Comparison of Engine Performance between Nano- and Microemulsions of Solketal Droplets Dispersed in Diesel Assisted by Microwave Irradiation

The Influences of Emulsification Variables on Emulsion Characteristics Prepared through the Phase Inversion Temperature Method as Engine Fuel

The effects of emulsification variables, such as surfactant type and heating/cooling emulsion processes, on the emulsification characteristics of silicone oil’s emulsions prepared by the phase inversion temperature method were investigated in this study. The water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions have been widely applied to enhance burning efficiency and reduce both pollutant emissions and fuel consumption. The silicone oil was emulsified with de-ionized water with the assistance of nonionic surfactants to form oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. The hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB) value of the Span 80 and Tween 20 surfactant mixture was set equal to 10 based on their weight proportions and the respective HLB values of the two surfactants. The experimental results show that the emulsions with the Span 80/Tween 20 surfactant mixture appeared to have a higher phase inversion temperature and a larger electrical conductance. On the other hand, it has a lower emulsification stability and a narrower range of phase inversion temperature than the emulsions prepared with a Brij 30 surfactant (polyoxyethylene (4) lauryl ether). The increase in surfactant concentration from 1 wt.% to 10 wt.% decreased the electrical conductance and phase inversion temperature while increasing the suspensibility and absorbance value for the emulsions prepared with either Span 80/Tween 20 mixture or Brij 30.

Emission characteristics of a diesel engine fueled with nanoemulsions of continuous diesel dispersed with solketal droplets

Solketal is a promising oxygenate additive that can be chemically derived from bioglycerol. Emulsification by a microwave-irradiating method was used to prepare the micro- and nanoemulsions of solketal dispersed in continuous ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) due to the immiscibility of solketal with ULSD. The emissions from a direct-injection, four-stroke and naturally aspirated diesel engine fueled with each of these emulsions, and with neat ULSD, were analyzed and compared. The experimental results show that the nanoemulsion and microemulsions were successfully produced. In addition, an increasing engine speed resulted in lower NOx, CO and O₂ but higher CO₂ emissions. The nanoemulsion was found to produce the lowest NOx emission while neat ULSD produced the highest NOx emission among these three test fuels. The lowest CO emission was formed by fueling the micro-emulsion of dispersed solketal-in-ULSD. Moreover, the burning of the nanoemulsion in the diesel engine formed the highest CO₂ along with the lowest O₂ emissions. Hence, the nanoemulsion had the highest burning efficiency among the three test fuels for the diesel engine.