JP2015187407A - emulsion engine system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an emulsion engine system that enables fuel oil and other fluid to be held in an emulsified state over a long period so as to avoid troubles resulting from separation of the fuel oil and the other fluid from each other.SOLUTION: An emulsion engine system 100 includes an engine 101, a first emulsion device 102A for mixing fuel oil and water to produce emulsion fuel, a fuel oil tank 104, a water tank 105, a second emulsion device 102B, and a pump 106 for sucking emulsion fuel produced by the second emulsion device 102B and supplying it to the engine 101. Each of the emulsion devices 102A, 102B sucks a second fluid such as water from outside a distribution path for a first fluid such as fuel oil with a negative pressure, and imparts shearing force to the sucked second fluid in the distribution path for the first fluid for shearing the second fluid into fine water particles, thereby forming oil-water emulsion.

Description

  The present invention relates to an emulsion engine system that generates an emulsion fuel in which fuel oil and other fluid are mixed by an emulsification technique as a fuel to be supplied to an engine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when supplying fuel oil such as gasoline or light oil to an engine of a traveling vehicle, an agricultural machine, or the like, there is known a technique for generating an oil-water mixed fuel by mixing water with the fuel oil. According to such a technique, the combustion efficiency of the engine can be improved, or the amount of fuel oil used can be reduced.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a diesel engine using an emulsion fuel (oil-water mixed fuel) in which water is mixed into fuel oil. Specifically, in Patent Document 1, immediately before the engine is stopped, the fuel switching valve is switched to supply the fuel oil from the fuel supply source to the engine as it is, and in the piping between the fuel switching valve and the engine and the engine The engine operation method is described in which the engine is stopped when the emulsion fuel is replaced with fuel oil, and the emulsion fuel is forcibly circulated upstream of the fuel switching valve during the engine stop period. ing. The fuel switching valve is a valve for switching the fuel supply path to the engine between the emulsion fuel path and the fuel oil direct supply path.

JP-A-2-33458

  Certainly, according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the water separated from the emulsion fuel does not remain in the fuel supply piping or the fuel injection nozzle of the engine. It is considered that misfire due to moisture at the time of start-up can be prevented, and separation of fuel oil and water when the engine is stopped can be prevented by forced circulation of the emulsion fuel.

  However, according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, a fuel switching valve for switching a fuel supply path to the engine, a bypass path having a bypass valve for forcibly circulating emulsion fuel, a fuel switching valve, and a bypass valve It is necessary to provide a control device or the like for transmitting a control signal for measuring the delay time or measuring the delay time when the engine is delayed and stopped. For this reason, the structure around the engine tends to become complicated and the cost tends to increase.

  In actuality, although emulsion fuel depends on the mixing ratio of fuel oil and water, etc., complicated techniques are required for emulsification, and after fuel oil and water are mixed and emulsified once, the fuel There is a problem that oil and water are easily separated from each other, and long-term storage as fuel is difficult. Separation of fuel oil and water may cause rusting of pipes and the like and misfire at engine start-up due to the separated water as described above, or may prevent obtaining good combustion efficiency in the engine.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and can simplify the structure around the engine, and can maintain a state in which fuel oil and other fluids are emulsified for an emulsion fuel for a long period of time. It is an object of the present invention to provide an emulsion engine system that can be held over and can solve problems caused by separation of fuel oil and other fluids from each other.

  An emulsion engine system according to the present invention includes a first emulsion device that generates an emulsion fuel by mixing an engine, fuel oil, and another fluid, and a first fuel oil that is supplied to the first emulsion device. , A second tank for storing other fluid to be supplied to the first emulsion device, and a fuel supply path to the engine on the downstream side of the first emulsion device, the first emulsion device The second emulsion device that receives the supply of the emulsion fuel generated by the above and mixes the fuel oil with another fluid to generate the emulsion fuel, and sucks the emulsion fuel generated by the second emulsion device and A pump for supplying to the engine, the first emulsion device and the second emulsion Each emulsion device has a cylindrical mixer body having openings at both ends, and the first fluid introduced from the one end opening is caused to flow in the axial direction in the mixer body to open the other end. Axis flow path led out from the section and the second fluid introduced from the main body introduction hole formed in the peripheral wall of the mixer main body along the inner peripheral surface of the mixer main body and centering on the axis of the axial flow path A spiral flow path is formed in which the first fluid and the second fluid are mixed while being swirled in a spiral shape to be led out from the other end opening.

  The emulsion engine system according to the present invention further includes a separator that receives surplus fuel of the emulsion fuel supplied to the engine and separates the surplus fuel into fuel oil and other fluid, and is separated by the separator. The fuel oil is returned to the first tank, and the other fluid separated by the separator is returned to the second tank.

  The emulsion engine system according to the present invention further includes a return pipe for guiding other fluid separated from the emulsion fuel supplied from the first emulsion device to the second emulsion device to the separator. .

  The emulsion engine system according to the present invention further includes a fuel return pipe for returning surplus fuel of the emulsion fuel supplied to the engine to the first emulsion device, and the first emulsion device includes fuel oil and other fluids. And the surplus fuel returned by the fuel return pipe are mixed to produce an emulsion fuel.

  The emulsion engine system according to the present invention further includes a feed pump that is provided in a supply path of emulsion fuel from the second emulsion device to the engine and feeds the surplus fuel.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while being able to make the structure around an engine simple, it is possible to hold | maintain the state which emulsified the fuel oil and the other fluid about the emulsion fuel over a long period of time. The problem caused by the separation of the fluid from each other can be solved.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the emulsion engine system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the emulsion apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the emulsion apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the fluid mixer which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a side view which shows the structure of the mixer main body which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is expansion | deployment explanatory drawing of the mixer main body which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the main body introduction hole of the mixer main body which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the mixer main body which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the covering which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is II-II arrow sectional drawing in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the emulsion apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of the fluid mixer which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is III-III arrow sectional drawing in FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the fluid mixer which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the modification of the fluid mixer which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of the fluid mixer which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the emulsion engine system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the emulsion engine system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the emulsion engine system which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the emulsion engine system which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention.

  The present invention relates to an engine system for producing an emulsion fuel in which fuel oil and other fluid (for example, water) are mixed by using an emulsification technique as fuel to be supplied to an engine. By adopting a configuration in which at least one of fuel oil and other fluids spirally flows when producing emulsion fuel by making it into an emulsion, it is possible to maintain an emulsified state over a long period of time by a simple configuration, It is intended to obtain high quality emulsion fuel as engine fuel.

  In the embodiment of the present invention described below, the emulsion engine system employs water as another fluid to be mixed with the fuel oil, and generates an oil-water mixed fuel as the emulsion fuel. Immediately before supplying the oil / water mixed fuel into the engine, the fuel oil and water (hereinafter also referred to as “oil / water”) are emulsified by sucking and mixing the water particles into the fuel oil while shearing the water particles. The return fuel is also emulsified. Here, when emulsifying the oil and water, a two-component emulsion technique developed by Takashi Tsuji, the inventor of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2010-285833, 2011-167100, and PCT / JP2011 / 079637 is used. That is, water is suctioned from the outside of the fuel oil flow passage, and a shearing force is applied to the sucked water in the fuel oil flow passage to shear the water into fine water particles, thereby emulsifying the oil. An emulsion device is used. The mixing ratio of fuel oil and water for the emulsion fuel supplied to the engine is, for example, about 80% fuel oil and about 20% water. According to such an emulsion apparatus, it becomes difficult to separate fuel oil and water as oil-water mixed fuel as much as possible. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the configuration of an emulsion engine system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, an emulsion engine system 100 includes an engine 101, an emulsion device 102 (102A, 102B) installed outside the engine 101, a fuel oil tank 104 and water installed outside the emulsion device 102. A tank 105 and a pump 106 which is a suction pump for sucking fuel from the emulsion device 102 and supplying oil-water mixed fuel which is emulsion fuel to the fuel injection valve 101 a of the engine 101 are provided.

  The emulsion engine system 100 includes, as the emulsion device 102, a first emulsion device 102A and a second emulsion device 102B provided on the downstream side of the first emulsion device 102A in the fuel supply path to the engine 101. That is, the emulsion engine system 100 includes two emulsion devices 102 (102A and 102B) connected in a fuel supply path to the engine 101. The second emulsion device 102B receives the supply of the oil / water mixed fuel generated by the first emulsion device 102A and mixes the fuel oil and water to generate the oil / water mixed fuel.

  The emulsion device 102 mixes a first fluid such as fuel oil and a second fluid such as water as fuel supplied to the engine 101 to generate emulsion fuel. The emulsion apparatus 102 includes a casing 2 constituting an exterior part and a cylindrical fluid mixer 10 provided in the casing 2. The fluid mixer 10 includes a starting end inlet 10a that serves as an inlet (suction port) for fuel oil and a terminal outlet 10b that serves as an outlet for fluid. That is, the start end inlet 10 a is configured to suck the first fluid such as fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104, and the end outlet 10 b is configured to discharge the oil-water mixed fuel by the suction force of the pump 106. is there. The start end inlet 10 a is provided at one end of the fluid mixer 10 in the cylinder axis direction, and the end outlet 10 b is provided at the other end of the fluid mixer 10 in the cylinder axis direction. These configurations are common to the first emulsion device 102A and the second emulsion device 102B.

  The fuel oil tank 104 is a first tank that stores fuel oil supplied to the first emulsion device 102A and the second emulsion device 102B. The water tank 105 is a second tank that stores water supplied to the first emulsion device 102A and the second emulsion device 102B.

  The fuel oil in the fuel oil tank 104 is supplied to the first emulsion device 102A through the first fuel oil supply path 112a. That is, the first emulsion device 102A and the fuel oil tank 104 are connected to each other by the first fuel oil supply path 112a for supplying the fuel oil in the fuel oil tank 104 to the first emulsion device 102A. One end (upstream side) end of the first fuel oil supply path 112a is connected to the fuel oil tank 104, and the other end (downstream side) end of the first fuel oil supply path 112a is the first emulsion. The device 102A is connected to the start end inlet 10a of the fluid mixer 10. In this manner, the fuel oil in the fuel oil tank 104 is directly supplied to the first emulsion device 102A through the first fuel oil supply path 112a.

