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ABSTRACT
Biofuels are being considered as alternatives to fossil-based fuels due to depletion of petroleum-based reserves and pollutant emission concerns. Vegetable oils and bioalcohols have proven to be viable alternative fuels both with and without engine modification. However, high viscosity and low energy content are long-term operational problems with vegetable oils and bioalcohols, respectively. Therefore, vegetable oil-based microemulsification is being evaluated as a method to reduce the high viscosity of vegetable oils and enhance the miscibility of alcohol and oil phases. Studies have shown that microemulsification with different alcohols lead to varying fuel properties depending on their structure. The overall goal of this study was to formulate microemulsion fuels with single and mixed alcohol systems by determining the effects of water content, alcohol branching structure and carbon chain length on phase behaviors, fuel properties, and emission characteristics. It was found that microemulsion fuels using certain alcohols displayed favorable stability, properties, and emission characteristics. Flames of fuels with linear short-chain-length alcohols had larger near-burner blue regions and lower CO and soot emissions indicating the occurrence of more complete combustion. In addition to alcohol effects, the effect of vegetable oils, surfactants, and additives on emission characteristics were insightful in pursuit of appropriate microemulsion fuels as cleaner burning alternatives to both No.2 diesel and canola biodiesel.
Nomenclature
| CP | = | Cloud point (°C). |
| CME | = | Canola methyl ester. |
| EIi | = | Emission index of species i. |
| EICO | = | Emission index of CO. |
| EINOx | = | Emission index of NOx. |
| F | = | Radiative fraction of heat release. |
| L | = | Pyrheliometer distance from flame (m). |
| LHV | = | Lower heating value of combustion (MJ/kg). |
| = | Fuel flow rate (kg/s). | |
| MWf | = | Molecular weight of fuel. |
| MWi | = | Molecular weight of species i. |
| PP | = | Pour point (°C). |
| R | = | Radiative flux. |
| SMD | = | Sauter mean diameter. |
| Vmean | = | Mean velocity. |
| Wpolar | = | Polar phase solubilization capacity. |
| Xi | = | Mole fraction of species i. |
| XCO | = | Mole fraction of species CO. |
| XCO2 | = | Mole fraction of species CO2. |
| x | = | No. of carbon atoms in the mixture. |
| Φ | = | Equivalence ratio. |
| ρ | = | Density (g/cm3). |
| υ | = | Kinematic viscosity (mm2/s). |
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Sasol North America (Lake Charles, LA) for providing extended surfactant sample and Huntsman Corporation for providing alcohol ethoxylate surfactant sample. In addition, the authors would like to acknowledge the undergraduate research assistant at the University of Oklahoma, Ethan Rice.
Funding
Financial support for this research was provided by Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) and sponsors of the Institute for Applied Surfactant Research (IASR) at the University of Oklahoma: CESI Chemical Research, Clorox, Conoco-Phillips, Church and Dwight, Cytec, Ecolab, Halliburton, Huntsman, InVia-Westvaco, ITW Global Brands, Novus, Phillips 66, Procter & Gamble, Sasol North America, S.C. Johnson & Son, Shell Chemical, UK Abrasives Inc.