Method for catalyzing fuel for powering internal combustion engines

• US 5,034,020 A
• Filed: 07/17/1989
• Issued: 07/23/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Platinum Plus, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Platinum Plus, Inc.
• Inventors: Sprague, Barry N., Epperly, W. Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Medley, Margaret B.
• Application Number:
  US07/380,891
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 44/52, 44/56, 44/57, 44/67, 44/63, 44/70, 44/72, 44/77, 44/68, 44/358, 44/360, 44/361, 44/362, 556/32, 556/136, 556/137
• US Class Current: 44/358
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/102 Platinum group metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/906 Catalyst dispersed in the gas
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/944 Simultaneously removing carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons or carbon making use of oxidation catalysts three-way-catalysts [TWC] B01D53/9445
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 15/0033 Iridium compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 15/006 Palladium compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 15/0073 Rhodium compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 15/0086 Platinum compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/10 containing additives
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/125 water
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/14 Organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1608 Well defined compounds, e.g. hexane, benzene
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1814 Chelates
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1824 mono-hydroxy
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1852 Ethers; Acetals; Ketals; Orthoesters
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1855 Cyclic ethers, e.g. epoxides, lactides, lactones
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1857 Aldehydes; Ketones
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1881 carboxylic group attached to an aliphatic carbon atom
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/189 having at least one carboxyl group bound to an aromatic carbon atom C10L1/1802, C10L1/1805, C10L1/1808, C10L1/1811, C10L1/1814, C10L1/1817, C10L1/1885, C10L1/1886, C10L1/1888 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/2227 urea; derivatives thereof; urethane C10L1/221 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/2286 containing one or more carbon to nitrogen triple bonds, e.g. nitriles C10L1/221, C10L1/226 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/231 : nitro compounds; nitrates; nitrites C10L1/221 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/301 : derived from metals
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/305 : organo-metallic compounds (containing a metal to carbon bond)
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 10/02 : for reducing smoke development
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 10/06 : for facilitating soot removal
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/003 : Additives for gaseous fuels
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2430/04 : by adding non-fuel substances to combustion air or fuel, e.g. additives
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/023 : using means for regenerating the filters, e.g. by burning trapped particles by electrically controlling the supply of combustible mixture or its constituents only F02D41/0235
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/035 : with catalytic reactors , e.g. catalysed diesel particulate filters
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/037 : by means of inertial or centrifugal separators, e.g. of cyclone type, optionally combined or associated with agglomerators
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/206 : Adding periodically or continuously substances to exhaust gases for promoting purification, e.g. catalytic material in liquid form, NOx reducing agents F01N3/2066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 : with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 51/02 : involving catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 : Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

The invention presented is a method for catalyzing fuel for powering internal combustion engines. The method comprises admixing with fuel an additive composition comprising at least one fuel-soluble platinum group metal compound in an amount effective to supply from 0.01 to 1.0 parts per million of platinum group metal per part of fuel.

Claims

1. A method for catalyzing fuel for powering internal combustion engines, comprising admixing with said fuel an additive composition comprising at least one fuel-soluble platinum group metal compound selected from the group consisting of:

a) palladium acetylene complexes having the general formula ##STR4## wherein R¹ is aryl or alkyl; and

R² is aryl;

b) metal allyl complexes having the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">M.sup.1 (C.sub.3 H.sub.5).sub.3

wherein M¹ is rhodium or iridium;

c) platinum (IV) compositions having the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R.sub.3.sup.3 PtR.sup.4

wherein R³ is aryl, alkyl or mixtures thereof; and

R⁴ is hydroxyl, acetylacetonate, cyclopentadiene or pentamethyl cyclopentadiene; and

d) a composition of the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">L.sup.1 M.sup.2 R.sup.5

wherein L¹ is substituted or unsubstituted butadiene or cyclohexadiene;

