Ignition and combustion behavior of asphalt/water-emulsified fuels

The ignition and combustion behavior of single droplets of asphalt/water-em ulsified fuel (As/W) were observed in an electric furnace in order to obtai n fundamental data for practical use. The ignition delay and burnout time o f single droplets of asphalt,'C'-heavy oil and the As/W emulsions were inve stigated under specified furnace temperatures. Each fuel showed unique igni tion and combustion behavior, and the As/W-emulsified fuel-J (As/W-J) in pa rticular, showed very strong microexplosions. The values of ignition delay and burnout time of As/W emulsified fuels were smaller than those of asphal t and 'C'-heavy oil. This can be explained by the occurrence of microexplos ion phenomena caused by the rapid vaporization of the water phase in the dr oplets. Thus, it is possible to use asphalt/water-emulsified fuels as subst itute fuels for 'C'-heavy oil, because of their superior combustibility.