Device for supplying emulsified fuel and method for supplying said fuel

Abstract

Provided are an emulsion fuel supply device capable of stably driving a combustion apparatus with a simple device configuration, and a supply method of an emulsion fuel. A device 1 is a device for supplying the emulsion fuel to a combustion apparatus 70 , including a processed water generation device 10 for removing Ca and Mg ions from raw water and allowing to remain or adding Na ions in the raw water, tanks 20 and 30 , a section for merging a fuel oil from the tank 30 and processed water from the tank 20 , a section 50 for producing the emulsion fuel from a mixture of the merged fuel oil and processed water, and a section for supplying the emulsion fuel to the combustion apparatus 70.

1 . An emulsion fuel supply device for supplying an emulsion fuel having an aqueous phase and an oil phase of a fuel oil to a combustion apparatus, comprising:
 a processed water generation device for producing processed water by removing, from raw water, Ca ions and Mg ions contained in the raw water and allowing to remain or adding Na ions in the raw water;   a tank for storing the processed water supplied from the processed water generation device and the fuel oil;   a merging section for merging the fuel oil supplied from the tank and the processed water supplied from the tank at a predetermined flow rate ratio;   an emulsion generation section for producing the emulsion fuel from a mixture of the fuel oil and the processed water merged by the merging section; and   a supply section for supplying the emulsion fuel produced by the emulsion generation section to the combustion apparatus, wherein:   the emulsion generation section comprises a dispersion part comprising fine hole parts comprising a through-hole with small diameter and a cylindrical large-diameter part continuously installed downstream of the fine hole parts; and   the fine hole parts are inclined relative to an extended direction of the emulsion generation section.   
     
     
         2 . The emulsion fuel supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the tank is a single tank storing the processed water and the fuel oil, comprising a water supply pipe comprising a liquid suction port arranged near a bottom part of the tank and an oil supply pipe comprising a liquid suction port attached on a float floating on the surface of a liquid stored in the tank; and   the merging section alternately performs a supply of the processed water from the water supply pipe and a supply of the fuel oil from the oil supply pipe to merge the fuel oil and the processed water.   
     
     
         3 . The emulsion fuel supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the tank comprises a water tank for storing the processed water supplied from the processed water generation device and a fuel oil tank for storing the fuel oil, formed as a separate part from the water tank;
 the tank comprises an in-tank liquid height adjusting device for adjusting the difference between the height from a bottom surface of the fuel oil tank to a liquid surface of the fuel oil and the height from a bottom surface of the water tank to a water surface of the processed water to be within a predetermined range; and 
 the merging section merges the fuel oil supplied from the fuel oil tank and the processed water supplied from the water tank with a predetermined flow rate ratio. 
   
     
     
         4 . The emulsion fuel supply device according to  claim 3 , wherein:
 the water tank and the fuel oil tank are arranged at a position higher than the combustion apparatus;   a supply passage for the processed water and the fuel oil from the water tank and the fuel oil tank to the emulsion generation section is a pump-less passage without a pump; and   the fuel oil and the processed water are supplied to the emulsion generation section by gravity caused by the height difference between the water tank and the fuel oil tank, and the combustion apparatus, and pressure caused by a pump provided in the combustion apparatus.   
     
     
         5 . The emulsion fuel supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein the emulsion generation section comprises:
 a plurality of the dispersion parts each comprising the fine hole parts and the large-diameter part, the plurality of the dispersion parts being continuously connected to each other in series; and   an introduction port for returning surplus fuel discharged from the combustion apparatus to the large-diameter part of the emulsion generation section.   
     
     
         6 . The emulsion fuel supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processed water generation device comprises:
 a soft water generation device for producing soft water from raw water, comprising an ion exchanger for removing Ca ions, Mg ions, and Fe ions from the raw water and adding Na ions in the raw water, a tourmaline container for storing tourmaline, and an obsidian container for storing obsidian;   a surface tension increasing section comprising an introduction pipe for introducing the soft water produced in the soft water generation device and a circulation device for circulating the soft water introduced from the introduction pipe into at least one of the tourmaline container and the obsidian container for 30 minutes or more; and   a processed water supply section for supplying processed water having passed through the surface tension increasing section to the water tank.   
     
