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Aqueous fuel for internal combustion engine and method of preparing
US 6302929 B1

Abstract

An aqueous fuel having at least two phases for an internal combustion engine with 20-80 vol. % water, carbonaceous fuel, 2 to less than 20 vol. % alcohol, about 0.3 to 1 vol. % of a nonionic emulsifier, and which may contain up to about 0.1 vol. % of a fuel lubricity enhancer, and up to about 0.03 vol. % of an additive to resist phase separation at elevated temperatures. The fuel has an external water phase and is substantially nonflammable outside the engine. Also disclosed is a method of producing the fuel which includes mixing the carbonaceous fuel and emulsifier together prior to mixing with water and the other components.

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Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A stable, storable fuel combustible in an internal combustion engine but substantially nonflammable outside the engine, said fuel consisting essentially of a two-phased fluid emulsion of gasoline, about 40% to about 60% water, about 2% to 10% alcohol, about 0.3% to about 0.7% nonionic emulsifier, about 0.001% to about 0.1% polyorganosiloxane lubricity enhancer, and from about 0.001% to about 0.1% of an additive to improve resistance to phase separation at temperatures above about 170° F., the resulting emulsion comprising a standard O/W emulsion with water being the external continuous phase.

2. A stable, storable fuel combustible in an internal combustion engine but substantially nonflammable outside the engine, said fuel consisting essentially of a two-phased fluid emulsion of diesel fuel, about 40% to about 60% water, about 2% to less than 20% alcohol, about 0.3% to about 0.7% nonionic emulsifier, about 0.001% to about 0.1% polyorganosiloxane lubricity enhancer, and from about 0.001% to about 0.3% of an additive to improve resistance to phase separation at temperatures above about 170° F., the resulting emulsion comprising a standard O/W emulsion with water being the external continuous phase.

3. A stable, storable fuel combustible in an internal combustion engine but substantially nonflammable outside the engine, said fuel consisting essentially of a two-phased fluid emulsion of straight run gasoline, about 40% to about 60% water, about 2% to about 10% alcohol, about 0.3% to about 0.7% nonionic emulsifier, about 0.001% to about 0.1% polyorganosiloxane lubricity enhancer, and from about 0.001% to about 0.3% of an additive to improve resistance to phase separation at temperatures above about 170° F., the resulting emulsion comprising a standard O/W emulsion with water being the external continuous phase.

4. A method for preparing a stable, storable fuel combustible in an internal combustion engine but substantially nonflammable outside the engine, said fuel comprising an at least two-phased fluid emulsion of 20 to 80 volume % water, a carbonaceous fuel selected from the group consisting of gasoline, straight run gasoline, kerosene fuel, diesel fuel, gaseous carbon-containing fuel, carbon bearing synthetic fuel, biomass derived oils and mixtures thereof, about 2% to less than 20% alcohol and about 0.35 to about 1 volume % of a nonionic emulsifier, said emulsion comprising a standard O/W emulsion with water being the external continuous phase, said method comprising:

a) providing a first mixture of said carbonaceous fuel and said emulsifier,

b) combining 20 to 80 volume % water and 2 to less than 20% of said alcohol with said first mixture to form a second mixture,

c) incorporating a polyorganosiloxane lubricity enhancer into said second mixture, and

d) thoroughly mixing said second mixture, after incorporation of said polyorganosilioxane lubricity enhancer, with sufficient agitation to produce an emulsion which is stable for at least three months.

5. A method for preparing a stable, storable fuel combustible in an internal combustion engine but substantially nonflammable outside the engine, said fuel comprising an at least two-phased fluid emulsion of 20 to 80 volume % water, a carbonaceous fuel selected from the group consisting of gasoline, straight run gasoline, kerosene fuel, diesel fuel, gaseous carbon-containing fuel, carbon bearing synthetic fuel, biomass derived oils and mixtures thereof, about 2% to less than 20% alcohol and about 0.35 to about 1 volume % of a nonionic emulsifier, said emulsion comprising a standard O/W emulsion with water being the external continuous phase, said method comprising:

a) providing a first mixture of said carbonaceous fuel and said emulsifier,

b) combining 20 to 80 volume % water and 2 to less than 20% of said alcohol with said first mixture to form a second mixture,

c) combining a polyorganosiloxane lubricity enhancer and an additive to resist phase separation at elevated temperatures to form a third mixture and incorporating said third mixture into said second mixture such that said lubricity enhancer comprises from about 0.001% up to 0.1% of said third mixture, and

d) thoroughly mixing said third mixture with sufficient agitation to produce an emulsion which is stable for at least three months.

