Fuel Microemulsion Additive Prevents Ice and Gel Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Jet fuel in aircraft fuel tanks is prone to contamination with water, leading to ice formation and the creation of harmful 'apple jelly' substances, which can cause engine issues and safety hazards due to the instability of existing water-in-oil emulsions and the limitations of current ice prevention methods like DiEGME.
Innovation Solution
A stable water-in-oil microemulsion is created using a concentrate comprising fatty amidoalkyl betaine emulsifying agents, C6-C15 alkanol ethoxylates, ethylene glycol, and C1-C4 alkanols, which forms a clear, translucent mixture with water droplets no larger than 0.1µm, preventing ice formation and gel creation when cooled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If DiEGME is used to prevent ice formation in fuel, then ice protection is improved, but gel-like 'apple jelly' substance forms at low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing DiEGME with a specific surfactant mixture comprising fatty amidoalkyl betaine and C6-C15 alkanol ethoxylate. This parameter change in the chemical composition prevents both ice formation and apple jelly gel formation, as the new surfactant system maintains fuel stability across the temperature range without forming harmful gel substances.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a small amount of surfactant concentrate (0.0001 to 0.5% by weight) as a temporary protective agent that prevents ice formation during flight conditions. The surfactant performs its protective function temporarily during temperature variations and then remains stable in the fuel system without creating long-term harmful effects like apple jelly formation.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If water is added to fuel to reduce emissions, then environmental performance is improved, but fuel stability deteriorates due to phase separation
Solution Approach 1:
The surfactant acts as an intermediary substance between water and fuel, enabling the formation of a stable water-in-oil microemulsion. The surfactant molecules position themselves at the water-fuel interface, with hydrophilic heads facing water and hydrophobic tails facing fuel, creating a stable emulsion that prevents phase separation while allowing controlled water incorporation for emission reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite water-in-oil microemulsion system combining water, fuel, and surfactant in a stable multiphase structure. This composite material maintains the immiscibility of water and fuel while achieving macroscopic homogeneity and stability, allowing the fuel system to incorporate water for environmental benefits without sacrificing compositional stability.
3Temperature
If water-in-oil emulsion is used in fuel, then cooling properties are improved, but emulsion stability deteriorates leading to oil-water separation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the emulsion parameters by controlling water content (up to 1% by weight), surfactant concentration (0.0001 to 0.5% by weight), and droplet size (average diameter 0.1 to 10 micrometers). These parameter changes create a stable water-in-oil microemulsion that maintains compositional stability while providing enhanced cooling properties for fuel temperature management.
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 microemulsion effectively prevents the formation of ice slugs and 'apple jelly' in jet fuel, maintaining fuel stability and usability even at low temperatures, and reduces the need for additional additives, enhancing safety and performance.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid concentrate comprising: (A) 0.5 to 5 wt.% of one or more fatty (C8-C24)-amido-(C1-C6)-alkyl betaine emulsifying agents; (B) 45 to 75 wt.% of C6-C15-alkanol ethoxylate surfactants
Implementation Method 2
a stable water-in-oil-emulsion, preferably a water-in-oil microemulsion comprising (a) a liquid fuel or oil which is immiscible with water; (b) up to 1 wt.%, preferably up to 0.1 wt.%, based on the amount of (a), of water; and (c) 10 to 10,000 wt.ppm, preferably 10 to 1,000 wt.ppm, based on the amount of (a), of a concentrate of the first aspect
Implementation Method 3
The present invention more importantly provides protection to liquid fuels from ice formation, thereby reducing the potential for ice slugs to be drawn in to the engine
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid concentrate comprising essentially: (A) 0.1 to 10 wt.% of one or more amphoteric emulsifying agents; (B) 30 to 95 wt.% of one or more nonionic alkoxylated surfactants; (C) 0 to 20 wt.% of one or more glycol-based solubilizers; and (D) 0 to 65 wt.% of one or more organic solvents; wherein component (B) comprises a mixture of C6-C15 -alkanol ethoxylates with different carbon numbers for the alkanol unit species, the carbon numbers for the two C6-C15 -alkanol ethoxylates which have the highest share in weight in the mixture being at least 1.5 carbon numbers distant from each other, is useful for reducing or eliminating the formation in a liquid hydrocarbon fuel of ice particles having a weight average particle size greater than 1 µm when said liquid hydrocarbon fuel is cooled to temperatures in the range of from 0 to -50°C.