  The water in the water tank 105 is supplied to the first emulsion device 102A through the first water supply path 113a. That is, the first emulsion device 102A and the water tank 105 are connected to each other by the first water supply path 113a for supplying the water in the water tank 105 to the first emulsion device 102A. One end (upstream side) end of the first water supply path 113a is connected to the water tank 105, and the other end (downstream side) end of the water supply path 113 is the casing 2 with respect to the first emulsion device 102A. It is connected in communication.

  In this way, in the first emulsion device 102A that receives the fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104 and the water from the water tank 105, the fuel oil and water are mixed, and an oil-water mixed fuel with a predetermined mixing ratio is generated. The In the present embodiment, the mixing ratio of fuel oil and water in the first emulsion device 102A is about 50% fuel oil and about 50% water.

  The oil / water mixed fuel produced in the first emulsion device 102A is supplied to the second emulsion device 102B located on the downstream side of the first emulsion device 102A through the first mixed fuel passage 118. That is, the first emulsion device 102 </ b> A and the second emulsion device 102 </ b> B are connected to each other by the first mixed fuel passage 118. One end (upstream side) end of the first mixed fuel passage 118 is connected to the terminal outlet 10b of the first emulsion device 102A, and the other end (downstream) end of the first mixed fuel passage 118 is It is connected to the start end inlet 10a of the second emulsion device 102B. That is, the oil-water mixed fuel generated in the first emulsion device 102A is similar to the fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104 for the first emulsion device 102A, and the second emulsion device 102B from the start inlet 10a of the second emulsion device 102B. Flow into.

  Moreover, the fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104 is mixed with the oil-water mixed fuel produced | generated with 102 A of 1st emulsion apparatuses before flowing into the 2nd emulsion apparatus 102B. For this reason, from the fuel oil tank 104, the 2nd fuel oil supply path 112b joined to the 1st mixed fuel path 118 interposed between the 1st emulsion apparatus 102A and the 2nd emulsion apparatus 102B is extended. That is, one end (upstream side) end of the second fuel oil supply path 112b is connected to the fuel oil tank 104, and the other end (downstream side) end of the second fuel oil supply path 112b is The fuel oil in the fuel oil tank 104 is connected to a predetermined position of the first mixed fuel passage 118, and is introduced into the first mixed fuel passage 118 through which the oil / water mixed fuel generated in the first emulsion device 102A passes. . Thereby, fuel oil is added to the oil-water mixed fuel produced | generated by 102 A of 1st emulsion apparatuses, and the density | concentration of fuel oil is raised. Thus, the fuel oil in the fuel oil tank 104 is indirectly supplied to the second emulsion device 102B via the first mixed fuel passage 118 by the second fuel oil supply passage 112b.

  The water in the water tank 105 is supplied to the second emulsion device 102B through the second water supply path 113b. That is, the second emulsion device 102B and the water tank 105 are connected to each other by the second water supply path 113b for supplying the water in the water tank 105 to the second emulsion device 102B. One end (upstream side) of the second water supply channel 113b is connected to the water tank 105, and the other end (downstream) of the second water supply channel 113b is connected to the second emulsion device 102B. The casing 2 is connected in communication.

  In this way, in the oil-water mixed fuel in which the concentration of the fuel oil is increased after being generated by the first emulsion device 102A, and in the second emulsion device 102B that receives the supply of water from the water tank 105, the concentration of the fuel oil is increased. The oil / water mixed fuel and water are mixed to produce an oil / water mixed fuel having a predetermined mixing ratio. In the present embodiment, the mixing ratio of the fuel oil to the water for the oil / water mixed fuel produced by the second emulsion device 102B is about 80% fuel oil and about 20% water. That is, the oil / water mixed fuel having a mixing ratio of about 5: 5 passes through so that the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water of the oil / water mixed fuel finally obtained in the second emulsion apparatus 102B is about 8: 2. The amount of fuel oil supplied to the first mixed fuel passage 118 by the second fuel oil supply passage 112b and the amount of water supplied from the water tank 105 to the second emulsion device 102B by the second water supply passage 113b are adjusted.

  As described above, the emulsion engine system 100 according to the present embodiment includes the two emulsion devices 102 that are in the upstream / downstream relationship with each other in the fuel supply path to the engine 101. First, the first emulsion device 102A on the upstream side includes the first emulsion device 102A. An oil-water mixed fuel is produced at a relatively low fuel oil concentration, and a fuel oil added to the oil-water mixed fuel is mixed with water in the second emulsion device 102B on the downstream side, whereby a relatively high fuel oil concentration The oil-water mixed fuel is produced. That is, the emulsion engine system 100 includes two emulsion devices 102 connected in series with each other, and the concentration of the fuel oil in the oil-water mixed fuel is stepped by mixing the fuel oil and water in each emulsion device 102. To be high.

  In the emulsion engine system 100 of the present embodiment, first, in the first emulsion device 102A, fuel oil introduced into the fluid mixer 10 from the fuel oil tank 104, and water introduced into the casing 2 from the water tank 105, Are mixed to produce an oil-water mixed fuel having a fuel oil / water mixing ratio of about 5: 5. The emulsion engine system 100 includes an oil-water mixed fuel that is generated in the first emulsion device 102A and introduced into the fluid mixer 10 in response to the addition of the fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104 in the second emulsion device 102B. Then, the water introduced into the casing 2 from the water tank 105 is mixed, and the oil / water mixed fuel is generated so that the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water becomes about 8: 2.

  As described above, the emulsion engine system 100 increases the concentration of the fuel oil in two stages, and the first emulsion device when the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water in the first emulsion device 102A is the first mixing ratio. 102A generates an oil / water mixed fuel having a first mixing ratio, and the second emulsion device 102B uses the oil / water mixed fuel having the first mixing ratio to have a fuel oil concentration higher than the first mixing ratio. An oil / water mixed fuel having a mixing ratio of 2 is generated.

  In the emulsion engine system 100 according to the present embodiment, with respect to the fluid mixed in the first emulsion device 102A, the first fluid introduced into the fluid mixer 10 is fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104, and the inside of the casing 2 The second fluid introduced into the water is water from the water tank 105. Regarding the fluid mixed in the second emulsion device 102B, the first fluid is obtained by adding fuel oil to the oil-water mixed fuel generated by the first emulsion device 102A, and the second fluid is the water tank 105. From the water.

  In the present embodiment, the fuel oil supplied to the first emulsion device 102A is stored as fuel oil introduced into the first mixed fuel passage 118 interposed between the first emulsion device 102A and the second emulsion device 102B. Although the fuel oil in the fuel oil tank 104 is used, a fuel oil tank for storing the fuel oil introduced into the first mixed fuel passage 118 may be provided separately from the fuel oil tank 104. The water supplied to the second emulsion device 102B may also be supplied from a water tank provided separately from the water tank 105 that stores the water supplied to the first emulsion device 102A. However, the fuel oil tank for storing the fuel oil introduced into the first mixed fuel passage 118 and the water tank for storing the water supplied to the second emulsion device 102B are the same as in the present embodiment. By adopting a configuration in which the tank 105 is shared, the device configuration of the emulsion engine system 100 can be simplified.

  The oil / water mixed fuel generated by the second emulsion device 102 </ b> B is supplied to the engine 101 through the second mixed fuel passage 111. That is, the second emulsion device 102B and the engine 101 are connected to each other by the second mixed fuel passage 111 for supplying the oil / water mixed fuel produced by the second emulsion device 102B to the engine 101. One end (upstream side) of the second mixed fuel passage 111 is connected to the terminal outlet 10b of the second emulsion device 102B, and the other end (downstream) of the second mixed fuel passage 111 is connected to the engine 101. The fuel injection valve 101a is connected.

  The pump 106 described above is provided in the second mixed fuel passage 111. The pump 106 is configured to suck the emulsion fuel generated by the second emulsion device 102B and supply it to the engine 101. Therefore, the second mixed fuel passage 111 that connects the second emulsion device 102B and the engine 101 includes an upstream passage portion 111a that connects the terminal outlet 10b of the second emulsion device 102B and the suction port 106a of the pump 106, and a pump. A downstream passage portion 111b that allows the discharge port 106b of the engine 106 and the fuel injection valve 101a of the engine 101 to communicate with each other.

  The emulsion engine system 1 is provided with a separator 107 that receives surplus fuel for the oil-water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101 and separates the surplus fuel into fuel oil and water. One end side (downstream side) of the fuel return pipe 114 branched from the downstream side passage portion 111b of the second mixed fuel passage 111 that is in front of the fuel injection valve 101a is connected to the inflow side (start end side) of the separator 107. . That is, the upstream portion of the fuel return pipe 114 communicates with the downstream passage portion 111 b of the second mixed fuel passage 111, and the downstream end of the fuel return pipe 114 is connected to the inflow side of the separator 107.

  On the outflow side (termination side) of the separator 107, a fuel oil return pipe 115 for returning the fuel oil separated in the separator 107 to the fuel oil tank 104 and water separated in the separator 107 are returned to the water tank 105. One end side (upstream side) of each of the water return pipes 116 is connected. That is, the fuel oil return pipe 115 connects the outflow side of the separator 107 and the inside of the fuel oil tank 104 to each other, and the water return pipe 116 connects the outflow side of the separator 107 and the inside of the water tank 105 to each other.

  The separator 107 has a function of separating the oil / water mixed fuel returned from the fuel return pipe 114 into fuel oil and water. The separator 107 has, for example, a separation tank for separating the fuel oil and water from each other using the specific gravity of the fuel oil and water, and the oil-water mixed fuel flowing from the fuel return pipe 114 is supplied to the separation tank for a predetermined time. The fuel oil and water are separated from each other by storage. The fuel oil and water separated by the separator 107 are returned to the fuel oil tank 104 and the water tank 105 through the fuel oil return pipe 115 and the water return pipe 116, respectively.

