Effect of Components on the Emulsification Characteristic of Glucose Solution Emulsified Heavy Fuel Oil

Abstract

Glucose, which can be directly obtained from biomass, was added into heavy fuel oil in the form of an aqueous solution to prepare a novel alternative emulsified fuel. The effects of each component (water, glucose, and surfactant) on the droplet size distribution, stability and viscosity-temperature characteristics were studied. Results show that the increase in water concentration (0~40v/v%) and HLB value (4.3~14.3) has a certain negative influence on stability and homogeneity. While with the increasing glucose blend ratio (0~40%), the stability and homogeneity presented a trend of increased first and then decreased. It worth noting that at a 30% glucose blending ratio, the long-term stability (85℃, 30 days without separation) along with minimum mean droplet size was obtained. Besides, only at surfactant concentration (1%~5%) of 1% and 5%, the long-term stability was not obtained. The viscosity of emulsions with surfactant is reduced at 25~35℃, increased at 60~95℃ compared with emulsion without surfactant. Note that no obvious difference in viscosity is observed with the addition of glucose. The feasibility of blending glucose into emulsified heavy fuel oil was confirmed in the perspective of stability and viscosity.