JPH09286993A - Production of emulsion fuel and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To supply an emulsified oil to a combustion apparatus under constantly keeping a stably mixed state. SOLUTION: This production apparatus is provided with emulsifying water production means 11-15 to produce emulsifying water by mixing water W with an emulsifier E, a fuel emulsifying means 7 to form an emulsified oil by mixing the emulsifying water with a fuel oil F, a supplying means 3b to supply the emulsified oil to a combustion apparatus 9a, etc., and an emulsion fuel storing means 18 to temporarily store the emulsion fuel in a state circulating through the fuel emulsifying means 7. The emulsified oil produced by the fuel emulsifying means 7 is immediately and directly used for combustion and a part of the oil is temporarily stored in the emulsion fuel storing means 18 to ensure the supply of readjusted normal emulsified oil in the case of restarting the operation of the combustion apparatus 9a, etc.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for producing a fuel emulsified by adding water to fuel oil, a so-called emulsified fuel, and an apparatus for producing the fuel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When burning fuel, there is an idea that a so-called emulsified fuel is obtained by adding water to fuel oil and emulsifying the fuel. When this type of emulsified fuel is made into an oil-in-water type, when it overflows or spills, it becomes difficult for it to flow as it is, thereby increasing the safety in handling. In the case of the water-in-oil type, dust and nitrogen oxides (NO
x) can be reduced, which is effective in preventing pollution. There have been many proposals for such emulsified fuel production methods and equipment, and some of them have already been put to practical use in boilers and the like, but when they are actually used, the expected exhaust gas purification effect can be obtained. At present, it is no longer used because it is not used or the handling is more complicated than expected.

However, in view of the energy situation and the environmental situation after that, even though it is steamed, only the fuel emulsification technology can be expected to further reduce NOx and soot in the future. In that sense, next-generation fuel emulsification technology is now awaited.

By the way, in such an emulsified fuel, the generation of a high-temperature heat spot in a combustion flame is suppressed so that the generated NOx is reduced as much as possible, and a uniform temperature distribution is obtained at a temperature as low as possible. For the purpose of combustion, it is essential that the particle size of water droplets in the emulsified fuel be within a certain particle size distribution and that the water droplets be mixed so as to be distributed as uniformly as possible in the oil. Requirements. These requirements are necessary in order to reduce dust that is in a trade-off relationship with the generation of NOx. Therefore, when using the emulsified fuel, it is necessary to always secure the emulsified fuel under such conditions.

[0005]

In a conventional fuel oil emulsifying apparatus, when mixing water with fuel oil, a method of injecting water or steam into the fuel oil from a nozzle and mixing the fuel oil with a fuel oil pipe is used. And emulsifying while mixing with a mixing section or a mixer provided downstream of the mixing section while water is injected into the mixing section. However, these methods have a problem that they cannot withstand long-term use. In other words, in these methods, since small-diameter nozzles and the like are used for mixing water in the fuel pipe, substances such as impurities and scale contained in the original fuel and water may be contained in the nozzle or the pipe, or The flow rate changed due to adhesion and deposition inside the equipment in the piping, and in extreme cases, phenomena such as clogging and no flow were observed. In addition, if the shutdown period of the device is prolonged, the emulsified fuel and water, which had been in a well-mixed state, were separated from each other, and the separated water caused corrosion in piping and equipment, and further caused by the corrosion. The phenomenon that rust causes the same problem was observed.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for producing an emulsified fuel which can always supply the emulsified fuel to the combustion device in a stable mixed state regardless of the steady operation state and the restarting time. Is the first purpose.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an emulsified fuel production apparatus for carrying out the above method.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for mixing a fuel and water, or water and an emulsifier in the production of an emulsified fuel,
A third object is to directly mix in the pipe without using a nozzle having a small diameter or the like in the mixing section so as to prevent problems such as clogging.

By the way, if, for example, an emulsified fuel satisfying the initial conditions is manufactured and immediately used for combustion, the expected performance and function will be achieved. If it is manufactured and used, it is necessary to stop the use of the emulsified fuel, which has been normally completed, temporarily or for a considerable period of time because the use is stopped halfway. In such a case, the above-described conventional problems are exposed. That is, if the oil and water are separated in the supposedly normal emulsified fuel and are used for combustion without being normal, various problems such as poor ignition and poor combustion will naturally occur. The conventional disadvantages described above are:
In the production of conventional emulsified fuels, attention is paid to the production thereof, and this is largely due to insufficient or insufficient consideration for temporary stop during use and restart after stop.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when operating the combustion apparatus with the emulsified fuel, in consideration of the possibility that the emulsified fuel once manufactured may become abnormal due to a temporary stop of the apparatus, etc. A fourth object is to ensure that the manufactured emulsified fuel has become a normal emulsified fuel by passing through the process of fuel emulsification again.