  In addition, in the emulsion engine system 100, in order to prevent the water supplied from the water tank 105 from freezing or to thaw the already frozen water, the exhaust heat of the electric heater or the engine 101 can be used. . Specifically, the heating unit 108 (108a, 108b) is provided in each of the first water supply path 113a and the second water supply path 113b. The heating unit 108 is provided, for example, as a layer portion (heating layer) that surrounds the piping constituting the water supply path (113a, 113b). An exhaust heat pipe 117 extending from the engine 101 is connected to the heating unit 108 in communication. A first branch pipe 117a of the exhaust heat pipe 117 is connected to the heating section 108a provided in the first water supply path 113a, and a first exhaust pipe 117 of the exhaust heat pipe 117 is connected to the heating section 108b provided in the second water supply path 113b. A two-branch pipe 117b is connected.

  The heating unit 108 receives the supply of exhaust heat from the engine 101 through the exhaust heat pipe 117, so that water in the water tank 105 or the water supply path (113a, 113b) is passed through the water supply path (113a, 113b). Heat. The heating unit 108 may be provided with heating means such as an electric heater.

An important configuration in the emulsion engine system 1 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration is as follows.
(1) As the emulsion device 102, a second emulsion device 102B installed immediately before the upstream side of the engine 101 in the fuel supply path to the engine 101, and a first emulsion device 102A installed upstream of the second emulsion device 102B And providing.
(2) About the mixing ratio of fuel oil and water, in the first emulsion apparatus 102A, the ratio of fuel oil: water is about 5: 5, and in the second emulsion apparatus 102B, water 2-3 is contained in the fuel oil 8-7. To be a ratio. That is, in the first emulsion device 102A, the fuel oil and water are mixed at a mixing ratio of about 50% water and about 50% fuel oil, and then the first mixed fuel through which the oil-water mixed fuel from the first emulsion device 102A passes. By supplying the fuel oil from the second fuel oil supply path 112b to the passage 118, the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water in the second emulsion apparatus 102B is about 80% fuel oil and about 20% water.
(3) A first emulsion device 102A and a second emulsion device 102B connected in series with each other are arranged upstream of a pump 106 for supplying oil / water mixed fuel to the engine 101. These emulsion devices 102 are pumps. It has a function of mixing fuel oil and water using the suction negative pressure of 106.
(4) The surplus fuel of the oil-water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101 is separated into fuel oil and water by the separator 107 and returned to the fuel oil tank 104 and the water tank 105, and the first emulsion device 102A and the second emulsion Mixing in device 102B and returning to engine 101.

  The emulsion engine system 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to perform two-stage mixing of oil and water by the first emulsion device 102A and the second emulsion device 102B, but is not limited to this, and three or more emulsion devices. The structure which comprises 102 and mixes oil-water 3 steps or more may be sufficient.

(Detailed configuration of emulsion device)
The detailed structure of the emulsion apparatus 102 with which the emulsion engine system 1 of this embodiment is provided is demonstrated. The emulsion device 102 includes a fuel oil as the first fluid (in the case of the first emulsion device 102A) or an oil-water mixed fuel in which the fuel oil and water are mixed (in the case of the second emulsion device 102B), and a second fluid. It is an apparatus which mixes with water and produces | generates the oil-water mixed fuel as an emulsion fuel. In emulsification by mixing fuel oil and water, fuel oil (or oil-water mixed fuel) becomes a continuous phase and water becomes a dispersed phase. In the emulsion apparatus 102, the fluid introduced from the start end inlet 10a of the fluid mixer 10 becomes the first fluid, and the fluid introduced into the casing 2 around the fluid mixer 10 becomes the second fluid.

  The first emulsion device 102A and the second emulsion device 102B are basically the same except that the fluid introduced from the starting end inlet 10a (first fluid) is fuel oil or oil-water mixed fuel. Since it is common, the case of the first emulsion device 102A will be mainly described below. Therefore, in the description of the emulsion device 102, “fuel oil” in the description of the first emulsion device 102A is appropriately replaced with “oil-water mixed fuel”, thereby providing a description corresponding to the second emulsion device 102B.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the emulsion apparatus 102 includes a casing 2 and a fluid mixer 10 disposed in the casing 2. In the casing 2, water supplied from the water tank 105 through the water supply path 113 is accommodated.

  A first fuel oil whose one end side is connected to the fuel oil tank 104 is connected to one end side (base end side) of the fluid mixer 10 via a first communication pipe 3 as a first communication path constituting the start end inlet 10a. The other end side of the supply path 112a is connected in communication. One end side of the fluid mixer 10 is connected to the start end inlet 10a of the second emulsion device 102B via a second communication pipe 5 as a second communication path constituting the end outlet 10b. The other end of the first mixed fuel passage 118 is connected in communication. In the second emulsion apparatus 102 </ b> B, the downstream end of the first mixed fuel passage 118 is connected to the proximal end side of the fluid mixer 10 via the first communication pipe 3, and the distal end side of the fluid mixer 10 is connected. In addition, the other end side of the upstream side passage portion 111 a of the second mixed fuel passage 111 whose one end side is connected to the suction port 106 a of the pump 106 is connected through the second communication pipe 5.

  With such a configuration, by operating the pump 106 with suction, the fuel oil in the fuel oil tank 104 is introduced into the fluid mixer 10 from the first communication pipe 3 via the first fuel oil supply path 112a. (See arrow F1), water in the casing 2 was introduced into the fluid mixer 10 decompressed by the suction effect (see arrow F2), and fuel oil and water were mixed and emulsified in the fluid mixer 10. Oil-water mixed fuel (emulsion fuel) as a mixed fluid flows out from the second communication pipe 5 to the first mixed fuel passage 118 (see arrow F3). The oil / water mixed fuel flowing out from the second communication pipe 5 passes through the first mixed fuel passage 118 and is supplied to the second emulsion device 102B. In the second emulsion device 102B, the oil / water mixed fuel introduced into the fluid mixer 10 from the first communication pipe 3 through the first mixed fuel passage 118 is mixed with water in the fluid mixer 10 to obtain the second It flows out from the communication pipe 5 to the upstream side passage portion 111 a of the second mixed fuel passage 111. The oil-water mixed fuel that has flowed out of the second emulsion device 102B passes through the upstream passage 111a, the pump 106, and the downstream passage 111b, and is supplied to the fuel injection valve 101a of the engine 101.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the fluid mixer 10 includes a cylindrical mixer body 11 having openings at both ends in the cylinder axis direction, and the outer periphery of the mixer body 11 is covered with a constant interval. And the mixer main body 11 and the covering body 30 are formed in a substantially double cylinder shape. The mixer main body 11 is provided in a state in which the base end portion protrudes from the covering body 30 and is inserted into the covering body 30 so as to be freely inserted and removed. The mixer main body 11 and the covering 30 are formed thin and light, for example, with a synthetic resin or the like, and have a structure that can be manufactured simply and inexpensively. Moreover, by extracting the mixer main body 11 from the covering body 30, the fluid mixer 10 can be easily disassembled and the respective cleaning operations and maintenance operations can be performed.

  A distal end portion of a first communication pipe 3 made of a flexible material is detachably fitted to and connected to a proximal end portion of the mixer body 11. A spacer 20 formed in a cylindrical shape with an elastic material such as rubber is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the mixer main body 11, and between the outer peripheral surface of the spacer 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the tip of the covering 30, A base end portion of the second communication pipe 5 is detachably fitted and connected in communication. With such a configuration, the fluid mixer 10 can be easily attached to and detached from the first communication pipe 3 and the second communication pipe 5, and the cleaning operation and the maintenance operation of the fluid mixer 10 are facilitated.

  The mixer body 11 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 9, the mixer main body 11 includes a proximal-side cylindrical portion 16 that is gradually expanded from the one-end opening 12 toward the other-end opening 13 and formed into a funnel shape. A cylindrical front end side cylindrical portion 17 and a front end cylindrical portion 18 formed to have substantially the same diameter from the terminal end of the end side cylindrical portion 16 to the other end opening 13 are formed in a straight shape as a whole. In the second emulsion device 102 </ b> B, the suction port of the pump 106 is connected to the other end opening 13 through the second communication pipe 5 and the upstream passage portion 111 a of the second mixed fuel passage 111.

  In FIG. 6, the dimension L <b> 1 is the longitudinal width (length) of the mixer main body 11, and the dimension L <b> 2 is the longitudinal width of the proximal end side tubular portion 16. Further, the angle θ <b> 1 is a peripheral surface inclination angle of the proximal end side tubular portion 16. 6 and 9, the dimension D1 is the inner diameter of the one end opening 12, the dimension D2 is the inner diameter of the other end opening 13, and the dimension D3 is the inner diameter of the distal end side cylindrical section 17.

  The peripheral wall of the distal cylindrical portion 17 is divided into five equal parts in the axial direction at intervals of the axial widths L3 to L7. Within each axial width L3 to L7, a constant acute angle θ2 ( For example, a slit-like main body introduction hole 15 extending at an angle in a range of 20 ° to 30 ° is formed. In the present embodiment, five main body introduction holes 15 are formed. The main body introduction holes 15 are arranged along the single virtual spiral S drawn on the peripheral wall of the distal end side cylindrical portion 17, and the plurality of main body introduction holes 15 are extended in the direction of extension of the single virtual spiral S. Are arranged at regular intervals. The extending direction of each main body introduction hole 15 is along a single virtual spiral S. As shown in FIG. 7, the single virtual spiral S draws a virtual straight line in a state where the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 is expanded, and a slit-like main body introduction hole is provided at a certain interval on the virtual straight line. 15 is formed. And in the original front end side cylindrical part 17 formed by bending in a cylindrical shape, this virtual straight line describes a single virtual spiral S. The dimension L8 is the axial width (length) of the distal end tubular portion 18.

