Why Water Works After Combustion

Introducing water to petroleum products for combustion is a concept that has been around for centuries. In fact, reference to water as an ancillary combustion control technique can be found as early as 1791 in a gas turbine patent. While many are familiar with the phrase “oil and water don’t mix,” most don’t realize that the combustion of any hydrocarbon will produce a significant amount of water in the form of steam from the reaction of the hydrogen in the fuel and oxygen in the air. In fact, depending on the type of fuel, the mass of the water created during combustion can be greater than the mass of the fuel source. In other words, EcoEnergy Solutions’ technology is only altering the sequence in which the water is introduced into combustion, not introducing water as a new element.

The combustion reaction for methane illustrates this. Chemically, the combustion process consists of a reaction between methane and oxygen in the air. When this reaction takes place, the result is carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H20) and a great deal of energy. The following reaction represents the combustion of methane:

CH4 + 202 > CO2 + 2H20

In this example, one mole of methane with an atomic weight of 16 produced two moles of water with an atomic weight of 18. This example provides a simple illustration. Typically, other elements are present, such as nitrogen in the air and other constituents of the fuel.

Why Water Works Before Combustion

In the case of a water-in-oil emulsions, sub micron droplets of water are suspended in the petroleum
by combing proprietary chemical and mechanical energy.

It is the water content and stability of EcoEnergy Solutions’ emulsified fuels that produce their unique combustion characteristics. For example, when a base fuel is sprayed into the combustion chamber (whether it is a diesel engine, a steam boiler or a furnace), it is atomized into droplets varying in size from 20 to 100 microns. Because only the surface of each fuel droplet exposed to air can burn, larger liquid fuel droplets do not burn completely, leaving unburned carbon to collect on the surfaces of a combustion chamber or escape as particulate matter in exhaust gases. This reduces overall thermal efficiency and increases harmful emissions. (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1 – Base Fuel Combustion

Unlike base fuels, when emulsified fuel droplets are sprayed into the combustion chamber, they are atomized a second time as a result of the violent transformation of their water content into steam. This transformation of water into steam shatters the petroleum surrounding that water into much smaller droplets. (Fig. 2)

Fig. 2 – Emulsified Fuel Combustion