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CONSIDERATIONS

Fossil fuel combustion, so fundamental to the economy of the nation,
produces both NOX and particulate matter (PM) emissions. Fortunately,
there is a technology that reduces both. This technology can also
increase fuel efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. The
technology that can delier this !triple"cro#n! of enironmental and
economic benefits is emulsified fuel technology (EFuel).


Producing Emulsified Fuels
$n emulsion is a mi%ture of t#o immiscible (not able to be blended)
substances. For e%ample, a fuel oil emulsion features #ater droplets&the
dispersed phase&uniformly distributed throughout the fuel oil&the
continuous phase.
$n emulsion ta'es on the characteristics of the continuous phase. (ence,
fuel oil emulsions e%hibit characteristics of fuel oil, not #ater.
)mulsions are inherently unstable. Oer time they #ill separate into the
stable states of the dispersed and continuous phase materials. To
maintain the composition of an emulsion, surface actie agents, or
!surfactants,! are incorporated into the production of an emulsion.
*n a fuel oil emulsion, these surfactant agents encase the droplets of
#ater distributed throughout the continuous oil phase and preent the
#ater droplets from coming together and coalescing.


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Producing an emulsion involves both chemical and mechanical
operations
The formulation of an emulsion surfactant agent must ta'e into account
the need to presere the stability of the emulsion in both storage and
pumping operations as #ell as the need to render harmless the emission
products arising from the combustion of the emulsified fuel.
The mechanical operation inoled in producing emulsified fuel is that of
a high"alue ((+) shearing operation.
The proper amounts of #ater, surfactant and fuel oil must be metered
into the shearing olume to presere the final emulsified fuel product,s
homogeneity.
-omputer"controlled fuel blending units are used to produce light and
heay fuel oil emulsions.

Emulsified Fuels Combustion
Traditional hydrocarbon fuel combustion re.uires the fuel first to be
atomi/ed.
Once the atomi/ed fuel droplets enter the combustion /one, they burn
from the surface in#ard.
This !char! burning of a fuel droplet is often not completed in the
combustion /one and leads to PM generation.
The generation of NOX emissions proceeds from the e%posure of fuel"
borne nitrogen and nitrogen in the combustion air to the combustion
/one,s high temperature refining atmosphere.
The combustion of emulsified fuels introduces #ater into the combustion
/one, #ith t#o profound effects.
First, e%posing the #ater droplets in an emulsified fuel to the high
temperature of the combustion /one causes an immediate production of
steam bubbles, a phenomenon 'no# in the literature as a !micro"
e%plosion.!
)ach !micro"e%plosion! is accompanied by a significant increase in the
surface area of the heretofore surfactant"encased #ater droplet and a
subse.uent shattering of the surrounding fuel oil medium into numerous
auto"ignition centers of combustion.

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$ more complete combustion is generated, resulting in less particulate
matter (soot) production.
*ntroducing #ater apour into the combustion /one decreases the
temperature of the combustion /one due to the #ater,s high heat
capacity.
This decrease in combustion /one temperature leads to a less energetic
o%idation of both fuel"borne and combustion air nitrogen contents and
therefore to an oerall decline in NOX generation.
More complete combustion means emulsified fuels can produce more
po#er output per fuel input.
(ence, the total amount of base (hydrocarbon) fuel re.uired to produce
a desired po#er output is less.
*f base (hydrocarbon) fuel usage is decreased, the o%ides of carbon
decrease.
)mulsified fuels can thus contribute significantly to decreasing
greenhouse gases (0(0) generation resulting from e%istent hydrocarbon
fuel combustion.
*n summary, introducing #ater into the combustion process by the use of
emulsified fuels results in the generation of an enhanced !triple cro#n! of
benefits1
the reduction of emissions (NOX and PM), an increase in fuel efficiency
and the reduction of 0(0.
$s such, emulsified fuel technology is one of the most effectie and cost"
beneficial technologies aailable to accommodate future re.uirements for
hydrocarbon emission reductions, energy efficiency enhancement and
0(0 diminution.

E FUEL Applications:
E-FUEL can be readily applied to light distillate oils, li'e diesel oils, to
operate in internal combustion engines that are either mobile or
stationary.


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$t the other end of the spectrum, E-FUEL can be applied to residual oils
to produce usable combustion products from such dierse stoc's as
acuum to#er bottom oils and pitch blends.
Finally, E-FUEL can be applied to bio fuels to effectiely counteract the
rise in NOX emissions arising from the combustion of such modern fuel
blends.
*n all instances, E-FUEL presents a significant opportunity to use
hydrocarbon fuels in all !flaours! to their ma%imum #ithout fear of
contributing e%ceptionally to harmful emission leels.
$s such, E-FUEL is a true !enabling! technology that can delier an
immediate impact on global #arming and community health.
E-FUEL is a proen technology that summarily deliers on the promise
of emissions reductions and increases operational efficiency.
2o#ering fuel heating temperatures and atomi/ing steam pressures #hen
using emulsified fuels can contribute to an increase in oerall plant
operational efficiency, significantly lo#ering oerall system maintenance
costs.