health and safety plan solid waste management unit assessment

FUEL OILS 66-8
66.1 MAJOR USES
Fuel oils have various uses for which they are specifically
formulated. Fuel oil number 1 is used almost exclusively for domestic
heating. Fuel oil number 2 is used as a general purpose domestic or
commercial fuel in atomizing type burners. Number 4 oil is used in
commercial or industrial burner installations not equipped with
preheating facilities. Numbers 5 and 6 are used in furnaces and
boilers of utility power plants, ships, locomotives, metallurgical
operations and industrial power plants (23).
Diesel fuel is available in different grades. Number 1-D is used
for engines in service requiring frequent speed and load changes.
Number 2-D is used for engines in industrial and heavy mobile service
while number 4-D is used in low and medium speed engines (2342).
66.1.2 Composition
The discussion of fuel oil in this chapter largely focuses on
diesel fuel. Limited information on residual fuel oils, which are
generally defined as the product remaining after removal of the appreciable
quantities of the more volatile components, is included but
environmental fate data are not specifically addressed. Residual fuel
oils are expected to be extremely complex in composition, with higher
concentrations of the many high molecular weight asphaltic compounds
and impurities present in the original crude oils. Available data
suggest sulfur values ranging from 0.18 to 4.36% by weight: trace
element data indicate that concentrations of many elements vary by one
or more orders of magnitude, as shown in Table 66-l (1843). The
environmental transport and transformation of the high molecular weight
organics is expected to be minimal and is not addressed in detail.
Diesel fuel is usually that fraction of petroleum that distills
after kerosene in the 2OO'C to 400'C range. Several commercial grades
of diesel fuels are obtained by blending various feedstocks to achieve
established specifications. Due to differences in feed stocks,
refining methods, and blending practices, the composition of diesel
fuel samples is expected to be highly variable. Sulfur content has
been reported to vary by several orders of magnitude (O-0.57% by
weight); similar variations have been documented for a number of trace
elements, as shown in Table 66-1 (1843).
Diesel fuel is predominantly a mixture of C,, through C,,
hydrocarbons. Composition by chemical class has been reported to be
approximately 64% aliphatic hydrocarbons (straight chain alkanes and
cycloalkanes), l-2% olefinic hydrocarbons and 35% aromatic
hydrocarbons, including alkylbenzenes and 2-3 ring aromatics (1847).
Other authors have reported a somewhat lower aliphatic content (1849).
As discussed in Chapter 64 (JP-4), petroleum distillatesmay contain
many non-hydrocarbon components in varying concentrations.
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