Patent ID: 6530964
Filing Date: 2003-03-11
Classification: C10L

Abstract:
A process to produce an aqueous hydrocarbon fuel comprising:(a) preparing a hydrocarbon fuel/additives mixture comprising 1) about 50% to about 99% by weight of a liquid hydrocarbon fuel and 2) about 0.05% to about 25% by weight of an emulsifier wherein the emulsifier is comprised of (i) at least one fuel-soluble product made by reacting at least one hydrocarbyl-substituted carboxylic acid acylating agent with ammonia or an amine, the hydrocarbyl-substituted acylating agent having about 50 to about 500 carbon atoms; (ii) at least one of an ionic or non-ionic compound having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of about 1 to about 40; (iii) a mixture of (i) and (ii); or (iv) a water-soluble compound selected from the group consisting of amine salts, ammonium salts, azide compounds, nitro compounds, nitrate esters, nitramine, alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, and mixtures thereof in combination with (i), (ii) or (iii); wherein the water soluble salt is about 0.001% to about 15% by weight of a water-soluble salt distinct from (i) and (ii) and represented by the formula k[G(NR3)y]y+nXpâˆ’, wherein G is hydrogen or an organic group of about 1 to about 8 carbon atoms having a valence of y; each R independently is hydrogen or a hydrocarbyl group of about 1 to about 10 carbon atoms; provided either G or at least one R is hydrogen; Xpâˆ’ is an anion having a valence of p, and k, y, n and p are independently integers of at least 1;(b) emulsifying the hydrocarbon fuel and emulsifier with a water mixture selected from the group consisting of a water, water-antifreeze, water ammonium nitrate, water-antifreeze ammonium nitrate mixture or combinations thereof to form an aqueous hydrocarbon fuel/additive emulsion with a water particle size having a mean diameter of greater than 1 micron in a first emulsification device; (c) directly transferring the aqueous hydrocarbon fuel/additive emulsion to a second emulsification device, (d) mixing the aqueous hydrocarbon fuel/additive emulsion at a rate to shear the emulsion to a particle size having a mean diameter of less than 1 micron in the second emulsification device; (e) transferring the aqueous hydrocarbon fuel additive emulsion from step (d) to a storage tank; wherein the process is a continuous process.