Koya UniversityFaculty of Engineering

School of Chemical & Petroleum EngineeringChemical Engineering department

Laboratory of petroleum and gas properties

EXPERIMENT NUMBER THREE

Smoke point

Instructor: Mr. Aabdulmajid & Mr. HalshoAuthor Name: Aree Salah Tahir

Experiment Contacted on: 12/nov/2013Report Submitted on: 19/nov /2013

Group: A

The aim of this experiment:

The maximum flame height in millimeters at which kerosene will burn without smoking, tested under standard conditions; used as a measure of the burning cleanliness of jet fuel and kerosene.[ref 1] 

 

Introduction:

The principle of the method specified is burning the sample in an enclosed wick-fed lamp that is calibrated daily against pure hydrocarbon blends of known smoke point and determining the maximum height of flame that can be achieved with the test fuel without smoking to the nearest 0, 5 mm. The smoke point is related to the hydrocarbon type composition of such fuels.

Generally the more aromatic the fuel the smokier the flame. A high smoke point indicates a fuel of low smoke producing tendency.

Theory:

Although a low smoke point is undesirable in that it may not give a satisfactory range of smokeless performance, a high smoke point alone is no guarantee that a kerosene has generally satisfactory burning characteristics. The smoke point test adequately reflectsthe essential feature of hydrocarbon type composition in relation to burning characteristics, as already indicated, and consequently no analysis for composition is necessary in the normal evaluation of burning oils. Kerosene can vary widely in its burning quality as measured by carbon deposition, smoke formation, and flame radiation. This is a function of hydrocarbon composition—paraffinhave excellent burning properties, in contrast to those of the aromatics (particularly the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons). As a control measure the smoke point test, gives the maximum smokeless flame height in millimeters at which the fuel will burn in a wick-fed lamp under prescribed conditions. The combustion performance of wide-cut fuels correlates well with smoke point when a fuel volatility factor is included, because carbon formation tends to increase with boiling point. However, the smoke point is not always a reliable criterion of combustion performance and should be used in conjunction with other properties. Various alternative laboratory test methods have previously been specifiedsuch as the lamp burning test.

EQUIPMENT and COMPONENTS USED:

1.Smoke point apparatus2.Kerosene

The fuel sample is burned in the Smoke Point Lamp, and the maximum flame height obtainable without smoking is measured.

Smoke point apparatus consists of

• Brass lamp body with chimney;

• 0 - 50mm scale markings;

• Brass plated door with glass window;

• Candle socket;

• Brass candle with wick tube and air vent.

• Iron base

The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included

in this standard .

The procedure:Soak a piece of extracted and dried wick, not less than 125 mmlong, in the sample and place it in the wick tube of the candle.Introduce as near to 20 mL of the prepared sample as available, butnot less than 10 mL, at room temperature, into the clean, drycandle. Place the wick tube in the candle and screw home. Takecare that the candle air vent is free from fuel. If a wick-trimmerassembly is not being used, cut the wick horizontally and trim itfree of frayed ends so that 6 mm projects from the end of thecandle. An alternative method of preparing a wick free of twistsand frayed ends utilizes a wick-trimmer assembly. The wick trimmer holder is inserted over the top of the wick tube and the long-nosed triceps are inserted through the tube and holder. Light the candle and adjust the wick so that the flame is approximately 10 mm high and allow the lamp to burn for 5 min. Raise the candle until a smoky tail appears, thenlower the candle slowly through the following stages of flameappearance, To eliminate errors due to parallax, the eye of theobserver shall be slightly to one side of the centerline, so that areflected image of the flame is seen on the scale on one side ofthe central vertical white line.

Discussion:1-What is significant of the test?

This test method provides an indication of the relative smoke producing properties of kerosene.

2-How many observations are required?

About three to four observations are required to get the precise reading of the scale.

3-disscus your result and observation and write short summary?

We notice the change of the result of second experiment one millimeter more before first experiment and the reason was the time because we didn’t raise the smoky tail in the right time.

Reference:

1: http://www.answers.com/topic/smoke-point#ixzz2l1IpZIKl

2: http://www.astm.org/Standards/D1322.htm

3: Handbook of Petroleum Product Analysis, 2002,

JAMES G. SPEIGHT. 172