Water in Diesel Emulsion: Efficient Fuel

Abstract

Diesel engines are the most power conversion efficient engines, due to which it dominates the usage in various sectors but in spite of these advantages it emits various pollutants in air which can no more be tolerated. Modern hardware based solutions for pollution control with high price tag are incompatible with existing diesel engines and are pressing needs to develop technology which can fit into existing engine model and lower the emissions. This review presents the various techniques to prepare and stabilise the emulsion of water in diesel with or without use of surfactant. Primary focus will be on the combustion modelling of water in diesel emulsion and its effect on combustion efficiency and exhaust emissions. Review also covers recent development in water in diesel emulsion and discusses it’s feasibility in world energy market. The advantages of water emulsion in diesel are reductions in the emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matters, which are both health hazardous, and reduction in fuel consumption due to better burning efficiency. Its most important aspect is that diesel emulsion engine can be used without any retrofitting of regular diesel engine. The micro-explosion phenomenon, which is due to the volatility difference between water and diesel, is thoroughly discussed in the article with ‘shrinking core’ model. Water contents ranging from 3 to 45% have been expounded to find the effect of water content on various factors of combustion. The effects of injection pressure and water concentration on the spray combustion characteristics, like ignition delay and lift off length of combustion of the emulsion, were investigated with the help of a diesel like constant volume chamber. The high pressure and high temperatures were created by combustion of carbon monoxide mixed with compressed air and oxygen and ignited by a spark plug.

Keywords: Diesel, water, emulsion, combustion, emissions, droplets, explosion

Cite this Article

Sagar Vishnudas Kanhere, Sarang Pravinchandra Waghanna. Water in Diesel Emulsion: Efficient Fuel. Journal of Alternate Energy Sources and Technologies. 2015; 6(2): 34–39p.