SBIR Phase II: Functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes for making highly efficient water separation membranes for ultralow sulfur diesel fuels

该SBIR第一阶段项目将开发一种水分离介质，以保护重型发动机免受现代超低硫柴油燃料中水分的影响。通常在本领域中发现的超低硫柴油燃料具有非常低的界面张力，允许水以非常细的液滴的形式存在，所述液滴通过常规的水分离器并最终进入燃料喷射系统。 该项目将量化和开发一种功能化的基于多壁碳纳米管的水分离器，用于市场上所有超低硫柴油燃料，其水去除效率接近100%。 该项目的目标是通过工艺规模和材料开发进一步提高分离效率和降低介质成本，从而提高分离器的性能成本比。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力集中在与增强的超低硫柴油分离相关的好处上，包括更一致的燃料输送到发动机，更长的喷射器/发动机寿命，超低硫柴油燃料的更好燃烧、更低的维护成本、高硫燃料储备的使用带来的新就业机会以及生物燃料的更有效燃烧。 燃料中含水量的降低将有助于提高高压燃料喷射系统的性能，保持燃料喷射系统部件的公差，并降低维护成本。

This SBIR Phase I project will develop a water separator media to protect heavy duty engines from the water content in modern ultra low sulfur diesel fuels. The ultra low sulfur diesel fuel typically found in the field has very low interfacial tension allowing water to be present in the form of very fine droplets which pass through conventional water separators and end up in the fuel injection system. This project will quantify and develop a functionalized multiwall carbon nanotube-based water separator to be used with all ultra low sulfur diesel fuels on the market with nearly 100% water removal efficiency. The objective is to enhance the separator performance to cost ratio by working to further increase the separation efficiency and lower the media cost through process scaling and materials development.The broader impact/commercial potential of the project are focused on benefits related to enhanced ultra low sulfur diesel fuel separation, including more consistent fuel delivery to the engine, longer injector/engine life, better combustion of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, lower maintenance costs, new jobs enabled by the use of high-sulfur fuel reserves, and more efficient combustion of bio-fuels. Reduced water content in the fuel will help to improve performance of the high pressure fuel injection systems, maintain tolerances of the fuel injection system components, and reduce maintenance costs.