Further, according to the present invention, when the emulsified fuel is passed through the fuel emulsification step again as described above, the property of the emulsified fuel returned to the step is considered to be as normal as possible in consideration of separation of oil water. The fifth purpose is to make it.

A sixth object of the present invention is to utilize the circulation of the emulsified fuel to assist the mixing of the separated oil and water in the above-mentioned re-fuel emulsification step to promote the re-fuel emulsification. And

[0013]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is to prepare an emulsified water by previously mixing water and an emulsifier in producing an emulsified fuel which is emulsified by adding water to fuel oil. The emulsified water and fuel oil are mixed to form an emulsified fuel,
The emulsified fuel is immediately supplied to the combustion device, while the emulsified fuel is temporarily stored so that the emulsified water and the fuel oil can be remixed as necessary. As a result, the emulsified fuel once manufactured is immediately subjected to combustion, while the emulsified fuel prepared for an emergency or at the time of starting is also stored. A normal supply of emulsified fuel is guaranteed.

Next, according to the present invention, in an apparatus for producing emulsified fuel by adding water to fuel oil to form an emulsified fuel, an emulsified water producing means for mixing water and an emulsifier to obtain emulsified water, the emulsified water and the fuel. A fuel emulsifying unit that mixes oil into an emulsified fuel, a supply unit that supplies the emulsified fuel to a combustion device, and an emulsified fuel storage unit that temporarily stores the emulsified fuel through the fuel emulsifying unit in a circulatory manner. Thereby, the emulsified water produced by the emulsified water producing means is immediately used in the fuel emulsifying means,
The emulsified fuel produced by the fuel emulsification means is immediately used for combustion directly. On the other hand, when the operation of the combustion device is started again by the emulsified fuel temporarily stored in the emulsified fuel storage means, the supply of the readjusted normal emulsified fuel is ensured.

The emulsified water producing means is provided with an emulsified water supply pump for supplying emulsified water to the fuel emulsifying means, and an emulsifier supply pump for supplying an emulsifier to the suction side of the emulsified water supply pump. You can In this way, when mixing the emulsifier and water and the emulsified water and fuel oil,
The mixing is further promoted.

The emulsified fuel storage means includes an emulsified fuel tank, a collecting means for collecting the emulsified fuel produced by the fuel emulsifying means into the emulsified fuel tank, and the emulsified fuel stored in the emulsified fuel tank through the fuel emulsifying means. It is also possible to adopt a configuration including a circulation means for circulating. In this case, in preparation for an emergency or start-up, a fixed amount of the produced emulsified fuel is stored and stored in advance, and the stored portion is always passed through fuel oiling means prior to reuse. It can be prepared and then used.

Further, the circulation means is provided with a suction pipe in the emulsified fuel tank, and the suction pipe is formed with suction ports having different level positions, and the suction port at one level position has the emulsified fuel. It is effective to adopt a configuration in which the inlet is opened in the vicinity of the bottom of the tank, and the intake ports at other level positions are opened at a position higher than the opening by a predetermined height. In these cases,
When the combustion device is restarted, when the emulsified fuel in the emulsified fuel tank is circulated to the fuel emulsification means, even if the separated water is collected at the tank bottom in the suction pipe of the emulsified fuel tank, it is directly used as it is. It is prevented that the whole amount is sucked into the fuel emulsifying means and circulated.

The circulation means is provided with switching means for switching the supply of the produced emulsified fuel to the combustion device and the return to and from the emulsified fuel tank, and return piping for connecting the emulsified fuel tank and the switching means. It is more effective if the return pipe is opened at the bottom of the emulsified fuel tank and the emulsified fuel is blown up into the emulsified fuel tank. Thus, even after returning the emulsified fuel to the emulsified fuel tank after circulating the fuel emulsification means, it acts to agitate the emulsified fuel in the emulsified fuel tank to promote mixing.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment in which an apparatus for carrying out the method for producing an emulsified fuel according to the present invention is applied to a normal burner of a boiler or an industrial furnace will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing an embodiment of the emulsified fuel production apparatus of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this device basically supplies an emulsified fuel (hereinafter referred to as emulsified oil in the description of the embodiment) produced by an emulsified fuel producing device 7 as a fuel emulsifying device according to the present invention. Each burner 9 as a combustion device via an incineration pump 3b
A device for supplying to a to 9c is configured. In addition, in connection with the emulsified fuel production apparatus 7, the apparatus 7 includes an emulsified water production means for supplying emulsified water to the apparatus 7, and an emulsified fuel storage means for storing a part of the produced emulsified oil. Hereinafter, each of these means will be described.

