Method for mixing fuel with water, apparatus for carrying out the method and fuel-water mixture

Claim 2

Method for mixing diesel fuel with water to obtain a combustible emulsion, in which the amount of water to fuel falls in a range of 5 to 20 Vol%, in which the fuel and the water are injected in a closed space in a ratio falling in said range, and are intensively moved, characterized in that said injected components are intensively recirculated in a closed loop, in each loop a first vortex is formed, in the final vortex the circualting fluid is forced to rotate around and moved along an axis (9) of a first vortex chamber (10) so that the pressure is increased along the axial movement, the pressure of the rotating fluid is suddenly decreased by a predetermined amount when leaving the first vortex chamber (10), and then is gradually in­creased in a tapering passage duct (24) while the rotatio is maintained, the fluid rotating around the axis of movement is passed tangentially into a second vortex chamber (16) to form a second vortex around a second axis (17) substantially normal to the axis of rotation of the inflowing fluid, the fluid is rotated around and passed along the second axis (17), and the fluid leaving the second vortex chamber (16) is pumped and recirculated again into the first vortex chamber (10), a portion of the recirculated fluid is lead out of the loop in such a stream that in average the fluid particles partici­pate at least in ten full cycles before they would leave the loop.

Claim 3

The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that in the first vortex chamber (16) the rotating fluid is passed along a first axial direction, then being reflected so that the axial direction of movement is reversed.

Claim 4

The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pressure of the recirculating fluid is increased at least by 0.8 and at most by 3 bar by means of a pump in a path defined between the outlet of the second vor­tex chamber (16), and the inlet of the first vortex chamber (10), and the feeding of water and fluid takes place in this path.

Claim 5

The method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the lead-out mix­ture is passed in a fluid pump of a diesel engine having a return line which is fed back in the circulation loop at the suction side of said pump.

Claim 6

The method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the pressure pre­vailing in said suction side is kept below 6 bar.

Claim 7

The method as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the pressure of the recirculating fluid is equalized in an equalization chamber before the fluid is passed into the first vortex chamber (10).

Claim 9

A diesel fuel water mixture comprising water in 5 to 20 Vol% compared to fuel, in which water drops are finely distributed in the fuel without the use of any emulsifier, characteriszed in that the size of said droplets is smaller than about 200 nanometers and the physical consistency of the mixture is substantially identical with that of the fuel.

Claim 10

A diesel fuel water mixture comprising water in 5 to 20 Vol% compared to fuel, in which water drops are finely distributed in the fuel without the use of any emulsifier, characteriszed in that the size of said droplets is smaller than about 200 nanometers and the physical consistency of the mixture is substantially identical with that of the fuel.

Claim 11

The mixture as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the amount of water is between 8 and 12 Vol%.

Claim 12

Apparatus for carrying out the method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a recirculating loop is formed that comprises a pump, a vortex housing (6), a pressure equalizing chamber (4) around the vortex housing connected to the pressure side of the pump, a first vortex chamber (10) with an elongated ellipsoidal shape having a tapering neck portion and a longitudinal axis (9), a number of tangential inlet holes (13) defined in the vortex housing (6) along a periphery close to the neck portion, the axes of the inlet holes (13) are inclined towards the end of the ellipsoid opposite to the neck protion, a tapering duct (24) with a mouth (27) substantially larger than and communicating with the opening (12) of the neck portion (11), a second vortex chamber (16) with an axis (17) of rotation substantially normal the axis (9) of the first vortex chamber (10), the second vortex chamber (16) has a spherical upper part (18), a hyperboloidal medium part (12) tapering in downward direction, and a neck (20), the duct (24) is leading tangentially into the second vortex chamber (16) substantially at the equatorial plane of the spherical part (18), and a passage (30) connecting the neck (20) of the second vortex chamber (16) with the suction side of the pump, an inflow passage for the water and fuel is communicating with the passage (30) and an outflow opening (21) is defined at the wall of the second vortex chamber (16) substantially at the equatorial plane of the spherical part (18).

Claim 13

The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that said pressure equalizing chamber (4) has an annular shape encircling the vortex housing (6) and each of the inlet holes (13) comprises a countersink (15), with an axis substantially normal to the mantle surface of the vortex housing (6), and a jet portion (14) with an axis inclining rearwardly and tangentially re­lative to the first vortex chamber (10).

Claim 14

The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the outflow opening (21) is coupled to a fuel pump of a diesel engine provided by a return line which is fed back to the passage (30).