Fuel and related compositions – Liquid fuels – Emulsion fuel
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-06
2003-11-25
McAvoy, Ellen M. (Department: 1764)
Fuel and related compositions
Liquid fuels
Emulsion fuel
C044S302000, C044S325000, C044S326000, C044S331000, C044S386000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06652607
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a concentrated emulsion for making an aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion. More particular the invention relates to a process for making an aqueous hydrocarbon fuel involving the pre-emulsification of a concentrated emulsion that is then diluted by the external fuel phase.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Diesel fueled engines produce NOx due to the relatively high flame temperatures reached during combustion. Nitrogen oxides are an environmental issue because they contribute to smog and pollution. Governmental regulation and environmental concerns have driven the need to reduce NOx emissions from engines. Non-attainment areas such as California and Houston and heavily regulated areas such as Mexico City, the UK, and Germany would most benefit by emissions reductions. The reduction of NOx production includes the use of catalytic converters, using “clean” fuels, recirculation of exhaust and engine timing changes. These methods are typically expensive or complicated to be commercially used.
Internal combustion engines, especially diesel engines, using water mixed with fuel in the combustion chamber can produce lower NOx, hydrocarbon and particulate emissions per unit of power output. Water is inert toward combustion, but lowers the peak combustion temperature resulting in reduced particulates and NOx formation. The water in fuel emulsion reduces the NOx emissions in diesel engines by approximately 5-20% and particulates 20-50%.
When water is added to the fuel it forms an emulsion and these emulsions are generally unstable. Stable water-in-fuel emulsions of small particle size are more difficult to reach and maintain. It would be advantageous to make a stable water-in-fuel emulsion that can be stable in storage.
It would be advantageous to produce a stable water-in-fuel emulsion that has optimum stability and at a good throughput rate. Applicant's current process disclosed in the prior applications listed above utilizes a process in which the total amount of water, fuel and emulsifiers are emulsified to produce a fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion. It has been discovered that adding a portion of the fuel initially with the total amount of water and total amount of emulsifiers to form a concentrated emulsion, and then later adding the final portion of fuel to the concentrated emulsion results in improved emulsion stability of the fully formulated water in fuel blend. Further, preparing a concentrated emulsion that is then diluted with the final portion of fuel, increases the throughput by allowing for the production of a greater quantity of fully formulated water-blended fuel product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon emulsion comprising:
(1) a portion of a total amount of a hydrocarbon fuel contained in the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion,
(2) substantially all of an emulsifier contained in the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion wherein the emulsifier is selected from the group consisting of (i) at least one fuel-soluble product made by reacting at least one hydrocarbyl-substituted carboxylic acid acylating agent with ammonia or an amine, the hydrocarbyl-substituted acylating agent having about 50 to about 500 carbon atoms; (ii) at least one of an ionic or non-ionic compound having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of about 1 to about 40; (iii) a mixture of (i) and (ii); or (iv) a water-soluble compound selected from the group consisting of amine salts, ammonium, azide compounds, nitro compounds, nitrate esters, nitramine, alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts and mixtures thereof in combinations with (i), (ii) or (iii); and
(3) substantially all of a water contained in the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion wherein the water is selected from the group consisting of water, water/antifreeze, water/ammonium nitrate, or combinations thereof, resulting in a concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon emulsion used to make the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion.
The invention further relates to a process for the production of an aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion from a concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion comprising:
(1) preparing a concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion comprising emulsifying;
(a) a portion of a hydrocarbon fuel in the range of about 0.5% to about 70% by weight in the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion;
(b) substantially all of an emulsifier in the range of about 0.05% to about 20% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion wherein the emulsifier is selected from the group consisting of (i) at least one fuel-soluble product made by reacting at least one hydrocarbyl-substituted carboxylic acid acylating agent with ammonia or an amine, the hydrocarbyl-substituted acylating agent having about 50 to about 500 carbon atoms; (ii) at least one of an ionic or non-ionic compound having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of about 1 to about 40; (iii) a mixture of (i) and (ii); or (iv) a water-soluble compound selected from the group consisting of amine salts, ammonium salts, azide compounds, nitro compounds, nitrate esters, nitramine, alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts and mixtures thereof in combination with (i), (ii) or (iii); and
(c) substantially all of water in the range of about 5% to about 50% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion wherein the water is selected from the group consisting of water, water/antifreeze, water/ammonium nitrate, and combinations therein,
to form a concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion with a water particle size having a mean diameter of less than 1 micron;
(2) diluting the concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion with the remaining portion of hydrocarbon fuel in the range of about 95% to about 50% by weight in the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion,
resulting in a fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel comprising about 50% to about 99% by weight liquid hydrocarbon fuel and about 1% to about 50% by weight water.
The invention further provides for a continuous or batch process for making a fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion from a concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion.
SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT
The invention relates to a concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion. The concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion contains a portion of the total hydrocarbon fuel contained in the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion. The portion of hydrocarbon fuel in the concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon emulsion is in the range of about 0.5% to about 70% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion, in another embodiment in the range of about 5% to about 40% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion, and in another embodiment, in the range of about 5% to about 20% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion.
The concentrated aqueous hydrocarbon emulsion contains the total amount of emulsion and in another embodiment substantially all of the emulsifier. A small amount of emulsifier may optionally be added to the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion, the hydrocarbon fuel or combinations thereof. The emulsifier is in a range of about 0.05% to about 20% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion, in one embodiment in the range of about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon emulsion, in another embodiment in the range of about 1% to about 10% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion, and in another embodiment in the range of about 1% to about 5% by weight of the fully formulated aqueous hydrocarbon fuel emulsion.
The emulsifier is selected from the group consisting of (i) at least one fuel-soluble product made by reacting at least one hydrocarbyl-substituted carboxylic acid acylating agent with ammonia or an amine, the hydrocarbyl-substituted acylating agent
Daves Harshida C.
Fakult Jennifer N.
Langer Deborah A.
Mullay John J.
Skoch William E.
Esposito Michael F.
Gilbert Teresan W.
McAvoy Ellen M.
The Lubrizol Corporation
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