Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
  • C10L—FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
  • C10L1/00—Liquid carbonaceous fuels
  • C10L1/32—Liquid carbonaceous fuels consisting of coal-oil suspensions or aqueous emulsions or oil emulsions
  • C10L1/328—Oil emulsions containing water or any other hydrophilic phase

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a fuel in microemulsion form, particularly for Diesel engines, and to a method for preparing said fuel.
• Emulsions and microemulsions of petroleum products and water, in which particular surfactants or mixtures of surfactants are used, are known in the art.
• emulsions and microemulsions of liquid fuels and water prepared according to known methods by adding suitable surfactants may have stability problems even in optimum storage conditions, with consequent partial separation of the phases after a certain storage period. This phase separation leads during the combustion process to many drawbacks caused by lack of homogeneity of the fuel.
• a stabilized emulsion of a fuel particularly a fuel for Diesel engines and water with the addition of a product acting as a lubricant and antifreeze, for example sorbitol monooleate, is disclosed in EP 372 353 by the same Applicant.
• the emulsions described therein are stabilized emulsions of fuel prepared with the use of a turbotransducer such as the one disclosed in EP 124 061 by the same Applicant.
• the aim of the present invention is to provide a fuel, particularly for Diesel engines, in the form of a stable microemulsion, which leads to a reduction, in exhaust gases, of 97% in smokiness, of over 50% in carbon monoxide content, of more than 1% in carbon dioxide, and of more than 35-40% in nitrogen oxides with respect to the conventional basic fuel.
• An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel in the form of a microemulsion that is simple to prepare for example also by mixing the components with a minimum agitation time and without requiring a preferential order in the addition of the components.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel in microemulsion form that causes no problems for engine management and can be kept in storage tanks in the same conditions as Diesel fuel.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel for use in the supply of Diesel engines such as large marine engines, engines for medium-heavy road vehicle propulsion, engines for heavy road vehicle propulsion, electric power generators and turbines, and can also be used in civil heating applied to gas oil burners.
• Diesel engines such as large marine engines, engines for medium-heavy road vehicle propulsion, engines for heavy road vehicle propulsion, electric power generators and turbines, and can also be used in civil heating applied to gas oil burners.
• a fuel particularly for Diesel engines, in microemulsion form, comprising a primary fuel constituted by mineral oils and/or vegetable oils, water, a lipophilic emulsifying agent (W/O), and a hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent (O/W).
• W/O lipophilic emulsifying agent
• O/W hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent
• the lipophilic emulsifying agent (W/O) has a HLB value between 4 and 6 and the hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent (O/W) has a HLB value higher than 12.
• the fuel according to the present invention is in the form of a microemulsion with microcells having a diameter of less than 0.15 ⁇ m.
• the water used is preferably demineralized water, but it is also possible to use mains water, preferably filtered and at a maximum temperature, acquired during the microemulsion generation process, of 40-45 °C.
• the amount of water can be 10 to 15 parts by weight, for reasons of applicability to Diesel engines, without introducing modifications.
• 100 parts by weight of fuel containing primary fuel constituted by mineral oils and/or vegetable oils, comprise 2 to 5 parts by weight of activator, understood as the total content of lipophilic emulsifying agent and hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent; in particular, the lipophilic emulsifying agent constitutes 50 to 95 parts by weight and the hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent constitutes 50 to 5 parts by weight of the total activator, in addition to 10-15 parts by weight of water. The remainder to 100 parts by weight is the primary fuel.
• activator understood as the total content of lipophilic emulsifying agent and hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent
• the lipophilic emulsifying agent constitutes 50 to 95 parts by weight
• the hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent constitutes 50 to 5 parts by weight of the total activator, in addition to 10-15 parts by weight of water.
• the remainder to 100 parts by weight is the primary fuel.
• the lipophilic emulsifying agent (W/O) used in the present invention is preferably a fatty ester of sorbitol, the fatty fraction of which must be pure, even if derived from mixed seeds.
• Examples, provided by way of illustration, of lipophilic emulsifying agents (W/O) to be used in the combustible microemulsion according to the present invention are sorbitan monooleate and other compounds that belong to the same chemical class, for example sorbitan monooleate ethoxylate (20), sorbitan dioleate, sorbitan trioleate, sorbitan hexaoleate, sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan monolaurate ethoxylate (20), sorbitan monopalmitate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan monostearate ethoxylate (20), sorbitan monostearate-palmitate and sorbitan tristearate.
• the choice of the "fatty" part is the one that provides an individual suitable imprint, i.e., particular characteristics that have proved decisive for forming the stable microemulsion.
• the hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent (O/W) used in the present invention is a mixture of two or more esters that belong to other combined chemical groups, so long as the "mixing rules" are observed, such as for example complex esters, compound esters, glycerin esters, monoalcohol esters, sorbitol esters, polyalcohol esters, glycol esters, trimethylpropane esters, and more specifically monococoates, cocoates, monooleates, monolaurates, stearates and distearates with various polyethyleneglycols PEGs and/or polyol esters POEs, including mixtures of non-ionic emulsifiers, but with specific combinations and ratios having different molecular weights, preferably one having a low molecular weight and one having a high molecular weight.