  Each main body introduction hole 15 is formed on the single virtual spiral S by cutting out a part of the peripheral wall of the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 and one end on the other end opening 13 side in the circumferential direction. By bending the part 17a inwardly, the diameter is gradually opened from the one end opening 12 side toward the other end opening 13 side. The dimension W1 is the maximum opening width of the main body introduction hole 15. The number of main body introduction holes 15 is not particularly limited, and a large number of main body introduction holes 15 such as 10 or more may be formed.

  The one side edge portion 17a has an outer surface that bends outwardly (in the radial direction of the distal end cylindrical portion 17) functions as an introduction guide surface for water introduced from the main body introduction hole 15, while the inner surface Functions as a swivel guide surface for water that is swirled and flowed (see arrow F2). Therefore, the one side edge 17a that forms each main body introduction hole 15 arranged along the single virtual spiral S firmly guides the water to turn spirally.

  In the mixer main body 11, as shown in FIG. 2, fuel oil (see arrow F <b> 1) sucked and introduced by the pump 106 from the one end opening 12 flows in the axial direction and is led out from the other end opening 13. A straight axial flow path 14 is formed. In addition, a spiral channel 19 is formed in the peripheral edge portion of the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 of the mixer main body 11. In the spiral flow path 19, the water introduced from the main body introduction hole 15 is spirally swung around the outer periphery of the axial flow path 14 about the axis of the axial flow path 14 along the inner peripheral surface of the distal end side cylindrical portion 17. While flowing. Then, the water flowing through the spiral flow path 19 is mixed with the fuel oil flowing through the axial flow path 14 by shearing and dispersing action, and after mixing, is led out as a mixed fluid from the other end opening 13 (see arrow F3). ).

  Next, the covering 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 10, and 11, the covering body 30 is a covered proximal cylindrical portion formed in a funnel shape by gradually increasing the diameter from the one end opening 31 toward the other end opening 32. 33, a cylindrical covering main body 34 extending from the terminal end of the covering base end tubular portion 33 toward the other end opening 32 with substantially the same diameter, and extending from the end of the covering main body 34 to the other end opening 32. The cylindrical covering tip cylindrical portion 35 is formed in a straight shape as a whole. A middle portion of the outer peripheral surface of the proximal-side cylindrical portion 16 of the mixer main body 11 is in contact with the inner peripheral edge of the one-end opening 31. In FIG. 10, the dimension L9 is the longitudinal width of the covering 30, the dimension L10 is the axial width of the covering proximal cylindrical portion 33, the dimension L11 is the longitudinal width of the covering main body 34, and the dimension L12 is the covering distal end cylinder. This is the axial width of the shaped portion 35. The dimension D4 is the inner diameter of the one end opening 31, and the dimension D5 is the inner diameter of the other end opening 32. θ3 is a peripheral surface inclination angle of the covering proximal cylindrical portion 33, and the peripheral surface inclination angle θ3> the peripheral surface inclination angle θ1.

  A plurality of slit-like covering introduction holes 36 extending straight along the longitudinal direction are formed in the peripheral wall of the covering main body 34 along the longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, two covering body introduction holes 36 are formed. The two pairs of covering body introduction holes 36 are arranged at point-symmetrical positions around the axis of the covering body 30. Each of the covering body introduction holes 36 is formed by cutting the peripheral wall straight in the axial direction over the longitudinal width L11 of the covering main body 34 and bending one end edge 34a having both ends cut in the circumferential direction inwardly. The first opening 12 and the second opening 13 are formed with substantially the same width.

  The one side edge 34a functions as an introduction guide surface for water introduced from the coating body introduction hole 36 while the outer surface bent outwardly (in the radial direction of the coating main body 34) functions as a water introduction guide surface. It functions as a swivel guide surface for flowing water (see arrow F2). Therefore, the one side edge part 34a which forms a pair of covering body introduction hole 36 arrange | positioned in the point-symmetrical position carries out turning guidance of water firmly.

  Between the inner peripheral surface of the coating main body 34 and the outer peripheral surface of the front end side cylindrical portion 17 of the mixer main body 11, there is a cylindrical swirl passage 37 having a constant interval W 3 as shown in FIG. Is formed. Water is swirled in the swirling flow path 37 (see arrow F2). Here, the fixed interval W3 which becomes the width of the swirl flow path 37 is not more than the inner diameter of the mixer main body 11 and is not less than half of the inner diameter, and preferably has the same diameter as the inner diameter. In the swirling flow path 37, the water introduced from the covering body introduction hole 36 flows while swirling around the axis of the axial flow path 14 along the inner peripheral surface of the covering main body 34, and in the mixer main body 11. It is introduced into the mixer main body 11 from the main body introduction hole 15. A dimension W <b> 2 shown in FIG. 11 is the maximum opening width of the covering body introduction hole 36. Thus, the swirling flow path 37 is centered on the axis of the axial flow path 14 with the fuel oil introduced from the covering body introduction hole 36 formed in the peripheral wall of the covering body 30 along the inner peripheral surface of the covering body 30. To the main body introduction hole 15 of the mixer main body 11. That is, in the fluid mixer 10, the covering body introduction hole 36 of the covering body 30 functions as an outer introduction hole, and the main body introduction hole 15 of the mixer body 11 functions as an inner introduction hole.

  In the longitudinal width L11 of the covering body introduction hole 36 formed in the peripheral wall of the covering body 34, five main body introduction holes 15 formed in the peripheral wall of the distal end side tubular portion 17 of the mixer body 11 are arranged. The water introduced into the coating body 34 through the coating body introduction hole 36 is introduced into the mixer body 11 through the five body introduction holes 15 while being swirled in the swirling flow path 37 (see arrow F2).

  As described above, according to the fluid mixer 10 having the mixer main body 11 and the covering 30, the following operation is obtained. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when fuel oil flows along the axial direction in the axial flow path 14 in the mixer main body 11 (see arrow F <b> 1), the axial flow path 14 in the mixer main body 11 is changed. Depressurized. Then, the water accommodated in the casing 2 by suction generated from the pressure reducing effect is introduced while being swung into the covering main body 34 through the covering body introduction hole 36 and swirled in the swirling flow path 37 in the covering main body 34. (See arrow F2). Furthermore, the water swirling and flowing in the swirling flow path 37 is introduced into the mixer main body 11 through the main body introducing hole 15, and the fuel oil (arrow F1) flowing in the axial line around the axial flow path 14. And swirl in a spiral manner, and swirl and mixed with fuel oil over the entire spiral flow path 19. In addition, in this way, an oil-water mixed fuel is generated as a mixed fluid in which fuel oil and water are swirled and mixed, and the oil-water mixed fuel is led out from the other end opening 13 (see arrow F3). . As described above, the fluid mixer 10 mixes fuel oil that flows axially in the axial flow path 14 and water that swirls and spirals around the fuel oil in the entire area of the spiral flow path 19 to open the other end opening 13. It is comprised so that it may derive from.

  At this time, the water is preliminarily swirled around the axis of the axial flow path 14 in the swirling flow path 37, and then swirled and flowed spirally around the axis of the axial flow path 14 through the spiral flow path 19. The That is, the turning is performed while gradually reducing the turning radius from the outer peripheral side of the axial flow path 14 toward the axial center (concentric). Therefore, the swirling water is accelerated on the axial center side and shears the fuel oil at a high speed. As a result, the fuel oil is finely and evenly dispersed. Therefore, water can be swirled and mixed with the fuel oil at high speed, and the fuel oil and water can be mixed uniformly.

  Moreover, since the base end side cylindrical part 16 of the mixer main body 11 is formed by gradually expanding the diameter, the dispersibility of the fuel oil flowing in the base end side cylindrical part 16 can be gradually increased. The distal end side cylindrical portion 17 is formed to have substantially the same diameter from the end of the proximal end side cylindrical portion 16 to the distal end cylindrical portion 18 so that water is swirled in the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 in a spiral manner. Therefore, the miscibility and swirlability of the fuel oil flowing from the proximal end side cylindrical portion 16 to the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 and the water spirally flowing in the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 are promoted. Can be made.

  Further, five main body introduction holes 15 are formed in the peripheral wall of the distal end side tubular portion 17 in the form of slits extending at a constant acute angle θ2 with respect to the longitudinal direction (between the longitudinal directions). The individual main body introduction holes 15 are arranged along the single virtual spiral S and at intervals in the extending direction. With such a configuration, the water introduced from the main body introduction hole 15 is firmly and spirally swirled in the mixer main body 11. Further, since the covering body introduction hole 36 is formed in the peripheral wall of the covering body 34 in a slit shape extending along the longitudinal direction, the water introduced from the covering body introduction hole 36 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the covering body 34. It is fluidized along and swirled steadily. Accordingly, the water changes from a preliminary swirl flow at the outer periphery to a spiral swirl flow at the inner periphery, and becomes a high-speed swirl flow, which is firmly sheared and dispersed in the fuel oil. As a result, the fuel oil is made finer and uniform at the sub-micro level. As described above, the fluid mixer 10 according to the present embodiment includes at least the axial flow path 14 and the spiral flow path 19, and includes the swirl flow path 37 in addition to the flow paths 14 and 19.

  In the present embodiment, fuel oil and water (first emulsion device 102A), which are both liquids, or oil / water mixed fuel and water, which are mixtures of water of fuel oil, are provided by the emulsion device 102 including the fluid mixer 10. Although the case where (2nd emulsion apparatus 102B) is mixed was demonstrated, it is not restricted to these cases, Liquid or gas other than water can also be mixed with fuel oil using the same structure. That is, the second fluid (other fluid) mixed with the fuel oil or the oil-water mixed fuel that is the first fluid includes a liquid such as water and a gas. In addition, the size of each part forming the fluid mixer 10 is appropriately set according to the viscosity of the fuel oil and water.

