[Paper Discussion] Using water emulsion as accelerant for oil fire

cowdog

Water in oil emulsion can be created on the fly by stirring oil with soapy water (or better, water with non-ionic emulsifiers like Span or glyceryl monostearate).

Water in oil emulsion is worth engineering attention, because it has nice auto-atomizing properties. When pressurized to normal fuel injector pressure (around 6.9 bar), and heated up above 212°F, the water will flash boil upon being ejected from nozzle into combustion chamber, blasting oil into much smaller droplets than the original spray droplet size.

Any oil burner designers considered this approach?

Here is a research paper studying water in heavy oil emulsion.

Here is another research paper by Naval Research Lab on water in crude oil emulsion

cowdog

MikeAmann said:

So you want to do water injection on your oil burner?
I played with this years ago. I understand the concept.
Instead I tried it with water/methanol like Snow Performance uses. I concocted my own BOOST JUICE.
I got it to spray a fine mist through a burner nozzle and blew it into the combustion chamber.
Nothing happened.
Try nitrous oxide instead.

Not the concept you understand. Not separately inject water from oil.
The water has to be emulsified with oil, a mixture as consistent as milk but with more oil (95%) than water (5%). That's how water could atomize oil when water flash boil into steam.
If done correctly, it could allow using lower pressure and larger diameter hole injector for injection, thus reduce chance of clogging.

Jamie Hall

Just use a decent filter if you're worried about clogging. And clean oil.

I wonder if someone isn't carrying over a vague connection with water injection for very high performance aircraft piston engines... where indeed it was used, but to control detonation at maximum rated power.

cowdog

Jamie Hall said:

Just use a decent filter if you're worried about clogging. And clean oil.

I wonder if someone isn't carrying over a vague connection with water injection for very high performance aircraft piston engines... where indeed it was used, but to control detonation at maximum rated power.

Clean oil is not the most affordable. It's more than $3 as of today. Even waste motor oil's price is increasing because people are blending it into heating oil to save on fuel.

Being able to combust dirty oil - maybe even coal slurry -- will help oil heating compete with propane in rural areas where people don't have much cash from beginning.

Yes, you are right, water injection for Otto engines is for different purposes. Water don't have to emulsify with gasoline for reducing detonation.

Jamie Hall

There is being frugal... and being cheap. Two very different things.

cowdog

Jamie Hall said:

There is being frugal... and being cheap. Two very different things.

How feasible is a home use oil boiler that is compatible with dirty oil and coal slurry?
Can we minimize this coal water slurry boiler for home heating?