- Author
-
Hossain, K.
|
Mackay, D.
- Title
- Study of the Combustibility of Weathered Crude Oils and Water-In-Oil Emulsions.
- Coporate
- University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Report
-
EE-12; NIST SP 995; Volume 2
1980; March 2003
37 p.
- Keywords
-
crude oil
|
emulsions
|
combustibility
|
petroleum products
|
ease of ignition tester
|
duration
|
field tests
- Abstract
- A laboratory study is described in which the combustibility of fresh and weathered crude oils, petroleum products, and water-in-oil emulsions was investigated. A small-scale burning apparatus has been designed and operated to yield data on the ease of ignition, duration and conditions of burning and the fraction burned. Satisfactory correlation exists between these laboratory tests and larger field tests on the same oil reported by Energetex, except that the fraction burned is consistently higher in the laboratory tests, probably as a result of insufficient radiant heating from the smaller flame. Weathering results in loss of volatiles, more difficult ignition, slower burning and, in some cases, surprisingly higher fractions burned. An attempt is described to assemble a simple mathematical model of ignitability as a function of oil fire point and thickness,and the characteristics of of the igniting device. The model satisfactorily describes the qualitative ignitability observations and, with further development, may be capable of being used to predict the ignitability of various oils and emulsions under various conditions.