  Next, an example of a support structure between the fluid mixer 10 having the above-described configuration and the casing 2 that houses the fluid mixer 10 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the casing 2 is formed in a closed case shape having a cylindrical outer shape, and surrounds most of the fluid mixer 10. The casing 2 is configured to surround a portion of the covering body 30 located between the proximal end outer peripheral surface of the covering proximal cylindrical portion 33 and the proximal end outer peripheral surface of the second communication pipe 5.

  The casing 2 includes a cylindrical peripheral wall forming portion 40, a one side end wall forming portion 41 that closes one end of the peripheral wall forming portion 40 in the cylinder axis direction, and another end of the peripheral wall forming portion 40 in the cylinder axis direction. And the other end wall forming portion 42 that closes the water, and is configured to accommodate water therein. The casing 2 forms the one side end wall forming portion 41 and the other side end wall in a state where both ends in the longitudinal direction of the covering 30 are passed through the one side end wall forming portion 41 and the other side end wall forming portion 42, respectively. The fluid mixer 10 is supported in such a manner that the covering 30 is installed between the part 42 and the part 42. The casing 2 supports the fluid mixer 10 concentrically with respect to the cylindrical peripheral wall forming portion 40. The one end wall forming portion 41 of the casing 2 is a portion that protrudes in a cylindrical shape outward from the one end wall forming portion 41 and surrounds the peripheral surface of the middle portion of the covering proximal cylindrical portion 33. A side attachment portion 43 is provided. The other end wall forming portion 42 of the casing 2 is a portion that protrudes in a cylindrical shape outward from the other end wall forming portion 42 and surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion of the coated distal end tubular portion 35. A mounting portion 44 is provided.

  A distal end portion of a water supply pipe 45 that constitutes an end portion on the downstream side of the water supply passage 113 is connected to the proximal end side of the peripheral wall forming body 60. The leading end opening 46 of the water supply pipe 45 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall forming body 60 and directed downstream, and the water sucked / inflowed from the leading end opening 46 of the covering body 30 is provided. It is configured so as to form a spiral swirl around the axis.

  With this configuration, when the fuel oil is sucked / flowed in the mixer main body 11, the pressure in the mixer main body 11 is reduced, and the water in the water tank 105 flows from the water supply path 113 to the water supply pipe 45. Then, the water sucked and introduced into the casing 2 from the tip opening 46 forms a spiral swirling flow around the axis of the covering 30. As a result, a preliminary swirl passage 37 is formed in the casing 2, and water is sucked into the cover 30 through the cover introduction hole 36 while swirling. The shape of the casing 2 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be a rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example.

(Variation 1 of the fluid mixer)
A first modification of the fluid mixer will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, in the fluid mixer 10 </ b> A as a first modification of the fluid mixer, the coating body 34 is extended to the coating body 34 by extending straight in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface thereof. A large number of through-hole introduction holes 70 are formed in alignment. That is, the covering body introduction holes 70 are formed at a constant interval in the axial direction of the covering main body 34 and are formed at a constant interval in the circumferential direction. In the example shown in the figure, six covering body introduction holes 70 are formed at intervals of 60 ° around the circumference. The covering body introduction hole 70 adjacent in the circumferential direction is disposed on a substantially virtual spiral that extends in the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the covering body 34.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the fluid mixer 10 </ b> A of the first modified example is configured such that water is sucked counterclockwise through each of a large number of coating body introduction holes 70 in the coating body 34. . Then, in the swirl flow path 37 in the coating main body 34, water forms a spiral swirl flow around the axis along the inner peripheral surface of the mixer main body 11 (see arrow F2). The swirling water is sucked into the mixer main body 11 through the main body introduction hole 15 while swirling counterclockwise.

(Variation 2 of the fluid mixer)
A second modification of the fluid mixer will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, in the fluid mixer 10 </ b> B as the second modification of the fluid mixer, the covering body 30 is omitted, and the fluid mixer 10 </ b> B includes only the mixer body 11. ing. An example of the mutual support structure of the fluid mixer 10B and the casing 2 in the case of this modification is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the fluid mixer 10 </ b> B as the second modification is provided in a state in which the fluid mixer 10 </ b> B is mostly surrounded by a casing 2 configured in a closed case shape having a cylindrical outer shape. In the fluid mixer 10 </ b> B, a portion of the mixer main body 11 located between the midway outer peripheral surface of the base end side tubular portion 16 and the base end outer peripheral surface of the second communication pipe 5 is surrounded by the casing 2. .

  The fluid mixer 10B is formed with one side end wall in a state in which both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the mixer body 11 are passed through the one side end wall forming portion 41 and the other side end wall forming portion 42 of the casing 2, respectively. The mixer main body 11 is supported between the portion 41 and the other side end wall forming portion 42 in a supported manner. The fluid mixer 10B is supported in a state of being concentrically arranged with respect to the cylindrical peripheral wall forming portion 40. In addition, the middle surface of the proximal-side tubular portion 16 is surrounded by the proximal-side mounting portion 43 of the one-side end wall forming portion 41, and the distal-side mounting portion 44 of the other-side end wall forming portion 42 The outer peripheral surface of the base end portion of the two communicating pipes 5 is surrounded. Note that the distal end portion of the water supply pipe 45 constituting the downstream end portion of the water supply passage 113 is connected to the proximal end side of the peripheral wall forming portion 40 in the same manner as in the case shown in FIG. The water sucked / inflowed from the distal end opening 46 of the supply pipe 45 is configured to form a spiral swirl around the axis of the mixer body 11.

  With this configuration, when the fuel oil is sucked / flowed in the mixer main body 11, the pressure in the mixer main body 11 is reduced, and the water in the water tank 105 passes through the water supply pipe 45 to the tip opening 46. Then, the water sucked and introduced into the casing 2 forms a spiral swirling flow around the axis of the mixer main body 11. As a result, a preliminary swirl flow path 37 is formed in the casing 2 and water is sucked into the mixer main body 11 through the main body introduction hole 15 while swirling.

(Modification 3 of the fluid mixer)
A third modification of the fluid mixer will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 17, the fluid mixer 10 </ b> C as the third modification of the fluid mixer has the same basic structure as the fluid mixer 10 </ b> B as the second modification. A spiral swirling means 50 is arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the water 40 so that the water sucked and introduced into the casing 2 becomes a solid spiral swirling flow around the axis of the mixer body 11. Thus, the difference is that a preliminary swirl passage 37 is formed in the casing 2.

  The swiveling means 50 has a belt-like swiveling guide piece 51 spirally around the axis of the peripheral wall forming portion 40 and protruding inward of the peripheral wall forming portion 40 along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall forming portion 40. Installed and configured. Then, the water sucked / inflowed into the casing 2 is flowed along the side wall of the swivel guide piece 51, spirally around the axis of the peripheral wall forming portion 40, and mixed into a convex line inward of the peripheral wall forming portion 40. It is formed on the outer periphery of the main body 11 and is sucked into the mixer main body 11 through the main body introduction hole 15 while being pivoted firmly. The swivel means 50 is configured by forming a groove groove spirally around the axis of the peripheral wall forming portion 40 on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall forming portion 40, and water spirally along the groove groove. The swirl flow can be configured to be sucked into the mixer main body 11 through the main body introduction hole 15 while being swirled.

  As described above, in the third modification, the swirl flow path forming function that firmly forms the preliminary swirl flow path 37 in the casing 2 by providing the emulsion device with the swivel means 50 disposed in the casing 2. Is given. That is, in the third modification, the configuration including the casing 2 and the swivel means 50 is configured to function also as the covering body 30 having a swirl flow path forming function.

  The structure of the fluid mixer 10 which comprises the emulsion apparatus 102 which concerns on this embodiment, and the effect | action corresponding to it are as follows.

  A fluid mixer 10 according to this embodiment has a cylindrical mixer body 11 having openings at both ends, and fuel oil introduced from one end opening 12 flows in the mixer body 11 in the axial direction. Through the main body introduction hole 15 formed in the peripheral wall of the mixer main body 11 by suction generated from the decompression effect caused by the flow of the axial flow path 14 led out from the other end opening 13 and the casing 2. The water introduced from the outer periphery of the axial flow path 14 of the fuel oil is caused to flow along the inner peripheral surface of the mixer main body 11 while being swirled spirally around the axis of the axial flow path 14 so that the fuel oil and water And a spiral channel 19 that is led out from the other end opening 13 is formed.

  According to such a configuration, the fluid mixer 10 is disposed in the casing 2 containing water, and the fuel oil is directed from the one end opening 12 to the other end opening 13 of the mixer main body 11 through the axial flow path 14. By flowing along the axial direction (with the pump 106 drawn from the other end opening 13 side), the pressure in the axial flow path 14 can be reduced, and water is drawn into the mixer main body 11 from the main body introduction hole 15. Can be introduced. Subsequently, the water introduced while being drawn into the mixer main body 11 from the main body introduction hole 15 of the mixer main body 11 spirals through the spiral flow path 19 around the fuel oil flowing through the axial flow path 14. The fuel oil is sheared and dispersed throughout the spiral flow path 19. As a result, the fuel oil and water are mixed uniformly. At this time, the water is swirled and flowed spirally around the axis of the axial channel 14 through the spiral channel 19. That is, the turning is performed while gradually reducing the turning radius from the outer peripheral side of the axial flow path 14 toward the axial center (concentric). Therefore, the swirl flow is accelerated on the axial center side and shears on the fuel oil at a high speed, and the fuel oil is finely and evenly dispersed.

  Further, the fluid mixer 10 according to the present embodiment has a covering body 30 that covers the outer periphery of the mixer body 11 while maintaining a certain interval, and the covering body 30 has a covering body introduction hole formed in the peripheral wall thereof. A swirling flow path 37 is formed in which water introduced from 36 is caused to flow along the inner peripheral surface of the covering 30 while being swung around the axis of the axial flow path 14 and introduced into the main body introduction hole 15 of the mixer main body 11. Then, the fuel oil that flows axially through the axial flow path 14 and the water that swirls spirally around the fuel oil are mixed in the entire area of the spiral flow path 19 and led out from the other end openings 13 and 32. ing.