First, in the fuel oil supply system, an oil tank 1 with a level gauge for receiving fuel oil F is supplied through an oil pump 3a, a heater 4, a flow rate adjusting valve 5a and a shutoff valve 6a to an emulsified fuel producing apparatus. It is composed of a pipe 10 connected to 7. Therefore, the fuel oil F is sent to the oil pump 3a, sucked from the oil tank 1, heated by the heater 4, regulated in the flow rate by the flow regulating valve 5a, and opened through the shutoff valve 6a to produce the emulsified fuel. It is supplied to the device 7.

In addition, in this apparatus, a pipe 40 for supplying the fuel oil F to the burner 9a or the like as it is by-passing the emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus 7 is also provided in case of using the fuel oil F without emulsifying it. This pipe 40 is connected to the fuel injection pump 3b from the downstream of the heater 4 via the shutoff valve 16b.
, The shut-off valve 6a is closed, and the shut-off valve 1
When the valve 6b is opened, the fuel that bypasses the emulsified fuel production device 7 reaches the fuel injection pump 3b through the pipe 40, and then passes through the flow control valve 5c and the shutoff valve 6c to the burner 9b.
a, etc., and directly subjected to combustion.

On the other hand, in the emulsified water producing means, the water tank 13 with the level meter for receiving the supply of the water W and displaying the level on / off, constitutes the emulsified water supply pump.
The switching valve 8b, the flow meter 14, a water pump 20b as an emulsified water supply pump, a flow control valve 5b, and a shutoff valve 6b are connected to the emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus 7 by a pipe 20. , The switching valve 8b, the flow meter 14, by the two water pumps 20a, 20b from the water tank 13.
It is supplied to the emulsified fuel production device 7 via the flow control valve 5b and the shutoff valve 6b.

Further, the emulsified water producing means is provided with a pipe for supplying the emulsifier E supplied to the emulsifier tank 11 to the suction side of the water pump 20a via the metering pump 12 constituting the emulsifier supply pump of the present invention. ing. Thus, the configuration in which the emulsifier E is supplied to the water W upstream of the water pump 20a aims at mixing the water W and the emulsifier E better in the water pump 20a. Water W made here
The emulsified water as a mixture of the emulsifier E and the emulsifier E is stored in the emulsified water tank 15 in an appropriate amount as necessary.
A pipe connecting from the pipe downstream of the water pump 20a to the emulsified water tank 15 through the switching valve 8b and a pipe discharged from the emulsion water tank 15 by the automatic valve 16a as needed are connected to the pipe downstream of the switching valve 8b. There is. The emulsifier tank 11 is a tank with a level meter, and the emulsified water tank 15 is a tank with a level meter for displaying levels on and off.

Thus, the emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus 7 is supplied with the fuel oil F from one side and the emulsified water from the other side, and the apparatus 7
Thus, an emulsified oil having a predetermined property is produced. Then, during normal use, the produced emulsified oil is directly sent to the fuel-injection pump 3b through the switching valve 8a in the pipe of the supply means, passes through the flow control valve 5c and the shut-off valve 6c, and is supplied to the burner 9a or the like. Served for use.

By the way, in this apparatus, the emulsified oil tank 18 for temporarily storing a part of the emulsified oil produced by the emulsified fuel producing apparatus 7 so that the emulsified oil can be used immediately in an emergency or at the time of starting. Is provided, and a pipe that constitutes a sampling means for taking in a part of the manufactured emulsified oil from the downstream of the emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus 7 into the emulsified oil tank 18 through the automatic valve 16c is provided. With this configuration, in FIG. 2, the emulsified oil manufactured by the emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus 7 is sent to the burner 9a or the like from the fuel injection pump 3b as it is via the switching valve 8a and used for combustion in a normal use state. However, in an emergency or at the time of starting, an appropriate amount of the produced emulsified oil is taken into the emulsified oil tank 18 via the automatic valve 16c and stored.

