Emulsification Plant Integrated into a Diesel Fuel Feeding System

An innovative Emulsification Engine Feeding System (EEFS) has been developed in the Roma Tre University Fluid Machinery Lab. It is based on an emulsification loop, where fuel and water are fed in real time with the emulsion injection. Thus no chemicals are used to stabilize water in diesel fuel or ethanol in diesel fuel emulsions. The system assures the emulsion stability levels sufficient for the emulsion to be injected inside the engine. Tests carried out on the EEFS, developed for a 6 cylinder, four stroke, 12.88 liter, 382 kW diesel engine, have shown the good quality of the emulsion in terms of water droplet diameters and volumetric mixing ratio, at the various off line tests over emulsion flow rates varying about 2.5 l/h to 150 l/h representative of the idle (2 l/h of fuel) to full load (130 l/h of fuel) conditions with the engine rpm ranging from 500 to 2300. A water separation section that operates for the duration of the engine shutdown is a unique feature of the EEFS to avoid corrosion during stops.