  According to such a configuration, the fluid mixer 10 is disposed in the casing 2 containing water, and the fuel oil is directed from the one end opening 12 to the other end opening 13 of the mixer main body 11 through the axial flow path 14. It is made to flow along an axial direction (it pulls in with the pump 106 from the other end opening part 13 side). By doing so, the inside of the axial flow path 14 can be depressurized, and water can be introduced while being drawn into the covering body introduction hole 36 from the covering body introduction hole 36 of the covering body 30. The water introduced into the covering 30 is swirled through the swirling flow path 37 and introduced while being drawn into the mixer main body 11 from the main body introduction hole 15 of the mixer main body 11. Subsequently, the water introduced while being drawn into the mixer main body 11 from the main body introduction hole 15 of the mixer main body 11 spirals through the spiral flow path 19 around the fuel oil flowing through the axial flow path 14. The fuel oil is sheared and dispersed throughout the spiral flow path 19. As a result, the fuel oil and water are mixed uniformly. At this time, the water is preliminarily swirled around the axis of the axial flow path 14 in the swirling flow path 37, and then swirled and flowed spirally around the axis of the axial flow path 14 through the spiral flow path 19. The That is, the turning is performed while gradually reducing the turning radius from the outer peripheral side of the axial flow path 14 toward the axial center (concentric). Therefore, the swirl flow is accelerated on the axial center side and shears on the fuel oil at a high speed, and the fuel oil is finely and evenly dispersed.

  In addition, the fluid mixer 10 can be composed of a cylindrical mixer body 11 having openings at both ends, and a covering 30 that covers the outer periphery of the mixer body 11 with a constant interval. It is lightweight and can be manufactured with a simple structure and at a low cost by using a synthetic resin or the like.

  Further, in the fluid mixer 10 according to the present embodiment, the mixer main body 11 includes a proximal-side cylindrical portion 16 formed by gradually increasing the diameter from the one end opening 12 toward the other end opening 13, and a base A distal end side cylindrical portion 17 formed with substantially the same diameter from the terminal end of the end side cylindrical portion 16 to the other end opening 13, and the peripheral wall of the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 is between the longitudinal direction thereof. A plurality of slit-like main body introduction holes 15 extending at a certain acute angle are formed, and each main body introduction hole 15 is arranged along a single virtual spiral and spaced in the extension direction.

  According to such a configuration, the proximal end side cylindrical portion 16 of the mixer body 11 is formed by gradually expanding the diameter, and the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 is opened from the end of the proximal end side cylindrical portion 16 to the other end opening portion. 13 so that water is spirally swirled in the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 so that it flows from the proximal end side cylindrical portion 16 to the distal end side cylindrical portion 17. Therefore, the miscibility and the swirlability of the fuel oil and the water that swirls and spirals in the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 can be promoted. At this time, a plurality of main body introduction holes 15 are formed in the peripheral wall of the distal end side cylindrical portion 17 in a slit shape extending at a certain acute angle with the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of main body introduction holes are formed. Since 15 is arranged on a single virtual spiral, the water introduced from the main body introduction hole 15 is steadily swirled in the mixer main body 11 in a spiral shape.

  Further, in the fluid mixer 10 according to the present embodiment, a slit-like covering introduction hole 36 extending along the longitudinal direction is formed in the peripheral wall of the covering 30.

  According to such a configuration, since the covering body introduction hole 36 is formed in a slit shape extending along the longitudinal direction on the peripheral wall of the covering body 30, the water introduced from the covering body introduction hole 36 is not covered by the covering body. It flows along the inner peripheral surface of 30 and is swirled firmly. Accordingly, the water changes from a preliminary swirl flow at the outer periphery to a spiral swirl flow at the inner periphery, and becomes a high-speed swirl flow, which acts to shear and disperse the fuel oil. As a result, the fuel oil is made finer and uniform at the sub-micro level.

  In addition, in the method for producing emulsion fuel according to the present embodiment, the fuel oil that is sucked by the pump 106 and flows in the axial flow path 14 along the axial direction thereof, and the swirl flow through the swirl flow path 37 at the outer periphery thereof. Later, water that spirally flows through the spiral channel 19 by suction generated from the pressure reduction effect caused by the flow of the fuel oil is mixed while being swirled in a spiral shape around the axis of the axis channel 14 and flowing. It is.

  According to such a method, the fuel oil flowing along the axial direction of the axial flow path 14 is preliminarily swirled through the swirl flow path 37 on the outer periphery thereof, and then passed through the spiral flow path 19. The water that is swirled and spiraled at high speed can be mixed while flowing in the axial direction of the axial flow path 14. As a result, the water is refined and uniformly dispersed in the fuel oil.

  Further, in the method for producing emulsion fuel according to the present embodiment, in the casing 2 containing water, the fuel oil is sucked into the axial flow path 14 by the pump 106 and introduced in the axial direction in the axial flow path 14. The water contained in the casing 2 is introduced into the axial flow path 14 by suction generated from the decompression effect caused by the flow of the fuel oil along the fuel oil, and the fuel oil and the fuel oil are swirled around the axis of the axial flow path 14 It is a mixture with water.

  According to such a method, the fuel oil is caused to flow in the axial flow path 14 along the axial direction, thereby reducing the pressure in the axial flow path 14 and introducing water while swirling it to shear and disperse the fuel oil. Can be activated. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily ensure water miniaturization and uniform fuel oil. Moreover, such a mixed fluid can be generated in a short time at a low cost.

  According to the emulsion engine system 100 of the present embodiment as described above, the structure around the engine can be simplified, and the emulsion fuel obtained by emulsifying the fuel oil and water is emulsified. It is possible to maintain this state for a long period of time, and it is possible to eliminate problems caused by the separation of fuel oil and water from each other.

  According to the emulsion engine system 100 of the present embodiment, immediately before the combustion chamber of the engine 101, water particles and fuel oil that have been atomized by the shearing force due to the negative pressure suction action are mixed and emulsified, so The oil-water mixed fuel in an emulsified state can be supplied to the engine 101 as combustion fuel. For this reason, the combustion efficiency in the engine 101 can be improved, and there is no fear that water and fuel oil are separated before being supplied to the engine 101 for oil-water mixing just before the combustion chamber of the engine 101. The fuel in an emulsified state can be efficiently supplied to the engine.

  Moreover, the emulsion engine system 100 of this embodiment is provided with the separator 107 which isolate | separates the surplus fuel about the oil-water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101 into fuel oil and water. As a result, surplus fuel is separated into fuel oil and water, purified and mixed (emulsified) again, and supplied to the combustion chamber of the engine 101, so that it is possible to maintain beneficial fuel consumption efficiency. .

  Moreover, according to the emulsion apparatus 102 according to the present embodiment, the dispersed phase can be refined to a micro level or a sub micro level and made uniform at a low cost with a simple structure. That is, it is possible to generate fine water droplets from the micro level to the sub micro level. Specifically, an emulsion fuel having a water droplet particle size of about 1 to 100 μm can be obtained. In particular, according to the configuration including the fluid mixer 10 having the mixer body 11 and the covering 30 as shown in FIG. 2, for example, the particle diameter of most of the water droplets of the emulsion fuel can be reduced to about 1 μm. It is possible to obtain an excellent performance capable of generating very fine water droplets at the sub-micro level. In addition, it is possible to produce a stable microemulsion over a long period of time (for example, several months) without using an emulsifier such as a surfactant, and it is also possible to obtain excellent performance that water droplets having a uniform particle diameter can be produced. . Thus, according to the emulsion apparatus 102 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain an extremely excellent emulsion generation ability (fluid mixing ability). The viscosity of the average particle size and the number of particles of the emulsion produced in the emulsion apparatus 102 is hardly affected, and it has been confirmed by experiments that the particle size is governed by the pump pressure and the number of particles is controlled by the amount introduced. Yes.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate. In comparison with the emulsion engine system 100 of the first embodiment, the emulsion engine system 100A according to the present embodiment does not add fuel oil to the oil / water mixed fuel obtained by the first emulsion device 102A, but the first emulsion. The structure which supplies the oil-water mixed fuel produced | generated by apparatus 102A in the casing 2 of the 2nd emulsion apparatus 102B is employ | adopted.

  That is, in the present embodiment, in the second emulsion device 102B, instead of the water from the water tank 105, the oil-water mixed fuel generated in the first emulsion device 102A is introduced into the casing 2, and the first emulsion device 102A Instead of the generated oil / water mixed fuel, the fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104 is supplied into the fluid mixer 10. Therefore, in the emulsion engine system 100A of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, instead of the first fuel oil supply path 112a and the first mixed fuel path 118 provided in the emulsion engine system 100 of the first embodiment, the fuel oil A second fuel oil supply passage 122 interposed between the tank 104 and the first emulsion device 102A, and a first mixed fuel passage 128 interposed between the first emulsion device 102A and the second emulsion device 102B. Have

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, in the emulsion engine system 100A, the second fuel oil supply path 122 for supplying fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104 to the fluid mixer 10 of the second emulsion device 102B. Is extended. That is, one end (upstream side) end of the second fuel oil supply path 122 is connected to the fuel oil tank 104, and the other end (downstream side) end of the fuel oil supply path 112 is the second emulsion. It is connected to the start end inlet 10a of the fluid mixer 10 of the apparatus 102B. With this configuration, the fuel oil in the fuel oil tank 104 is supplied to the second emulsion device 102B through the second fuel oil supply passage 122 in the same manner as the supply to the first emulsion device 102A through the first fuel oil supply passage 112a. The

  Further, the oil / water mixed fuel generated in the first emulsion device 102A is supplied into the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B located on the downstream side of the first emulsion device 102A through the first mixed fuel passage 128. That is, the first emulsion device 102 </ b> A and the second emulsion device 102 </ b> B are connected to each other by the first mixed fuel passage 128. One end side (upstream side) of the first mixed fuel passage 128 is connected to the terminal outlet 10b of the first emulsion device 102A, and the other end side (downstream side) of the first mixed fuel passage 128 is The second emulsion device 102B is connected to the casing 2 in communication. The first mixed fuel passage 128 is provided with a pump 129 for sucking the oil / water mixed fuel obtained by the first emulsion device 102A and pumping it into the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B.

