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Last updated:23 May,
2015
'Emulsified Fuel is environment friendly and more
productive'
Saurabh Gupta | 23 May, 2015
Emulsified Upgraded Furnace Oil (E.U.F.O),
a very fine mixture known as Water-in-Fuel
Emulsion, is a green Eco-Friendly Fuel that
not only improves fuel economy by an
average of 5 percent but also decreases
carbon deposits and soot formation on
Boiler Tubes, Vice President - Corporate
Sales of Creatnet Technology Pvt Ltd.,
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa toldSME Times in an
interview.
The Emulsified Furnace Oil produced by
CTPL's technology is a guarantee of
uniform and consistent quality of fuel,
sludge and contamination free, with
excellent combustion characteristics and
significantly reduced emissions.
Excerpts of the interview...
Please share some details about your
group - Creatnet Technology Pvt Ltd.
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: Creatnet
Technology was conceived and started in
New Delhi in 2013 by Sameer Shah and
Darshan Bhat, who were very impressed by
fuel emulsification technology and how it
benefits the environment both but by
reducing fuel consumption and decreasing
atmospheric pollution. After carefully
researching about the field and evaluating all the technical options and existing players
in this, they formed they own unique approach into this sphere. They imported one of
the most efficient fuel homogenizing technologies today, from Russia, where it was
developed by the St.Peterburg Technical University and mated it with the home grown
approach to Fuel Emulsification as designed and developed by Goa based Ravi Deka,
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2. who is one of the pioneers in introducing this technology to India. The end result was the
perfect synthesis of technology and practical knowledge along with a unique business
model where instead of selling emulsifying machinery or additives, Eeshwar Chopraa
joined the company with his vast knowledge of brand and produc t launches to set a
platform for putting the Emulsion on the National map. Creatnet decided to provide Fuel
Emulsification as a Service to Industrial Fuel dealers and high volume consumers.
Starting production in march 2014, till date Creatnet has supplied over 2000MT of
Emulsified Upgraded Furnace Oil via its channel partner M/s Stallion Stallion to selective
clients such as Akums Pharaceuticals, Gravitas India etc., on regular basis.
You are a Delhi based start-up company producing alternative fuel for boilers,
furnaces and industrial ovens called E.U.F.O (Emulsified Upgraded Furnace Oil).
Why E.U.F.O?
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: E.U.F.O is an advance process that first filters and
Homogenizes Furnace Oil to remove all impurities and blends it into a uniform
consistency, and than emulsifies it with 5-10 micron sized specially treated Water
droplets (with water ratios as low as 5% to as high as 20%, depending on the
application), into a very fine mixture known as Water-in-Fuel Emulsion.
When the burner or an injector atomizes such Emulsified Fuel, its highly homogenized
nature produces very fine droplets, but more importantly, once fired into the Furnace or
the Combustion chamber, the embedded water in the Emulsified Fuel explodes into
steam in a series of tiny micro-explosions due to the sudden exposure to extreme heat.
This rapid transformation shatters the host petroleum droplet into a microscopic mist
having 10-fold more surface area and contact with air. It burns down completely leaving
no unburned carbon or soot thus releasing all the calories trapped in the Fuel. This
unique complete-combustion characteristic of emulsified fuels is known as "Secondary
Atomization."
Environmentally, emulsified Fuel combustion releases up-to 30% less NOx, almost 50%
less Sox (due to sulfur reducing additives) and 20% less particulate matter in flue gases
and amazingly uses almost 15%-20% less Oxygen than conventional Furnace Oil in the
same Furnace or Boiler which due to complete combustion and lower requirement of
excess air, and as a result produces 10-20% less waste-heat.
The completely homogenized nature of the Emulsified Fuel ensures that there is no
sludge or any other impurities in the Fuel Tanks due to which no periodic sludge removal
and disposal is needed. This itself significantly reduces soil and groundwater
contamination and insures complete usage of the purchased fuel.

3. Being an innovative start-up company what kind of challenges you have faced
during the journey?
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: The first challenge in our endeavor was in identifying the most
effective technological solution that could not only make the perfect Fuel-Emulsion, but
also handle the wide variance in Furnace Oil quality available in India.
The second biggest challenges in marketing Emulsified Fuels has been in overcoming the
mental block of people who find it difficult to believe that mixing Fuel and Water can give
positive results in combustion and that it actually release more thermal energy than
normal fuel due to complete combustion and lesser requirement of excess air in burners.
Lastly, we have to constantly undo the damage done to the reputation to the field by
players who tried to promote the Fuel Emulsions earlier, with immature products, having
a poor understanding of the technology and how best to execute it implement it in
different sectors. They usually grossly oversimplified the entire process by selling some
emulsifying chemicals or promised extraordinary large fuel savings; but in the end
couldn't deliver the results at the time of actual trials
What kinds of approach are you adopting for providing fuel related solutions?
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: We have adopted a multi-tired approach to providing Fuel
Emulsification solution but in both cases remaining as a back-end solution provider. We
either tie up with dealers of Petroleum products whereby we make a Fuel Emulsion from
their Furnace Oil stock and provide them necessary technical and marketing assistance
to sell the finished product. Or we tie up with large consumers and convert their Furnace
Oil into Emulsion and help them to optimize the fuel handling and combustion process
for maximum efficiency and economy.

