Effect of Adding Emulsifier to Fuel on Work Efficiency and Gas Turbine Emissions

Abstract

In an effort to reduce the emissivity of transport and energy, numerous studies are being carried out on the impact of the combustion of alternative fuels on the emission and operating parameters of propulsion and energy units. One of the observed trends is the use of emulsion fuels. The addition of an emulsifier to an emulsion fuel reduces the interfacial tension between two liquids, which allows obtaining an emulsion fuel with the expected stability. The research conducted on self-ignition engines and gas turbines (TG) does not give an unambiguous answer as to the influence of the use of fuel-water emulsion on CO emissions. One of the reasons for the discrepancy in the obtained results may be the type and amount of the emulsifier used in the emulsion fuel. Tests were carried out on the GTM-120 gas turbine to compare the operating parameters and emissions between the cases in which TG was supplied with three fuel mixtures—the standard fuel for TG (DF) and DF with 2% and 5% emulsifier addition. It was shown that the addition of 2% of the emulsifier to DF causes an increase in CO emission, with the remaining measured parameters unchanged. On the other hand, increasing the amount of emulsifier in DF to 5% reduces CO emissions to the level observed in the case in which DF was burned reduces NOx emissions and reduces the thermal efficiency of TG.

Photographic data on the influence of the composition, preparation method, time and fuel system on the size of water droplets in a fuel-water emulsion

“…They were aimed at verifying the suitability of the emulsion prepared on the basis of the emulsifier described below as a fuel. The effect of the application of these fuel-water emulsions and emulsifier on the operating parameters and emission from a miniature gas turbine was described in [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] .…”

Fuel-Water Emulsion as an Alternative Fuel for Gas Turbines in the Context of Combustion Process Properties—A Review

“…There is no clear correlation between the nature of changes in CO emissions as a function of water content in FWE. The emulsifier may influence the CO emission from gas turbines [108], but in the context of Table 1 it does not play a decisive role. In [88], changing the injector in the combustion chamber from the pressure-atomizing nozzle to the air-boost nozzle resulted not only in the change of the CO emission value but also in the change of the nature of the CO emission trend as a function of the water content in the FWE.…”