  Thus, in this embodiment, not the water from the water tank 105 but the oil / water mixed fuel produced in the first emulsion device 102A is introduced into the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the second water supply path 113b (see FIG. 1) extending from the water tank 105 to the second emulsion device 102B is omitted. That is, in the emulsion engine system 100A of the present embodiment, regarding the fluid mixed in the first emulsion device 102A, the first fluid introduced into the fluid mixer 10 is fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104, and the casing 2 The second fluid introduced into the water is water from the water tank 105. Regarding the fluid mixed in the second emulsion device 102B, the first fluid is fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104, and the second fluid is oil-water mixed fuel from the first emulsion device 102A.

  In the emulsion engine system 100A of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, first, in the first emulsion device 102A, the fuel oil introduced into the fluid mixer 10 from the fuel oil tank 104, and the casing 2 from the water tank 105. The water introduced therein is mixed to produce an oil-water mixed fuel having a mixing ratio of fuel oil to water of about 5: 5. The emulsion engine system 100A mixes the fuel oil in the second emulsion device 102B with the oil / water mixed fuel obtained in the first emulsion device 102A, so that the mixture ratio of the fuel oil and water is about 8: 2. Get. That is, the emulsion engine system 100A includes a fuel oil introduced from the fuel oil tank 104 into the fluid mixer 10 in the second emulsion device 102B, and an oil water generated in the first emulsion device 102A and introduced into the casing 2. The mixed fuel is mixed to produce an oil / water mixed fuel so that the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water is about 8: 2.

  As described above, the emulsion engine system 100A increases the concentration of the fuel oil in two stages, and the first emulsion device when the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water in the first emulsion device 102A is the first mixing ratio. 102A generates an oil / water mixed fuel having a first mixing ratio, and the second emulsion device 102B uses the oil / water mixed fuel having the first mixing ratio to have a fuel oil concentration higher than the first mixing ratio. An oil / water mixed fuel having a mixing ratio of 2 is generated.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 19, the emulsion engine system 100B according to the present embodiment has water (others) separated from the oil / water mixed fuel supplied from the first emulsion device 102A to the second emulsion device 102B in the configuration of the second embodiment. The return pipe 131 for guiding the fluid) to the separator 107 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 19, in the emulsion engine system 100B according to the present embodiment, the oil-water mixed fuel introduced into the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B by the first mixed fuel passage 128 from the first emulsion device 102A is in its casing. The water generated by the separation in 2 is returned to the separator 107 by the return pipe 131. That is, the return pipe 131 is a structure for extracting water generated by the separation of the oil / water mixed fuel from the casing 2 in the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B.

  As described above, in the configuration of the second embodiment, the oil-water mixed fuel having a mixing ratio of about 5: 5 generated by the first emulsion device 102A is converted into the casing of the second emulsion device 102B by the first mixed fuel passage 128. 2 is supplied. The oil / water mixed fuel supplied into the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B may be separated into fuel oil and water depending on the passage of time, surrounding conditions, and the like. Therefore, the emulsion engine system 100B of the present embodiment employs a configuration in which water generated in the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B is extracted by the return pipe 131 and led to the separator 107.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19, one end side (upstream side) end of the return pipe 131 is connected to a predetermined position in the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B. Here, for example, the water separated in the casing 2 stays in the lower part of the casing 2 due to the influence of gravity due to the specific gravity of the fuel oil and water. For this reason, the end of one end side (upstream side) of the return pipe 131 is connected in communication with a lower part in the casing 2 where water will stay. The other end side (downstream side) of the return pipe 131 is an oil / water mixed fuel introduction path to the separator 107, and the fuel return pipe 114 is branched from the downstream side path portion 111 b of the second mixed fuel path 111. It is connected to the midway part. However, the return pipe 131 may be directly connected to the separator 107 as a separate pipe from the fuel return pipe 114.

  In such a configuration, the water generated by the separation of the oil / water mixed fuel in the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B or the oil / water mixed fuel having a high ratio of water is guided to the separator 107 by the return pipe 131. . The return pipe 131 includes, for example, a valve mechanism such as a check valve for forming a one-way flow from the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B to the separator 107, or water from the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B. A pump or the like is suitably provided for extracting the water and guiding it to the separator 107.

  According to the emulsion engine system 100B of the present embodiment as described above, water can be discharged from the casing 2 even when the oil-water mixed fuel is separated in the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B. It becomes possible. As a result, in the fluid mixer 10 of the second emulsion device 102B, the oil water in the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B that is to be mixed with the fuel oil supplied from the fuel oil tank 104 through the second fuel oil supply path 122. It can suppress that a mixing ratio changes by isolate | separating about mixed fuel. Therefore, in the configuration in which the oil / water mixed fuel is supplied from the second emulsion device 102B through the second mixed fuel passage 111, it becomes possible to stably supply the oil / water mixed fuel with a predetermined mixing ratio to the engine 101. That is, the stability of the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water of the oil / water mixed fuel produced by the second emulsion device 102B can be improved.

[Fourth Embodiment]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the emulsion engine system 100C according to the present embodiment, the fuel oil and the water tank 105 are separated from each other by the separator 107 as described above with respect to the surplus fuel of the oil / water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101. It replaces with the structure returned to each of these tanks, and the structure for returning surplus fuel in the casing 2 of 102 A of 1st emulsion apparatuses with an oil-water mixed fuel is provided.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20, the emulsion engine system 100C of the present embodiment does not separate the surplus fuel into fuel oil and water and return it to the first emulsion device 102A, but directly surplus fuel as it is. Returning to the first emulsion device 102A, the fuel oil, water and surplus fuel are mixed three times to generate a predetermined oil / water mixed fuel again. Therefore, the emulsion engine system 100C includes the fuel return pipe 141 that returns the surplus fuel of the emulsion fuel supplied to the engine 101 to the first emulsion device 102A. The fuel return pipe 141 branches from the downstream passage portion 111b of the second mixed fuel passage 111 that is in front of the fuel injection valve 101a, and the downstream end portion thereof is connected to the casing 2 of the first emulsion device 102A. The According to the fuel return pipe 141, surplus fuel is returned from the downstream side passage portion 111 b of the second mixed fuel passage 111 into the casing 2 of the first emulsion device 102 </ b> A. Then, the first emulsion device 102A mixes the fuel oil, water, and the surplus fuel returned by the fuel return pipe 141 to generate emulsion fuel. In addition, the example shown in FIG. 20 is based on the structure of the emulsion engine system 100A of 2nd Embodiment.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the fuel return pipe 141 is communicated with the first emulsion device 102 </ b> A, so that surplus fuel is mixed with the water in the casing 2. The mixed fluid of surplus fuel and water in the casing 2 passes through the covering body introduction hole 36 and the main body introduction hole 15 of the covering body 30 or, in the modification, only the main body introduction hole 15 into the mixer body 11. Aspirated and atomized by shearing action. As a result, in the fluid mixer 10, a three-way mixed oil / water mixed fuel in which the mixed fluid of surplus fuel and water and the fuel oil are mixed is generated, and the oil / water mixed fuel is introduced into the second emulsion device 102B. After being mixed by the second emulsion device 102 </ b> B, it is supplied to the engine 101 by the second mixed fuel passage 111.

  In the configuration in which the surplus fuel is mixed with the fuel oil and water in the first emulsion device 102A as in the present embodiment, the control of the mixing ratio of the fuel oil, water, and surplus fuel is performed in order to obtain an appropriate oil / water mixture fuel. It is desirable to be done. As a configuration for controlling the mixing ratio, as shown in FIG. 20, an emulsion engine system 100C includes a viscosity sensor 142 for measuring the viscosity of the oil / water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101, and a first emulsion device. A control valve 143 for controlling the amount of water supplied to 102A and a feedback line 144 for connecting the viscosity sensor 142 and the control valve 143 to each other are provided.

  The viscosity sensor 142 is provided in the second mixed fuel passage 111 that guides the oil / water mixed fuel generated by the second emulsion device 102 </ b> B to the engine 101. In the example shown in FIG. 20, the viscosity sensor 142 is provided in the upstream-side passage portion 111 a that is the upstream portion of the pump 106 in the second mixed fuel passage 111. The viscosity sensor 142 may be provided in the downstream passage portion 111 b of the second mixed fuel passage 111.

  The control valve 143 is provided in the first water supply path 113a from the water tank 105 to the first emulsion device 102A. The control valve 143 is, for example, an electromagnetic control valve, and receives control on the opening / closing operation based on a detection signal from the viscosity sensor 142. The control valve 143 controls the passage area of the first water supply passage 113a by its opening / closing operation. That is, the amount of water supplied from the first water supply passage 113a to the first emulsion device 102A is controlled by the opening / closing operation of the control valve 143.

  The viscosity sensor 142 and the control valve 143 are connected to each other via a feedback line 144 so that the opening / closing operation of the control valve 143 is feedback-controlled based on the viscosity of the oil / water mixed fuel detected by the viscosity sensor 142. It is configured. That is, the opening / closing operation of the control valve 143 is performed so that a predetermined viscosity is set in advance for the viscosity of the oil / water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101 and the viscosity of the oil / water mixed fuel detected by the viscosity sensor 142 becomes the predetermined viscosity. That is, the amount of water supplied per unit time to the first emulsion device 102A is feedback-controlled.

  For feedback control of the control valve 143 based on a signal from the viscosity sensor 142, a control unit provided integrally or separately with the viscosity sensor 142 or the control valve 143 is used. However, for this feedback control, an ECU (Engine Control Unit) provided in the engine 101 may be used. In this case, the viscosity sensor 142 and the control valve 143 are each connected to the ECU, and feedback control of the control valve 143 based on a signal from the viscosity sensor 142 is performed by the ECU.