4. How one can switch to E.U.F.O? To adopt this fuel what kind of changes are
required in the Burners or in the pumping system?
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: E.U.F.O usage does not necessitate capital investment or any
piping, pumping or Burner change if the client is already using Furnace oil in the Furnace
or Boiler. All that is required is a thorough cleaning of the Service Tank and Filters as
well as a flushing of the pipelines with Diesel. This is because emulsified fuels have a
tendency to dislodge all the sludge and sediments trapped in the tank and pipelines and
this ends clogging the filters and burners. We have faced several such situations earlier,
whereby the clients actually thought that we had supplied them with a substandard
products, and we actually had to analyze and prove to them that the dirt belonged to
their tanks and to our highly filtered, homogenized and emulsified Oil.
What are the most significant barriers to use technology? Like operational
issues.
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: Apart from Secondary Atomization, which causes complete
combustion of Emulsified Fuels, its second unique feature is that it requires much less
excess air for combustion. In India the standard ratio for excess air in Furnaces is 15-
20% and 14-15% in Boilers, which is kept too high in-order to compensate for poor
quality of Fuel and improper Burner setting. However this is also the biggest reason for
poor heating and high.
Now due to its complete combustion Emulsified fuels require significantly less excess air
which results in better utilization of heat and gross reduction in waste heat. However,
even though this aspect of Emulsions can be easily proven in a consistent manner in the
practical field, it is an altogether another matter in implementing it as most of the
Furnace Operators are poorly educated workers who indulge in lot of wrong work
practices and have little resilience to change. With Boiler operators , things are a little
better, but here again they are reluctant to make any changes or touch the combustion
settings unless they are advised by the Boiler manufacturers themselves. So in a
nutshell the most significant barrier in the technical field concerning Fuel Emulsions is
again not technical but human.
How economic is the use of E.U.F.O?
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: We consider the total savings achieved by switching over to our
E.U.F.O. across the board. This includes a fuel savings upto 5% in case of Boilers and
Thermic Heaters, and about 2-3% in Furnaces, the reduction in electricity expenditure
in heating the oil as the E.F.O requires a preheating only up-to 80 degrees, the reduction
of downtime and maintenance time and the complete utilization of fuel without any
wastage such as in Tank sludge. Thus, you can safely assume that switching over to
E.F.O may save you company up to 10% vis a vis normal Furnace Oil. However in case
of a client are currently using Diesel, savings would be close to 60% with current prices.
Who are your potential clients? And what are the big challenges on the way?
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: Our biggest target sector are industries which use Boiler and
Thermic Heaters which currently use either Furnace Oil or Diesel as their Heating Fuel.
Our E.U.F.O. has proved equally successful in the Non-metallic re-heating and melting
furnaces. However, unlike the Boiler users, implementing the usage of E.U.F.O. in
Furnaces is far more challenging due to the poor quality of manpower usually operating
the Furnaces as well as the poor conditions and maintenance of the Furnaces and
Burners themselves.

5. Thus we are putting most of our energies in converting Boilers in the FMCG, Pharma and
Chemical companies from normal F.O to our E.U.F.O. for better fuel economy and
reduction of maintenance.
Challenges in penetrating this sector are a combination of skepticism, red-tape and
demands for impossible discounts. And sadly we have also found that even after
providing them extensive laboratory and real-life test reports about our fuel and even an
impressive client list, many of these company's employees still don't want to risk trying
out a new fuel solutions in the fear that something may go wrong and that they may
face the brunt of the management and put their jobs on the line.
Corruption in the company employees ranks who are habituated in receiving bribes from
unscrupulous dealers and transporters for accepting sub-standard and adulterated fuel
had also been a major negative factor hampering or efforts.
What kinds of supports are required to meet those challenges?
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: We intend to be leaders in Fuel emulsification industry in the
country and now move surely and steadily from the concept stage over to expansion and
consolidation of the market.. Thus we are currently looking forward for a preliminary
round of investment of about Rs. 25 Crores for setting up the two plants and for
covering the Capital, Operational expenses and working capital.
How you see the future of this technology?
Eeshwar Brij Chopraa: The rate of Furnace oil consumption in India had been falling
yearly due to factors like high international crude prices, artificially high domestic prices
and availability of other energy sources like Natural gas. However, Indian refineries
produce about 14 million tons of Furnace Oil and till 2013-14, domestic consumption was
only 5 million tons per year. About 38 % is consumed by various manufacturing
industries in their furnaces, heaters and boilers, and 10% by the power generation
sector, all of which are prime candidate for availing the befits of E.U.F.O..
So, our target segment of the Furnace Oil consumer's market is worth Rs.4,555 crores at
today's low prices of Rs 26 per litre.
The recent reduction of F.O. prices in India from about Rs 45 to the current prices of
Rs.28 lead to a steady revival of the Furnace Oil market, with many users who earlier
switched over to other fuels making a comeback.