Stability characteristics according to cumulative time after manufacturing of water emulsion fuel prepared by porous membrane method for low-pollutant engines

Abstract

Diesel water emulsion (DWE) is an alternative fuel that can simultaneously reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and smoke. Studies on reducing pollutant emissions by applying DWE to internal combustion engines have been ongoing, but there have been no studies on the stability of manufactured DWE. To verify the pollutant emissions performance of DWE, total hydrocarbon (THC), NOx, and Smoke emissions were measured by converting fuel of a conventional diesel engine. When DWE was applied, NOx and THC were reduced slightly, and smoke was greatly reduced. Thereafter, 12 types of DWE were manufactured according to water content and surfactant type, and the stability according to the cumulative time after manufacturing was evaluated. The stability was evaluated by measuring the mean water droplet diameter, water droplet diameter distribution width, water droplet cumulative distribution, and water droplet diameter trend. When an appropriate surfactant was used during the manufacturing, there was no difference in the stability according to the water content. It was confirmed that it is most advantageous to use Span 80 in the case of refueling after manufacturing DWE in advance, such as in automobiles, and that using Polyglyceryl 4-opleate is advantageous for manufacturing small mean water droplet diameters in a short time.