🔍 Key Concepts

• Relationship between fuel temperature and the tendency for cracking or burning on hot surfaces • How viscosity changes with temperature in fuel oils • What conditions inside a fuel oil heater could cause coking or carbon buildup

💭 Think About

• Think about what happens to heavy fuel oil when it gets too hot on a metal surface for an extended time. • Which change in operating conditions would most likely cause the fuel to partially burn or decompose on the heater surfaces? • How does viscosity affect the film of oil on a hot tube and its tendency to leave deposits?

✅ Before You Answer

• Compare what high temperature vs low temperature does to fuel stability and cracking. • Consider whether pressure alone would cause carbon deposits without a temperature change. • Verify how viscosity changes with temperature and whether thinner or thicker oil is more likely to overheat on a hot surface.