M² is rhodium or iridium; and

R⁵ is cyclopentadiene or pentamethyl cyclopentadiene, wherein said platinum group metal compound is provided in an amount effective to supply from 0.01 to 1.0 parts per million of platinum group metal per part of fuel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein R¹ and R³ are phenyl or lower alkyl, R² is phenyl and R⁴ is cyclopentadiene.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said additive further comprises a fuel-soluble solvent for said composition in an amount of about 0.1 to about 40.0 liters per gram of platinum group metal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said additive comprises Rh(C₃ H₅)₃ or Ir(C₃ H₅)₃ and the metal is present in an amount of from 0.01 to 0.5 parts per million of the fuel.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said additive comprises trimethyl platinum hydroxide and the platinum is present in an amount of from 0.01 to 0.5 parts per million of the fuel.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said additive comprises butadiene rhodium cyclopentadiene or butadiene iridium cyclopentadiene and the metal is present in an amount of from 0.01 to 0.5 parts per million of the fuel.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the fuel is diesel fuel and said solvent is octyl nitrate.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the fuel is gasoline and said solvent is ethanol, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, methyl tertiary butyl ether or mixtures thereof.

9. A method for improving the operation of a diesel engine particulate trap comprising admixing with the diesel fuel used to power the diesel engine an additive which comprises a fuel-soluble, nonionic, organometallic platinum group metal coordination composition wherein said composition is selected form the group consisting of:

a) palladium acetylene complexes having the general formula ##STR5## wherein R¹ is aryl or alkyl; and

R² is aryl;

b) metal allyl complexes having the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">M.sup.1 (C.sub.3 H.sub.5).sub.3

wherein M¹ is rhodium or iridium;

c) platinum (IV) compositions having the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R.sub.3.sup.3 PtR.sup.4

wherein R³ is aryl, alkyl or mixtures thereof; and

R⁴ is hydroxyl, acetylacetonate, cyclopentadiene or pentamethyl cyclopentadiene; and

d) a composition of the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">L.sup.1 M.sup.2 R.sup.5

wherein L¹ is substituted or unsubstituted butadiene or cyclohexadiene;

M² is rhodium or iridium; and

R⁵ is cyclopetadiene or pentamnethyl cyclopentadiene, wherein said platinum group metal compound is provided in an amount effective to supply from 0.01 to 10.0 parts per million of platinum group metal per part of fuel and further wherein said platinum group metal compound is vaporized in the combustion chamber and travels to and replenishes the diesel trap.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein R¹ and R³ are phenyl or lower alkyl, R² is phenyl and R⁴ is cyclopentadiene.

11. A method for improving the operation of a catalytic converter comprising admixing with the fuel used to power an engine an additive which comprises a fuel-soluble, nonionic, organometallic platinum group metal coordination composition wherein said composition is selected form the group consisting of

a) palladium acetylene complexes having the general formula ##STR6## wherein R¹ is aryl or alkyl;

and R² is aryl;

b) metal allyl complexes having the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">M.sup.1 (C.sub.3 H.sub.5).sub.3

wherein M¹ is rhodium or iridium;

c) platinum (IV) compositions having the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R.sub.3.sup.3 PtR.sup.4

wherein R³ is aryl, alkyl or mixtures thereof; and

R⁴ is hydroxyl, acetylacetonate, coclopentadiene or pentamethyl cyclopentadiene; and

d) a composition of the general formula

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">L.sup.1 M.sup.2 R.sup.5

wherein L¹ is substituted or unsubstituted butadiene or cyclohexadiene;

M² is rhodium or iridium; and

R⁵ is cyclopentadiene or pentamethyl cyclopentadiene, wherein said platinum group metal compound is provided in an amount effective to supply from 0.01 to 1.0 parts per million of platinum group metal per part of fuel and further wherein said platinum group metal compound is vaporized in the combustion chamber and travels to and replenishes the catalytic converter.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein R¹ and R³ are phenyl or lower alkyl, R² is phenyl and R⁴ is cyclopentadiene.