6. A fuel produced according to claim 5.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a novel aqueous fuel for an internal combustion engine and to a method of preparing same. More particularly, the invention relates to an aqueous fuel combustible in the combustion chamber(s) of internal combustion engines such as are used in motor vehicles, and, still more particularly, the invention relates to aqueous fuels which may be combusted in an internal combustion engine in which the combustion chamber(s) includes a hydrogen-producing catalyst such as is disclosed in Gunnerman U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,114 dated Oct. 20, 1992, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,114, there is a need for fuels to replace diesel fuel and gasoline for use in internal combustion engines, especially engines used in motor vehicles. Internal combustion engines, such as engines operating on gasoline and diesel fuel, produce unacceptably high amounts of pollutants which are injurious to human health and may damage the earth's atmosphere. The adverse effects of such pollutants upon health and the atmosphere have been the subject of great public discussion. Undesirable pollutants result from combustion of carbonaceous fuel with combustion air that contains nitrogen. The combustion of conventional fuels with air in conventional engines and the relatively incomplete combustion of such fuels are the primary reasons for unsatisfactory levels of pollutants emitted by vehicles with internal combustion engines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A novel aqueous fuel and method of producing same has been discovered which, in addition to reducing pollutants produced by internal combustion engines, including spark ignited and compression engines, is also stable, storable and substantially nonflammable outside the internal combustion engine. The novel fuel comprises a fluid emulsion with at least two-phases comprising 20 to 80 vol. % water and carbonaceous fuel, preferably 40 to 60% carbonaceous fuel, and more preferably carbonaceous fuel selected from the group consisting of gasoline, “straight run gasoline,” kerosene fuels, diesel fuels, gaseous carbon-containing fuels, and mixtures thereof, about 2 to less than 20 vol. % alcohol, preferably 2 to about 10%, and about 0.3 to 1 vol. % of a nonionic emulsifier, preferably about 0.5 to about 0.7%. As known in the art, “straight run gasoline” also known as “straight run atmospheric naptha”, is the product of the first petroleum fractionation in the production of conventional gasoline products. The carbonaceous fuel may also comprise carbon bearing synthetic products as well as biomass derived oils, in addition to carbon bearing fossil fuels. The emulsion comprises a standard oil/water (“o/w”) emulsion with water being the external continuous phase. A third phase may be formed with the alcohol component. Advantageously, a fuel lubricity enhancer and/or an additive to improve resistance to phase separation upon heating may also be included. Preferred lubricity enhancers include silicon-containing compounds which also serve as anti-foam and/or anti-rust agents.
The preparation of the novel fuel is very critical. It is prepared by first mixing the carbonaceous fuel and emulsifier together, providing a mixture of alcohol and water by separately adding alcohol, e.g., ethanol, methanol, etc. to water and adding the water-and-alcohol mixture to the previously prepared fuel-and-emulsifier mixture to produce a mixture of carbonaceous fuel with 20 to 80 vol % water and about 0.3 to 1 vol % emulsifier. Alternatively, water and alcohol may be separately added to the previously formed mixture of carbonaceous fuel and emulsifiers. The resultant mixture is vigorously agitated with sufficient agitation to produce a stable, storable fuel. Where the fuel is to include a fuel lubricity enhancer and/or an additive to resist phase separation at elevated temperatures, such agents are added to the mixture of combustion fuel, emulsifier, alcohol and water prior to the vigorous mixing step. Preferred fuel formulations are made with gasoline or diesel fuel. The gasoline and diesel versions are referred to herein as “A-55” and “D-55” respectively, and as naptha and water. The A-55 and D-55 comprise, respectively, nominally about 51 vol. % water, about 48.5% gasoline and about 0.5% emulsifier; and about 47 vol. % water, about 52.5% diesel and about 0.5% emulsifier. Another preferred fuel formulation may be made with straight run gasoline. The naptha and water fuel comprises, nominally, water and about 40% naptha. Preferably, deionized water is used and, most preferably, charcoal-filtered deionized water. Carbonaceous fuel is present in amounts of about 20% to about 80%, preferably about 40% to about 60% by volume.
The term “internal combustion engine” as used herein is intended to refer to and encompass any engine in which carbonaceous fuel is combusted with oxygen in one or more combustion chambers of the engine. Presently known such engines include piston displacement engines, rotary engines and turbine (jet) engines, including electric spark ignited and compression, e.g., diesel engines.