Enhancing the performance of a high-pressure cogeneration boiler with waste hydrogen-rich fuel

The cogeneration boiler has been applied extensively for simultaneously supplying electrical power and high-pressure steam. In this study, the performance of a high-pressure cogeneration boiler (max 280 tons/h boiler capacity) that burnt fuel oil (FO) and natural gas (NG) in a full-scale petrochemical plant was enhanced by partially replacing the NG with a waste hydrogen-rich refinery gas (RG), a byproduct from catalytic reforming and catalytic cracking operations. The addition of RG does not influence the boiler efficiency; it results in saving the energy consumption and significantly decreasing the greenhouse gas emission. If the inlet FO/NG/RG volumetric flow rate ratio is maintained at 50:33:17, adding RG will save 14,500,000 m3/year of NG and reduce 12,900 tons/year of CO2 emission. Therefore, the use of RG to partially replace NG has practical benefits for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission.