Patent ID: 8079845

Claim:
A process for operating a utility boiler, comprising: a) adding a fuel oil to a furnace of the utility boiler at an initial feed rate; b) adding one or more slag control agents to the furnace at an initial dosage rate based upon the initial feed rate of the fuel oil; c) optionally adding one or more oxygen-generating agents to the furnace at an initial dosage rate based upon the initial feed rate of the fuel oil; d) providing air to the furnace; e) burning the fuel oil to generate heat; f) increasing the initial feed rate of the fuel oil to an increased feed rate; g) reducing the initial dosage rate of the one or more slag control agents based upon the increased feed rate of the fuel oil; h) adding one or more oxygen-generating agents if one or more oxygen-generating agents were not previously added in step (c), wherein the dosage rate of the one or more oxygen-generating agents is based upon the increased feed rate of the fuel oil, or, if one or more oxygen-generating agents were previously optionally added, increasing the dosage rate of the one or more oxygen-generating agents relative to the initial rate in step (c) based upon the increased feed rate of the fuel oil; i) continue providing air to the furnace; and j) continue burning the fuel oil to generate heat, wherein the slag control agent is selected from the group consisting of magnesium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, magnesium carbonate, magnesium organometallic compounds, magnesium carboxylate, magnesium salicylate, magnesium napthenate, and magnesium sulfonate.