  By adopting the feedback control configuration as described above, it is possible to properly control the viscosity of the oil / water mixed fuel of the three-component mixture of the fuel oil, water, and the return surplus fuel, that is, the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water. it can. In this embodiment, the structure which mixes three of fuel oil, water, and an excess fuel by an appropriate ratio is controlled by controlling the supply amount of the water from the water tank 105 to the 1st emulsion apparatus 102A.

  According to the emulsion engine system 100C of the present embodiment, the surplus fuel of the oil / water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101 is mixed (emulsified) again in the first emulsion device 102A without being separated into fuel oil and water. It will be supplied to the combustion chamber of the engine 101 after passing through the second emulsion device 102B. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a configuration for separating the fuel oil and water such as a separator, and useful fuel consumption efficiency can be maintained with a simple configuration.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the structure which controls the mixing ratio of fuel oil, water, and a surplus fuel is controlled by controlling the supply amount of water from the water tank 105 to the first emulsion device 102A. However, instead of or in addition to such a configuration, a configuration in which the mixing ratio of the three components is controlled by controlling the amount of fuel oil supplied from the fuel oil tank 104 to the first emulsion device 102A may be employed. In this case, for example, a control valve is provided in the first fuel oil supply path 112a from the fuel oil tank 104 to the first emulsion device 102A, and the opening / closing operation of the control valve is feedback-controlled based on the detection signal of the viscosity sensor 142. Is used. Further, in addition to the configuration for returning the surplus fuel to the casing 2 of the first emulsion device 102A as the oil-water mixed fuel as in this embodiment, the fuel oil and water are separated by the separator 107 as in the first embodiment. A configuration may be used in which the fuel oil tank 104 and the water tank 105 are separated and returned to each other. That is, a combination of the configuration including the separator 107 of the first embodiment and the direct fuel return pipe 141 of the fourth embodiment may be used.

  In addition, the emulsion engine system 100C according to the present embodiment replaces or adds the surplus fuel of the oil / water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101 into the casing 2 of the first emulsion device 102A. You may provide the structure for returning in the casing 2 of the 2nd emulsion apparatus 102B. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, a fuel return pipe branching from the downstream passage portion 111b of the second mixed fuel passage 111 and having a downstream end connected in communication with the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B. 145 is provided. According to the fuel return pipe 145, surplus fuel is returned from the downstream side passage portion 111b of the second mixed fuel passage 111 into the casing 2 of the second emulsion device 102B. Then, the second emulsion device 102B mixes the fuel oil from the fuel oil tank 104, the oil / water mixed fuel generated by the first emulsion device 102A, and the surplus fuel returned by the fuel return pipe 145. To produce emulsion fuel.

  In the example shown in FIG. 20, the configuration according to the fourth embodiment such as the fuel return pipe 141 and the viscosity sensor 142 is shown based on the configuration of the emulsion engine system 100A of the second embodiment. The structure which concerns on a form may be applied in the emulsion engine system 100 of 1st Embodiment.

[Fifth Embodiment]
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 21, an emulsion engine system 100D according to the present embodiment is provided in a supply path for emulsion fuel from the second emulsion device 102B to the engine 101 in the configuration of the fourth embodiment. Is provided. The feed pump 151 is provided between the engine 101 and the pump 106 so that the start end of the fuel return pipe 141 communicates. The feed pump 151 is provided in the downstream side passage portion 111 b that is a portion of the second mixed fuel passage 111 between the engine 101 and the pump 106.

  According to such a configuration, the oil-water mixed fuel is sucked from the second emulsion device 102B through the second mixed fuel passage 111 by the pump 106 and supplied to the fuel injection valve 101a of the engine 101, and by the feed pump 151. Excess fuel is reliably returned into the casing 2 of the first emulsion device 102A by the fuel return pipe 141 at a predetermined pressure. Thereby, as described above, the mixing ratio of the fuel oil and water to be feedback-controlled by the configuration including the viscosity sensor 142 and the control valve 143 can be stably and appropriately controlled.

  In the configuration including the fuel return pipe 145 for returning the surplus fuel of the oil / water mixed fuel supplied to the engine 101 to the second emulsion device 102B, although not shown in the drawing, the feed to which the starting end of the fuel return pipe 145 communicates is omitted. A pump may be provided in the second mixed fuel passage 111. According to such a configuration, the oil / water mixed fuel is sucked from the second emulsion device 102B via the mixed fuel passage 111 by the pump 106 and supplied to the fuel injection valve 101a of the engine 101, and excess fuel is returned to the fuel by the feed pump. The pipe 145 reliably returns the casing 2 of the second emulsion apparatus 102B to a predetermined pressure.

  Furthermore, when the structure which concerns on 4th Embodiment provided with the fuel return piping 145 for returning excess fuel to the 2nd emulsion apparatus 102B is applied in the emulsion engine system 100 of 1st Embodiment, water is supplied to the 2nd emulsion apparatus 102B. A control valve connected to the viscosity sensor 142 of the second mixed fuel passage 111 via a predetermined feedback line may be provided in the second water supply passage 113b for supply. With this configuration, the amount of water supplied per unit time to the second emulsion device 102B is feedback controlled. According to such a configuration, the fluid mixing ratio in the second emulsion device 102B can be increased by adopting a configuration in which the feed pump that communicates with the start end of the fuel return pipe 145 is provided in the second mixed fuel passage 111 as described above. It can be controlled stably and properly.

  According to the emulsion engine system according to the present invention described using the above embodiments, the following effects are exhibited. That is, the emulsion engine system according to the present invention can manufacture the emulsion device with a simple structure, light weight, compact size and low cost. Therefore, the effect on the required initial cost is very large. And the washing | cleaning operation | work and maintenance operation | work of an emulsion apparatus can be performed quickly and easily. In addition, the method for producing an emulsion fuel according to the present invention can efficiently shear and disperse the second fluid (water or the like) as a dispersed phase. In addition, the second fluid can be miniaturized to a micro level or a sub micro level and uniform. Therefore, emulsion fuel as a large amount of mixed fluid can be produced at a low cost in a short time. In particular, the present invention can generate a microemulsion (micro-order emulsion) by swirling and mixing two phases of a liquid phase and a liquid phase at high speed, and can dramatically improve the emulsification rate. It can be done. Therefore, it is suitable for short-time, large-scale and inexpensive production of emulsions.

  In addition, the emulsion engine system according to the present invention includes at least two emulsion devices in a fuel supply path to the engine, and has a configuration in which the mixing ratio of the first fluid and the second fluid is changed stepwise by these emulsion devices. adopt. For this reason, according to the emulsion engine system according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently obtain emulsion fuel having a desired mixing ratio with respect to the mixing ratio of the first fluid and the second fluid.

  In recent years, the microemulsion generation method has been shifted to a method of forming fine grooves on a substrate using a photoresist used in the semiconductor field and extruding oil (or water). While this method has an advantage that a uniform particle size can be generated, there are disadvantages such as a high unit price for fine processing and a poor time efficiency of the number of emulsions to be generated. On the other hand, the emulsion apparatus according to the present invention can produce micro-order emulsion fuel at low cost, and has effects such as high time efficiency for producing emulsion fuel. That is, it is possible to produce a uniform emulsion from a large amount to a small amount only by variable control of the pump output for drawing water-oil, and it is easy to scale up. Furthermore, it is possible to produce a stable emulsion fuel without containing an emulsifier such as a surfactant.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fluid mixer 11 Mixer main body 12 One end opening part 13 Other end opening part 14 Axis flow path 15 Main body introduction hole 19 Spiral flow path 30 Covering body 100 Emulsion engine system 101 Engine 102 Emulsion apparatus 102A 1st emulsion apparatus 102B 2nd emulsion Device 104 Fuel oil tank (first tank)
105 Water tank (second tank)
106 Pump 131 Return pipe 141 Fuel return pipe 151 Feed pump

Claims (5)

Engine,
A first emulsion device that mixes fuel oil with another fluid to produce an emulsion fuel;
A first tank for storing fuel oil supplied to the first emulsion device;
A second tank for storing other fluid supplied to the first emulsion device;
In the fuel supply path to the engine, the emulsion fuel is provided on the downstream side of the first emulsion device, receives the emulsion fuel generated by the first emulsion device, and mixes the fuel oil and other fluids to give the emulsion fuel. A second emulsion device for generating
A pump for sucking the emulsion fuel produced by the second emulsion device and supplying it to the engine,
Each emulsion device of the first emulsion device and the second emulsion device has a cylindrical mixer body having openings at both ends, and the first fluid introduced from the one end opening is supplied to the mixer body. An axial flow path that flows in the axial direction and is led out from the opening at the other end, and the second fluid introduced from the main body introduction hole formed in the peripheral wall of the mixer main body along the inner peripheral surface of the mixer main body A spiral flow path is formed in which the first fluid and the second fluid are mixed while being swirled in a spiral shape around the axis of the axial flow path and led out from the other end opening.
Emulsion engine system. A separator for receiving surplus fuel of the emulsion fuel supplied to the engine and separating the surplus fuel into fuel oil and other fluid;
The fuel oil separated by the separator is returned to the first tank,
Returning the other fluid separated by the separator to the second tank;
The emulsion engine system according to claim 1. A return pipe for guiding other fluid separated from the emulsion fuel supplied from the first emulsion device to the second emulsion device to the separator;
The emulsion engine system according to claim 2. A fuel return pipe for returning surplus fuel of the emulsion fuel supplied to the engine to the first emulsion device;
The first emulsion device mixes fuel oil, another fluid, and the surplus fuel returned by the fuel return pipe to produce emulsion fuel.
The emulsion engine system according to claim 1. A feed pump that is provided in a supply path of emulsion fuel from the second emulsion device to the engine and that feeds the surplus fuel;
The emulsion engine system according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

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