This invention relates to oil-in-water (water continuous) emulsions that can be used as fuels, in particular oil-in-water emulsions comprising glycerol. The invention also relates to a process for their preparation and to fuel compositions comprising such emulsions.

It has been discovered that contaminants such as metals and/or amines can be transferred from a hydrocarbon phase to a water phase in an emulsion breaking process by using a composition that contains water-soluble C5-C12 polyhydroxy carboxylic acids, ammonium salts thereof, alkali metal salts thereof, and mixtures of all of these. The composition may also optionally include a mineral acid to reduce the pH of the desalter wash water. The method permits transfer of metals and/or amines into the aqueous phase with little or no hydrocarbon phase under-carry into the aqueous phase. Resolving the emulsion into the hydrocarbon phase and the aqueous phase occurs in a refinery desalting process using electrostatic coalescence. The composition is particularly useful in treating crude oil emulsions, and in removing calcium and other metals therefrom. The polyhydroxy carboxylic acid additionally inhibits metal corrosion of metal pipe or other equipment used in a crude unit.

Disclosed herein is a method for synthesizing a nano-emulsion fuel composition. The method may include forming a water-in-fossil fuel emulsion by dispersing water into a fossil fuel in the presence of a surfactant, synthesizing carbon quantum dots with an average diameter between 0.5 nanometers to 20 nanometers, forming a mixture of the synthesized carbon quantum dots and the water-in-fossil fuel emulsion by dispersing the synthesized carbon quantum dots into the water-in-fossil fuel emulsion; the carbon quantum dots comprising 1 ppm to 10000 ppm of the mixture, and forming a nano-emulsion fuel composition by mixing a biofuel into the mixture of carbon quantum dots and the water-in-fossil fuel emulsion.

What is proposed is an emulsifying system with an emulsifying device and an injection nozzle as well as an emulsifying device for producing a water-fuel emulsion for an internal combustion engine, wherein the emulsifying device is embodied as a rotor-stator emulsifying device and/or fluid flow machine and/or is connected or connectable directly to an injection nozzle. The emulsifying device has a housing and a shaft, the shaft being drivable in a contactless manner, the housing having a guide apparatus having a plurality of guide channels for guiding the flow, and/or the housing being made at least partially from fiber composite material.

The invention relates to an oil-in-water emulsion comprising an oil phase and an aqueous phase, and a primary surfactant, wherein the oil phase is dispersed in the aqueous phase, and wherein the oil-in-water emulsion has: an average droplet size distribution (D[4,3]) in the range of from 3 to 15 um and less than 3 wt % of the droplets have a particle size of greater than 125 um; a viscosity of greater than 100 and up to 700 mPas at 50 C.+10% and 20 s.sup.1+10%; and a static stability of less than 5% residue after centrifugation at 50 C.+10% and 2000 g=10% for 30 minutes+10%.

Improved fuel compositions and fuel additive packages which serve to prolong stability at various ambient conditions and to increase fuel efficiency and fuel economy while also significantly reducing the level of multiple emissions constituents generated upon combustion of the fuels including CO.sub.2, NO.sub.x, SO.sub.x, Particulate Matter PM2.5, PM10 and Black Carbon. The fuels may include the hydrocarbon fuels gasolines, diesel fuels, biodiesel fuels, biomass diesel fuels, renewable fuels, synthetic fuels, algae-based fuels, kerosene fuel or heavy fuel oils, or may alternatively be hydrosols, and include an additive package having a sorbitan oleate, a polyoxyethylene alcohol, an alkylene glycol, and an amine. The fuels are mixed with an additive and are emulsified with clean, soft water having a water quality of 1 micron or less.

An emulsion comprising water and an immiscible predominantly hydrocarbon-based liquid, wherein the emulsion further comprises at least one protein for inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, said protein containing or being capable of binding to one of: a monosaccharide and an oligosaccharide. Uses of the invention include, but are not limited to: applications in oil well/fracking operations where it is necessary or desirable to neutralise bacteria in the extracted liquid; as an additive emulsion for bio-diesel to reduce emissions, such as NOx etc.; and as an additive in the water of heating/cooling systems for its biocidal properties.

A method of producing a nanoemulsion is disclosed that provides an oleaginous base fuel, and water in an amount of at least 10 wt %. A first nonionic surfactant, a second nonionic surfactant and a third nonionic surfactant are mixed in substantially equal weight ratios into a surfactant mixture. The surfactant mixture is mixed with the water and the base fuel to form the nanoemulsion fuel. A nanoemulsion fuel composition can comprise an external oleaginous phase comprised of base fuel, an internal aqueous phase comprised of water, and a surfactant mixture comprised of a plurality of surfactants. The first surfactant can be derived from ethylene oxide, the second surfactant and the third surfactant are detergents having a fatty acid.

Provided is a fuel composition prepared by adding gas-to-liquid oil and water to light cycle oil to conduct emulsification. The fuel composition is used as a fuel for a diesel engine (12) in a ship (10). The ship (10) includes a fresh water tank (15), an LCO tank (13), and a GTL tank (14) configured to store water, light cycle oil, and gas-to-liquid oil, respectively, and a mixer (16) configured to mix the water, the light cycle oil, and the gas-to-liquid oil fed from the respective tanks to produce the fuel composition.

There is provided a process for the prevention or reduction of surge wave instabilities during the transport in a flowline of a three phase gas condensate comprising a gas phase, an aqueous phase and a condensate phase, characterized in that a dispersing agent is added to the three phase gas condensate which is able to disperse the aqueous phase in the condensate phase or the condensate phase in the aqueous phase, and a means for the prevention or reduction of surge wave instabilities during the transportation of a three phase gas condensate.