Study of stability and thermodynamic properties of water-in-diesel nanoemulsion fuels with nano-Al additive

Abstract

The present work addresses the formation of water-in-diesel (W/D) nanoemulsion by blending different percentages of water along with nano-Al additive in various propositions to enhance the combustion characteristics. The roles of various surfactants such as Sorbitan monooleate (Span 80), Triton X-100, Tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and newly synthesized and characterized dicationic surfactants were discussed based upon their ability to stabilize the nanoemulsions. Surface active properties of the surfactants were determined by measuring their interfacial tension and subsequently by measuring the critical micelle concentration of the surfactants. Triton X-100 was found to be the most efficient surfactant for the current water-in-diesel nanoemulsion as it stabilized the suspensions for more than 8 h. Particle size analysis proved emulsion size to be in the order of nanometer, and zeta potential values were found to have neutral behavior at water–diesel interface. Experimental studies confirmed that that blends W/D [1 % (vol.) water] and W/DA [1 % (vol.) water, 0.1 % (wt.) nano-Al] were thermodynamically stable.