When the emulsified oil tank 18 is provided in this way, it is necessary to ensure that the temporarily stored emulsified oil has normal properties.
It is also assumed that the water in the emulsified oil is separated and accumulated at the bottom of the emulsified oil tank 18. Therefore, in the present device, the shutoff valve 1 is used as a circulating means for circulating the emulsified oil stored in the emulsified oil tank 18 through the emulsified fuel production device 7.
A suction pipe 18a provided with 6d and a return pipe 18c connecting the switching valve 8a and the emulsified oil tank 18 are provided. However, in the separated state as described above, when the apparatus is started after being temporarily stopped, if this water is directly sucked from the suction pipe 18a and recirculated to the emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus 7, the water content is too much and the original water content is reduced. There remains a concern that the emulsified oil that should be of the water-in-oil type will be phase-inverted to the oil-in-water type and the intended purpose will not be achieved.

Therefore, in this apparatus, in order to eliminate such a worry, as shown in detail in FIG.
It is assumed that the separated water is allowed to collect from the bottom of the No. 8 to a certain height L1, and the lower end of the suction pipe 18a of the emulsified oil tank 18 is opened at that portion, and the suction port 18d is shown in detail in FIG. As shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, a suction port 18b of an appropriate size is opened at a height L2 above the portion, and the water portion is separated from the opening portion. Inhalation pipe 18 by inhaling emulsified oil of
A configuration is adopted to prevent the water content of the emulsified oil sucked into a from becoming excessive. With this configuration, the existing emulsified oil sucked in so that the water content does not become excessive is returned to the emulsified fuel production device 7 to be readjusted to an appropriate emulsified oil property, and is again returned to the emulsified oil tank 18 via the switching valve 8a. And this cycle can be repeated as necessary.

Further, in this apparatus, the switching valve 8a is provided as a means for further normalizing the property of the emulsified oil at the time of this return.
A return pipe 18c from the oil to the emulsified oil tank 18 is opened at the bottom of the emulsified oil tank 18 to disturb the layer of water in which the returned emulsified oil accumulates at the bottom and promote mixing in the emulsified oil tank 18. Has been adopted.

Thus, when the apparatus is started after being temporarily stopped, the emulsified oil in the emulsified oil tank 18 is circulated through the emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus 7 for a certain period of time to adjust its properties, and then to the combustion apparatus. By supplying the emulsified oil, the property of the emulsified oil is guaranteed to be normal, and the intended purpose of using the emulsified oil in the present invention is secured.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel oil tank 1, the emulsified water tank 15 and the emulsified oil tank 18 are preferably provided with heating heaters 2a, 2b and 2c respectively. The water tank 15 and the emulsified oil tank 18 are preferably provided with stirring devices 19a and 19b. Each of these heaters is effective in preventing a commonly used fuel from becoming low in viscosity due to low-quality oil and preventing the flow from becoming difficult to flow.Especially, in a device for producing an emulsified oil, cold water is used. When mixed with fuel oil or emulsified oil which has been heated and thus has a higher temperature, a drop in temperature causes more unexpected problems, so the temperature should be kept the same before mixing. In addition, both tanks 15, 1
The stirrers 19a and 19b provided at 8 are effective for improving the mixing in the tank and for keeping the temperature distribution constant.
Further, it is effective to provide a blow valve 17 in the emulsified oil tank 18 so as to discharge emulsified oil, particularly water accumulated in the bottom from the bottom thereof.

By taking each of the above means, according to the present apparatus, it is ensured that the emulsified oil produced is used as it is, and that its properties are normal.
Even when the emulsified oil temporarily stored is used again, its properties are always ensured by passing through the manufacturing apparatus 7, and the water of the existing emulsified oil in the storage tank 18 is separated by the scale. Even if a situation arises, in the case of regeneration by recirculation, the properties of the regenerated emulsified oil are set by setting the suction pipe 18a and the return pipe 18c of the storage tank 18 to the above-described specific configuration so that the properties are easily ensured. And normal emulsified oil is always supplied to the burner 9a and the like, and the object of the present invention is achieved. Thus, according to the present apparatus, problems such as rust and clogging of the pipes and various devices and instability of the flow rate are eliminated, and the emulsified oil can be stably supplied to the combustion apparatus.

[0033]

According to the above method for producing an emulsified fuel of the present invention, the emulsified fuel is immediately supplied to the combustion device, while the emulsified fuel can be temporarily remixed with the emulsified water and the fuel oil if necessary. By storing, the property of the emulsified fuel provided for combustion can be secured regardless of the operating state of the combustion device.

