Effects of fuel properties, water contents and surface temperatures on micro-explosion of emulsion droplets burning on a hot surface

An experimental study has been carried out to reveal the statistical characteristics for the onset of micro-explosion of an emulsion droplet burning on a hot surface. Detail measurements of the waiting time for the onset of micro-explosion are made for various properties of base fuel, water contents and surface temperatures. The Weibull analysis is applied to obtain the distribution function of the waiting time for the onset of micro-explosion and to derive the empirical formula for the rate of micro-explosion as a function of water volume and emulsion temperature. The base fuels employed are n-decane, n-dodecane, n-tetradecane and n-hexadecane. The results show that the waiting time is correlated well with the Weibull distribution of the wear-out type. The mean waiting time decreases with an increase in the boiling point of base fuel, water content and surface temperature. An empirical formula is proposed for the rate of micro-explosion as a function of water volume and emulsion temperature.