• the molecular weight of the supplied product is preferably comprised between 600 and 1000, more preferably between 840 and 880.
• hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent gives greater, and therefore better, stability to the resulting final microemulsion.
• a preferred emulsifying/detergent agent comprises glycol esters.
• diethylene glycol monococoate PEG 200 cocoate, PEG 400 cocoate, diethylene glycol monooleate, PEG 200 monooleate, PEG 300 monooleate, PEG 400 monooleate, PEG 600 monooleate, PEG 1000 monooleate, PEG 40000 monooleate, PEG 6000 monooleate, PEG 400 oleate, dipropylene glycol monooleate, PEG dioleate, PEG 400 dioleate, PEG 600 dioleate, diethylene glycol monolaurate, PEG 300 monolaurate, PEG 400 monolaurate, PEG 400 dilaurate, diethylene glycol monostearate, PEG 200 monostearate, PEG 300 monostearate, PEG 400 monostearate, PEG 15000 monostearate, PEG 40000 monostearate, PEG POE 40 stearate, PEG 400 distearate, PEG 600 distearate, PEG 2000 di
• the imprint that leads to improvement of the characteristics of the final combustible microemulsion related to the stability and preservation of the fuel is defined by the choice, combination and ratio of the components that constitute the hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent as expressed with the example cited earlier.
• the hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent can also comprise, in addition to the mixture of polyethylene glycol esters, one or more fatty acid esters.
• the fuel in microemulsion form according to the present invention can be prepared by using a known emulsification method, for example also by mixing the components with a minimum agitation time.
• the two emulsifying agents i.e., the lipophilic emulsifying agent (W/O) and the hydrophilic emulsifying/detergent agent (O/W), can be introduced in an emulsifier that contains the primary fuel either separately or premixed as a single premixed emulsifying agent (activator).
• the resulting microemulsion moreover, has intrinsic antifreeze and antiseptic properties.
• microemulsions subjected to ultrasound treatment which is considered one of the most energetic physical methods for emulsion degradation, at a frequency comprised between 28 and 34 kHz and with a specific power (watt/liter) of even more than 80 for periods of even more than 20 minutes and a temperature comprised between +30 °C and +40 °C.
• the most evident manifestation that a "destroyed" microemulsion exhibits is the distinct separation (stratification) of the phases it contains and the "demixing" of the water, in addition to immediate degradability if subjected to centrifugation (as required for example by the CUNA NC 637-01 (2001) and UNICHIM 1547 and 1548 (2001) standards).
• microemulsion obtained according to the present invention has proved to be stable even after centrifugation at no less than 5750 rpm for at least 15 minutes.
• microemulsion according to the present invention has demonstrated good protection against bacteria, fungi and molds (-10 2 CFU/ml).
• composition according to the present invention while having inherent antifermentation properties, can also contain biocidal substances, mostly as an additional assurance of stability against external bacterial contaminations in particularly hot environmental conditions and due to the natural bacterial presence in Diesel fuel containment tanks that is generated especially in a warm climate, particularly above 27 °C and in compliance with a future standard that will regulate labeling of certain substances that regrettably are still currently in use despite having a proven toxicity.
• biocidal substances such as paraoxybenzoates, isothiazoles and derivatives thereof, idantoins, parabens and the like, which are not subjected to restrictive labeling and are in any case free from teratogenic and/or carcinogenic risks, as can instead occur for agents used in traditional compositions such as nonylphenol, nonylphenol ethoxylate, formaldehyde and derivatives thereof, or even alkyl nitrates.
• the composition according to the present invention (despite not containing products based on alkyl nitrates, as tested for example by the "Stazionesperimentale per i Combustibili" [Fuel Experimental Station] in Milan Italy, as regards the ignition quality index (cetane number), despite being a microemulsion and not whole Diesel fuel, has the same characteristics as a whole Diesel fuel (which usually has a cetane number of 50 to 52), can contain (in response to any need to improve the cetane number) products based on polyisobutylene succinic anhydride, preferably 400 to 800 ppm.
• composition according to the present invention does not contain nonylphenol, nonylphenol ethoxylate, formaldehyde and derivatives thereof, alkyl nitrates or ammonium nitrates, and therefore is neither carcinogenic nor teratogenic.
• composition according to the present invention can be obtained with increased efficiency by using a method for forming the fuel microemulsion disclosed in US patent no. 6,538,041 B1 by the same Applicant, herein enclosed by reference.
• This method requires the use of an apparatus that has a particular geometry, which forms the microemulsion practically instantaneously, as shown by an instantaneous change of color of the mixture of components, which becomes bright white.
• the instantaneous occurrence of the bright white color is also a visual parameter that is essential for ascertaining the perfect result.
• Emulsions and/or microemulsions not formed with homogeneity and stability characteristics retain a scarcely milky coloring (milk-and-coffee color), with a substantially immediate tendency toward component stratification.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Liquid Carbonaceous Fuels (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=34708526

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (11)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2004
  • 2004-02-20 IT IT000296A patent/ITMI20040296A1/it unknown
• 2005
  • 2005-02-15 EP EP05003206A patent/EP1566430A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 2005-02-17 US US11/059,672 patent/US20050183324A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events