Fuel Additive Package for Emission Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fuel compositions fail to effectively reduce emissions of CO2, NOX, SOX, Particulate Matter PM2.5, PM10, and Black Carbon, while also improving fuel efficiency and engine performance across various ambient conditions, and they often incur higher costs and environmental impacts.
Innovation Solution
A fuel composition and additive package comprising sorbitan oleate, polyoxyethylene alcohol, and an amine, combined with submicron or nano-emulsification techniques, which reduces emissions by catalytic reactions during combustion and enhances fuel stability and lubricity, thereby improving engine performance and reducing maintenance costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If water is blended with hydrocarbon fuel to create hydrosols, then the amount of fossil fuel used is reduced and cost is lowered, but combustion temperatures reduce and calorific value is lowered which could be problematic for engine ignition
Solution Approach 1:
A surfactant package comprising sorbitan oleate, polyoxyethylene alcohol, alkylene glycol, and amine is introduced as an intermediary substance to mediate between water and hydrocarbon fuel. The surfactant molecules have hydrophilic heads that interact with water and hydrophobic tails that interact with hydrocarbon, creating stable emulsions that allow water to be effectively mixed with fuel without causing separation, while maintaining sufficient combustion characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the fuel mixture by controlling the emulsion structure, droplet size distribution, and composition ratios. By optimizing these parameters, the fuel maintains adequate calorific value and combustion temperature despite the presence of water, resolving the contradiction between reducing fossil fuel content and maintaining combustion energy
2Stability of the object's composition
If surfactants are added to emulsified fuels to reduce water-hydrocarbon bond breaking, then mixture stability is improved, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single expensive surfactant, the patent employs a composite surfactant package combining four different substances (sorbitan oleate, polyoxyethylene alcohol, alkylene glycol, and amine) in specific ratios. This composite approach provides synergistic effects that enhance emulsion stability while keeping individual component costs manageable, achieving cost-effective stability improvement
Solution Approach 2:
The surfactant package is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: stabilizing the water-hydrocarbon emulsion, improving fuel combustion characteristics, reducing emissions, and providing lubricity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate additives, thereby controlling overall manufacturing cost while achieving multiple performance benefits
3Power
If conventional fuels are used to maintain engine power, then fuel energy output is sufficient, but emissions of CO2, NOX, SOX, Particulate Matter, and Black Carbon increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the typically harmful effect of water in fuel (which can cause combustion instability and emissions) into a benefit by using carefully controlled emulsified water that promotes more complete combustion. The emulsified water acts as a combustion promoter that reduces particulate matter and other emissions while maintaining engine power, effectively converting what was previously a harmful factor into a beneficial one
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key combustion parameters including flame temperature, oxygen distribution, and combustion duration through the emulsified fuel structure. These parameter changes promote more complete and efficient combustion, reducing the formation of harmful emissions like CO2, NOX, SOX, and particulate matter while maintaining sufficient engine power output
4Object-generated harmful factors
If emulsified fuels are used to reduce emissions, then environmental impact is reduced, but fuel stability over time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The surfactant package acts as a stable intermediary that prevents water and hydrocarbon phases from separating over time. The specific combination of sorbitan oleate, polyoxyethylene alcohol, alkylene glycol, and amine creates a robust emulsion structure that resists breakdown during storage, maintaining fuel stability while preserving the emission-reducing benefits of the emulsified water
Solution Approach 2:
The composite surfactant system provides enhanced long-term stability compared to single surfactants by creating a more resilient emulsion structure. The synergistic interaction between the four surfactant components prevents phase separation and maintains fuel homogeneity over extended storage periods, ensuring both stability and emission reduction performance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves up to 90% reduction in emissions and improves fuel economy, engine longevity, and reduces engine noise and wear, while maintaining stability and performance across different temperatures without requiring engine modifications.
Implementation Method 1
The amine component of the additive package is effective in catalytic conversion of CO2 to urea and water
Implementation Method 2
The fuels include an additive package having a sorbitan oleate, a polyoxyethylene alcohol, an alkylene glycol, and an amine
Data Source
AI summary
Improved fuel compositions and fuel additive packages which serve to prolong stability at various ambient conditions and to increase fuel efficiency and fuel economy while also significantly reducing the level of multiple emissions constituents generated upon combustion of the fuels including CO2, NOX, SOX, Particulate Matter PM2.5, PM10 and Black Carbon. The fuels may include the hydrocarbon fuels gasolines, diesel fuels, biodiesel fuels, biomass diesel fuels, renewable fuels, synthetic fuels, algae-based fuels, kerosene fuel or heavy fuel oils, or may alternatively be hydrosols, and include an additive package having a sorbitan oleate, a polyoxyethylene alcohol, an alkylene glycol, and an amine. The fuels are mixed with an additive and are emulsified with clean, soft water having a water quality of 1 micron or less.