oils because these fuels
are typically comprised of a mixture of cracked heavy residual fuel and a lighter cutter
fuel. This lighter fuel causes the asphaltenes and other sludge producing materials to
drop out of solution. Severe sludging can result.