Process and apparatus for making aqueous hydrocarbon fuel compositions, and aqueous hydrocarbon fuel compositions

A process for making an aqueous diesel fuel composition, comprising

• (A) mixing a diesel fuel and a chemical additive to form a diesel fuel-additive mixture, said chemical additive comprising an emulsifier composition which comprises:
• (i) a combination of (i)(a) a first diesel fuel-soluble product made by reacting a first hydrocarbyl substituted carboxylic acid acylating agent with an alkanol amine, the hydrocarbyl substituent of said first acylating agent having about 50 to about 500 carbon atoms, and (i)(b) a second diesel fuel-soluble product made by reacting a second hydrocarbyl substituted carboxylic acid acylating agent with at least one ethylene polyamine, the hydrocarbyl substituent of said second acylating agent having about 50 to about 500 carbon atoms;
• (ii) optionally an ionic or a nonionic compound having a hydrophilic lipophilic balance of about 1 to about 10;
• and (iii) an emulsion stabilizing and combustion improving amount of a water-soluble salt represented by the formula
• k[G(NR3)y]y+nXp−
• wherein G is hydrogen or an organic group of 1 to about 8 carbon atoms having a valence of y;
• each R independently is hydrogen or a hydrocarbyl group of 1 to about 10 carbon atoms;
• Xp− is an anion having a valence of p;
• and k, y, n and p are independently integers of at least 1;
• and
• (B) mixing said diesel fuel-additive mixture and water under high shear mixing conditions in a high shear mixer to form said aqueous diesel fuel composition, said high shear mixer being a rotor-stator mixer comprising a first rotor-stator, a second rotor-stator and a third rotor-stator arranged in series, said diesel fuel-additive mixture and said water being mixed in said first rotor-stator, then said second rotor-stator and then said third rotor stator to form said aqueous diesel fuel composition, said aqueous diesel fuel composition including a discontinuous aqueous phase, said discontinuous aqueous phase being comprised of aqueous droplets having a mean diameter of 1.0 micron or less.

An aqueous hydrocarbon fuel composition, comprising:

• a continuous phase of a normally liquid hydrocarbon fuel;
• a discontinuous aqueous phase, said discontinuous aqueous phase being comprised of aqueous droplets having a mean diameter of 1.0 micron or less;
• and an emulsifying amount of an emulsifier composition comprising (i) a combination of (i)(a) a first hydrocarbon fuel-soluble product made by reacting a first hydrocarbyl substituted carboxylic acid acylating agent with an alkanol amine, the hydrocarbyl substituent of said first acylating agent having about 50 to about 500 carbon atoms, and (i)(b) a second hydrocarbon fuel-soluble product made by reacting a second hydrocarbyl substituted carboxylic acid acylating agent with at least one ethylene polyamine, the hydrocarbyl substituent of said second acylating agent having about 50 to about 500 carbon atoms;
• (ii) optionally an ionic or a nonionic compound having a hydrophilic lipophilic balance of about 1 to about 10;
• in combination with (iii) an emulsion stabilizing and combustion improving amount of a water-soluble salt represented by the formula
• k[G(NR3)y]y+nXp−
• wherein G is hydrogen or an organic group of 1 to about 8 carbon atoms having a valence of y;
• each R independently is hydrogen or a hydrocarbyl group of 1 to about 10 carbon atoms;
• Xp− is an anion having a valence of p;
• and k, y, n and p are independently integers of at least 1.