The Problem Of Incomplete Combustion
Fossil fuels are a complex mixture of carbon and hydrogen containing molecules referred to as hydrocarbons (HC). In addition to the pure hydrocarbon molecules, fuels also have a small fraction of molecules containing nitrogen, sulphur and other elements including many metals such as vanadium. Poor quality fuels, such as coals, are comprised of very large, mostly carbon containing molecules. The amount of hydrogen in the fuel increases as the size of the molecules decrease and the quality of the fuel increases. Higher quality fuels which have more hydrogen and smaller molecules burn faster and more completely. When fossil fuels burn, oxygen is reacting with the hydrocarbon molecules to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), oxides of the trace elements (NOx, SOx, VOx, etc. where x is 0 or a small number) and heat. How completely the hydrocarbons burn depends upon three basic factors:

• The rate at which the molecules burn. (This rate is a function of how large the molecules are.)
• How much oxygen is present around the fuel molecules
• The length of time that the fuel molecules spend in the fireball

How Clean Boost™ Works
Clean Boost™ accelerates the rate of combustion of hard-to-burn hydrocarbon molecules. It functions in at least two ways:

• Clean Boost™ promotes the decomposition of the large fuel particles in the flame and thus produces smaller fragments which in turn are quickly burnt.
• Clean Boost™ helps to complete the final stages of the combustion reaction by lowering the temperatures at which soot burns.

The Technical Benefits of Clean Boost™
Clean Boost™ dramatically reduces the carbon particulate emissions while simultaneously reducing the excess air requirements. The benefits are more efficient combustion which produces more energy and less emissions per unit of fuel burned.

The secondary benefits of using Clean Boost™ are difficult to quantify, although they can be significant. There is the obvious saving associated with increasing the energy output of the fuel. The increased combustion efficiency also reduces fouling and corrosion thereby improving heat transfer, extending equipment life, reducing maintenance costs and minimizing interruptions of plant operations. Other efficiency gains include lower excess air requirements, reduced fan power for soot blower operation, the ability to effectively employ a lower-cost fuel and better recovery of marketable ash from coal combustion.

• Opacity (black smoke) problems are virtually eliminated.
• Electrostatic precipitator performance is improved.
• Slagging, fouling, and corrosion are less likely.
• Decreasing the excess air in generic industrial oil-fired boilers from 30% to a range of 10% is equivalent to as much as a two percentage point increase in overall efficiency.
• Clean Boost™ cleans carbon deposits from engine or boiler surfaces thereby extending equipment lifetime.

The environmental benefits of using Clean Boost™ in all types of combustion warrant mention. Clean Boost™ promotes the combustion of the carbon particles (soot) and condensed tar which result from the incomplete combustion of fuels. When present in sufficient particle size and quantity, soot in exhaust gases constitutes a black smoke. Although soot is not the most abundant pollutant, it may be one of the most hazardous since soot particles are the proper size to be ingested deep into the lungs.

In addition, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s) which are absorbed on soot can promote skin cancer in humans, as many PAH’s are known to be carcinogenic.

The fraction of volatile particulates was greatly decreased (33 to 68%) by Clean Boost™, even when firing at ultra-low excess combustion air.

Research also indicates that soot adsorbs sulphuric acid formed during combustion and contributes to its formation via reactions on the carbon surface. The adsorbed H2SO4 can be as much as 20% by weight of the carbon retained in the boiler. If volatilized, this causes acid smut fallout and boiler cold-temperature corrosion.