Low-Value Waste Gases as an Energy Source

Abstract

Waste gases with potentially useful fuel value are generated at any number of points in refineries, chemical plants and other industrial and commercial sites. The higher quality streams have been utilized successfully in fuel systems for years. Lower quality streams, often difficult to capture and sometimes limited in quantity, have often not been utilized for their fuel value. Increasing environmental and economic concerns have led to greater interest in utilizing these marginal fuel value waste gas streams as auxiliary fuels. The combustion and heat transfer characteristics of these fuels are different from normal fuels and these differences must be considered when determining if they can be fired successfully in existing furnaces or when designing new furnaces to use them. In addition, because of the difficulties in burning them and the chemical compounds that may be included in them, the potential pollutant emissions from these waste streams is also a significant consideration.