Emulsion development

It has been known for many years that adding water to diesel
fuel improves combustion in three ways:

• Water promotes a finer, more even SPRAY pattern for more complete combustion.
• Water lowers the combustion temperature to reduce nitrous oxide emissions.
• Water delays combustion slightly to reduce particulate emissions.

The problem has been that water and diesel do not naturally mix. The Lubrizol Corporation has developed a stable water and diesel fuel mixture in the form of a water-in-diesel fuel emulsion. PuriNOx™ Technology is a blending process and additive system that produces a low-emission, emulsified diesel fuel.

The PuriNOx blending process shears the water droplets into sub-micron size particles that are surrounded by a multicomponent additive shell. The additive shell keeps the water from recombining and separating from the diesel fuel.

Why is the PuriNOx Technology emulsion so stable?

Water is heavier than fuel so it tends to settle out of conventional blends. The combination of small droplet size and anti-settling chemistry in the PuriNOx additive package slows this process significantly.

Water also tends to coalesce, with small droplets recombining into large water drops until the water completely separates out of the blend. But in the PuriNOx Technology emulsion, water droplets are surrounded in an additive shell that repels other water droplets as they approach. This dramatically inhibits coalescence.

Maintaining emulsion stability in storage

PuriNOx-powered fuel can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 weeks without recirculation, the addition of more emulsion fuel, or the natural agitation that occurs in the fuel tank of an active vehicle. After that, slight signs of settling in the emulsion will become visible.

Settling does not mean that the water has separated from the diesel fuel. The emulsion is still intact. Due to gravity, the larger water droplets will settle to the bottom of the container resulting in a slightly higher water level. The fuel can still be used effectively and safely, although the heavier water content - if allowed to accumulate - may cause longer engine crank times. Settling can occur more quickly at temperatures above room temperature.

Should settling occur, re-mixing will return the fuel to its original state without any loss of performance. As the fuel ages, the settling process may occur more quickly. An inexpensive way to prevent settling and assure emulsion fuel quality as a 100% stable emulsion is by the addition of a re-circulation system to the storage tank. The recirculation rate should be 15%-20% of the storage tank volume per day. With re-circulation, the PuriNOx Technology emulsion fuel can remain stable for approximately a year.

PuriNOx Technology fuel is the easiest, most inexpensive way to help your fleet, new vehicles and old, meet emissions targets.

Call 1-800-228-3848 to speak to our highly trained service representatives.