Next, according to the apparatus of the second aspect, the emulsified fuel produced by the fuel emulsifying means is immediately supplied to the combustor, while the emulsified fuel is re-used with emulsified water and fuel oil if necessary. By temporarily storing in the emulsified fuel tank so that mixing is possible, the property of the emulsified fuel used for combustion can be secured regardless of the operating state of the combustion device.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the fuel and water, or the water and the emulsifier can be combined at the suction side of the pump in the pipe and mixed by the pump. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of clogging and rust due to the use of a nozzle having a small diameter.

According to the apparatus of claim 4,
When using the temporarily stored emulsified fuel, all of the stored emulsified fuel will always be used after passing through the fuel emulsification means. It is possible to eliminate the conventional problems.

Further, according to the apparatus of claim 5, in regenerating the stored emulsified fuel by circulation through the fuel emulsifying means, the ratio of the oil-water of the emulsified fuel drawn from the emulsified fuel tank is changed. Since it can be recirculated to the fuel emulsifying means without being used, the regeneration treatment of the emulsified fuel by the fuel emulsifying means can be made effective while ensuring the properties of the emulsified fuel.

In addition, according to the device of claim 6,
When the stored emulsified fuel is regenerated by circulation through the fuel emulsifying means, the effect of regeneration is further enhanced by promoting the mixing in the emulsified fuel tank using the return pipe.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an embodiment of an apparatus for producing an emulsified fuel according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed flow diagram of an emulsified fuel tank part in the manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a view showing details of a suction pipe in the emulsified fuel tank portion.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel tank 2a, 2b, 2c Heater 3a Oil pump 3b Injection pump (supplying means) 4 Heater 5a, 5b, 5c Flow control valve 6a, 6b, 6c Shut-off valve 7 Emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus (fuel emulsifying means) 8a, 8b Switching valve (switching means) 9a, 9b, 9c Burner (combustion device) 10 Fuel pipe 11 Emulsifier tank (emulsifying water production means) 12 Metering pump (emulsifier supply pump) 13 Water tank (emulsifying water production means) 14 Flow meter 15 Emulsification Water tank (emulsification water production means) 16c Automatic valve (sampling means) 17 Blow valve 18 Emulsification oil tank (emulsification fuel storage means) 18a Suction pipe 18b, 18d Suction port 18c Return pipe 19a, 19b Stirrer 20a, 20b Water pump ( Emulsification water supply pump)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. When producing an emulsified fuel in which water is added to fuel oil to form an emulsified fuel, water and an emulsifier are mixed in advance to form emulsified water, and the emulsified water and fuel oil are mixed to form an emulsified fuel,
A method for producing an emulsified fuel, which comprises immediately supplying the emulsified fuel to a combustion device and temporarily storing the emulsified fuel so that the emulsified water and fuel oil can be remixed as necessary. 2. An apparatus for producing an emulsified fuel by adding water to fuel oil to form an emulsified fuel, wherein emulsified water producing means for mixing water and an emulsifier to obtain emulsified water, and the emulsified water and fuel oil are mixed. A fuel emulsifying means for emulsifying fuel, a supplying means for supplying the emulsified fuel to the combustion device, and an emulsified fuel storing means for temporarily storing the emulsified fuel through the fuel emulsifying means in a circulatory manner. Manufacturing equipment. 3. The emulsified water producing means comprises an emulsified water supply pump for supplying emulsified water to the fuel emulsifying means, and an emulsifier supply pump for supplying an emulsifier to the suction side of the emulsified water supply pump. Emulsified Fuel Manufacturing Equipment. 4. The emulsified fuel storage means passes through an emulsified fuel tank, a collecting means for collecting the emulsified fuel produced by the fuel emulsifying means into the emulsified fuel tank, and the emulsified fuel stored in the emulsified fuel tank through the fuel emulsifying means. The emulsified fuel production apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a circulation unit for circulating the emulsified fuel. 5. The circulating means comprises a suction pipe in an emulsified fuel tank, and the suction pipe is formed with suction ports having different level positions, and the suction port at one level position is an emulsified fuel tank. 5. The emulsified fuel production apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the suction port is opened in the vicinity of the bottom portion, and the suction port at another level position is opened at a position higher than the opening by a predetermined height. 6. The circulation means comprises switching means for switching the supply of the produced emulsified fuel to the combustion device and the return to and from the emulsified fuel tank, and a return pipe connecting the emulsified fuel tank and the switching means. The emulsified fuel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the return pipe is opened at a bottom portion of the emulsified fuel tank and allows the emulsified fuel to flow into the emulsified fuel tank so as to blow up.