ALKOXYLATE AND ALCOHOL FREE FUEL ADDITIVES

• US 20040040202A1
• Filed: 05/08/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognis IP Management GmbH (BASF SE), AAE Technologies International Plc (O2Diesel Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG (BASF SE), AAE Technologies International Plc (O2Diesel Corp.)
• Inventors: Roder, Jurgen, Hodgson, William Dinsley, Bongart, Frank, Rae, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,311,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 44/412
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/10 containing additives
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/125 water
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1266 nitrogen containing compounds, (e.g. NH3)
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1811 peroxides; ozonides
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1824 mono-hydroxy
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1852 Ethers; Acetals; Ketals; Orthoesters
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/2225 hydroxy containing C10L1/221 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/2227 urea; derivatives thereof; urethane C10L1/221 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/224 Amides; Imides carboxylic acid amides, imides C10L1/221, C10L1/2227 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/226 containing at least one nitrogen-to-nitrogen bond, e.g. azo compounds, azides, hydrazines C10L1/221 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/231 nitro compounds; nitrates; nitrites C10L1/221 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 10/02 for reducing smoke development
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 10/12 for improving the cetane number
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

There is described a fuel composition which is substantially free of alkoxylated compounds and is substantially free of long-chain alkyl alcohols having at least 6 C atoms, and contains at least 95% by volume of a hydrocarbon-based fuel and 0.1 to 5% by volume of an additive of the formula (I); R—CO—NR¹R² (I) in which R is a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched alkyl radical having 6 to 21 C atoms; and R¹ and R², which may be the same or different, each represent a hydroxyalkyl radical having 1 to 4 atoms.

Claims

1. A fuel composition which is substantially free of alkoxylated compounds and is substantially free of long-chain alkyl alcohols having at least 6 C atoms, and contains at least 95% by volume of a hydrocarbon-based fuel and 0-1 to 5% by volume of an additive of the formula (I):

R—

CO—

NR¹R²

wherein R is a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched C_6-21 alkyl radical; and

R¹ and r², which may be the same or different, are each a c_1-4 hydroxyalkyl radical.

2. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon-based fuel comprises an oxygenator.

3. A fuel composition according to claim 2 wherein the oxygenator is an alcohol.

4. A fuel composition according to claim 3 wherein the alcohol is a C_1-6 alkanol.

5. A fuel composition according to claim 4 wherein the alkanol is selected from the group consisting of ethanol, propanol and butanol, and isomers thereof.

6. A fuel composition according to claim 5 wherein the alcohol is ethanol.

7. A fuel composition according to claim 3 wherein the alcohol is present in an amount of from 1 to 10% by volume.

8. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein R¹ and R² are the same and each is hydroxyalkyl.

9. A fuel composition according to claim 8 wherein the radicals R¹ and R² are the same and each is hydroxyethyl.

10. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the radical R has 11 to 21 C atoms.

11. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound of formula I is an oleic acid diethanolamide.

12. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the additive has an HLB value of less than 12.

13. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the volume ratio (v/v) of fuel to additive is in the range of 1000:

0.5 to 1000;

50.

14. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the volume ratio (v/v) of fuel to additive is in the range 1000:

1 to 1000;

50.

15. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the fuel composition consists of 85 to 98.9% by volume of diesel oil, 1 to 10% by volume of alcohol and 0.1 to 5% by volume of an additive of formula I.

16. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the fuel composition consists of 89 to 94.5% by volume of diesel oil, 5 to 8% by volume of alcohol and 0.5 to 3% by volume of additive.

17. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon based fuel comprises a diesel oil.

18. A fuel composition according to claim 17 wherein the diesel oil comprises a petroleum diesel.

19. A fuel composition according to claim 17 wherein a proportion of the diesel oil is a biodiesel.

20. A fuel composition according to claim 2 wherein the alcohol used is a substantially anhydrous alcohol.

21. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the total fuel composition is substantially anhydrous.

22. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the alcohol used is hydrous alcohol.

23. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the composition further comprises an additional nitrogen source.

24. A fuel composition according to claim 23 wherein the nitrogen compound is selected from the group consisting of ammonia, hydrazine, alkyl hydrazine, dialkyl hydrazine, urea, ethanolamine, monoalkyl ethanolamine, and dialkyl ethanolamine wherein alkyl is independently selected from methyl, ethyl, n-propyl or isopropyl.

25. A method of solubilising a nitrogen source in a fuel composition which comprises mixing a hydrocarbon fuel composition according to claim 1 and a nitrogen source.

26. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the composition also comprises a cetane booster in amount of from 0.1% v/v to 1.0% v/v, based on the volume of the mixture.

27. A fuel composition according to claim 26 wherein the cetane booster is selected from the group comprising 2-ethylhexyl nitrate, tertiary butyl peroxide, diethylene glycol methyl ether, cyclohexanol, and mixtures thereof.

28. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the composition comprises water, and wherein the fuel consists of a substantially stable, clear and substantially homogeneous solution.

29. A fuel composition according to claim 1 wherein the composition comprises a demulsifler in an amount of less than 5% v/v.

30. A process for the preparation of a fuel composition according to claim 17, which comprises mixing the additive in an amount of from 0.1 to 5% by volume with diesel oil and splash blending the mixture into a clear, stable fuel.

31. A process for the preparation of a fuel composition according to claim 3, which comprises

(i) dissolving the additive in an amount of from 0.1 to 5% by volume in an alcohol to produce an additive solution;

and

(ii) splash blending the solution with a hydrocarbon fuel.

32. A process according to claim 28 wherein the hydrocarbon fuel is diesel oil.

33. A method of running an internal combustion engine comprising the use of a fuel composition according to claim 1.