     
         7 . The emulsion fuel supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein an air suction port of the combustion apparatus are connected to a gas supply quantity adjusting section for adjusting a supply quantity of gas to the combustion apparatus within a range of zero to a misfiring air quantity as fuel oil being supplied, beyond which a misfire is caused when a water-free fuel oil is supplied, and an oxygen gas supply section for supplying oxygen gas. 
     
     
         8 . The emulsion fuel supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein the merging section comprises a section for alternately performing a supply of the processed water from the tank to the emulsion generation section and a supply of the fuel oil from the tank to the emulsion generation section. 
     
     
         9 . An emulsion fuel supply method for supplying an emulsion fuel having an aqueous phase and an oil phase of a fuel oil to a combustion apparatus, comprising:
 a processed water generation step for producing processed water by removing, from raw water, Ca ions and Mg ions contained in the raw water and allowing to remain or adding Na ions in the raw water;
 a merging step for merging the fuel oil supplied from a tank storing the processed water produced in the processed water generation step and the fuel oil, and the processed water supplied from the tank at a predetermined flow rate ratio; 
 an emulsion generation step for producing the emulsion fuel by supplying a mixture of the fuel oil and the processed water merged in the merging step to an emulsion generation section comprising a through-hole with small diameter and a cylindrical large-diameter part continuously installed downstream of the fine hole parts, the fine hole parts being inclined relative to an extended direction of the emulsion generation section; and 
 a supply step for supplying the emulsion fuel produced in the emulsion generation step to the combustion apparatus. 
   
     
     
         10 . The emulsion fuel supply method according to  claim 9 , wherein, in the merging step, the processed water and the fuel oil are merged by alternately performing a supply from a water supply pipe comprising a suction port arranged near a bottom part of the tank and a supply from an oil supply pipe comprising a suction port attached on a float floating on the surface of a liquid stored in the tank. 
     
     
         11 . The emulsion fuel supply method according to  claim 9 , wherein:
 before the merging step, the emulsion fuel supply method comprises an in-tank liquid height adjusting step for adjusting the difference between the height from a bottom surface of a water tank storing the processed water supplied after being produced in the processed water generation step to a water surface of the processed water, and the height from a bottom surface of a fuel oil tank storing the fuel oil to a liquid surface of the fuel oil, to be within a predetermined range; and   in the merging step, the fuel oil supplied from the fuel oil tank and the processed water supplied from the water tank are merged at a predetermined flow rate ratio.   
     
     
         12 . The emulsion fuel supply method according to  claim 11 , wherein, in the merging step and the emulsion generation step, the fuel oil and the processed water are supplied to the emulsion generation section by gravity caused by the height difference between the water tank and the fuel oil tank arranged at a position higher than the combustion apparatus, and the combustion apparatus, and pressure caused by a pump provided in the combustion apparatus. 
     
     
         13 . The emulsion fuel supply method according to  claim 9 , wherein, in the emulsion generation step:
 a mixture of the fuel oil and the processed water merged in the merging step are allowed to pass through the emulsion generation section comprising a plurality of dispersion parts each comprising fine hole parts comprising a through-hole with small diameter and a cylindrical large-diameter part continuously installed downstream of the fine hole parts, the plurality of the dispersion parts being continuously connected to each other in series; and also   surplus fuel discharged from the combustion apparatus is returned to the large-diameter part of the emulsion generation section.   
     
     
         14 . The emulsion fuel supply method according to  claim 9 , wherein, in the processed water generation step, Mg ions, Ca ions, and Fe ions contained in the raw water are removed from the raw water by ion exchange, and then the raw water is allowed to pass through at least one of a tourmaline container filled with tourmaline and an obsidian container filled with obsidian to produce the processed water. 
     
     
         15 . The emulsion fuel supply method according to  claim 14 , wherein, in the processed water generation step, Na ion concentration in the processed water is increased more than Na ion concentration in the raw water. 
     
     
         16 . The emulsion fuel supply method according to  claim 15 , wherein, in the processed water generation step, surface tension of the processed water measured at a water temperature of 26° C. is adjusted to 50 mN/m or more. 
     
     
         17 . The emulsion fuel supply method according to  claim 9 , wherein, in the supply step, gas is supplied to the combustion apparatus in a supply quantity within a range of zero to a misfiring air quantity as fuel oil being supplied, beyond which a misfire is caused when a water-free fuel oil is supplied.