Method for reducing emissions from or increasing the utilizable energy of fuel for powering internal combustion engines

• US 5,749,928 A
• Filed: 02/14/1996
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Platinum Plus, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Platinum Plus, Inc.
• Inventors: Epperly, W. Robert, Kelso, Danny T., Bowers, Wayne E., Sprague, Barry N.
• Primary Examiner(s): MEDLEY, MARGARET B
• Application Number:
  US08/601,530
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 44/358, 44/359, 44/361, 44/354, 44/363, 44/352, 44/439, 44/449, 44/451, 556/32, 556/136, 556/137
• US Class Current: 44/358
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/1021 Platinum
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/906 Catalyst dispersed in the gas
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/012 Diesel engines and lean burn gasoline engines
• 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: C10L 1/10 containing additives
• 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 1/2227 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 involves a method for reducing emissions from or increasing the utilizable energy of fuel for powering diesel, gasoline or gasohol internal combustion engines, the method comprising admixing with the fuel an additive which comprises a fuel-soluble, nonionic, organometallic platinum group metal coordination composition which is a) resistant to breakdown under ambient temperatures; b) does not contain a disadvantageous amount of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony or halides; and c) has a partition ratio sufficient to maintain preferential solubility in the fuel.

Claims

1. A method for improving the operation of the post-combustion pollution control device installed on a fuel-powered vehicle, the method comprising admixing with the fuel an additive which comprises a platinum group metal composition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said post-combustion pollution control device comprises a catalytic converter.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said composition has a breakdown temperature at least about 50°

C.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the fuel comprises gasoline or diesel fuel.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the partition ratio of said composition is at least about 50.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said additive further comprises a fuel-soluble solvent for said composition.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the fuel is gasoline and said solvent is ethanol, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, methyl tertiary butyl ether or mixtures thereof.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein said additive is present in an amount such that the platinum group metal is present in an amount of from 0.01 to 1.0 parts per million of the fuel.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein said composition is substantially free of phosphorous, arsenic, antimony and halides.

10. 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

a) resistant to breakdown under ambient temperatures;

b) does not contain a disadvantageous amount of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony or halides; and

c) has a partition ratio sufficient to maintain preferential solubility in the fuel.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said composition has a breakdown temperature at least about 50°

C.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the fuel comprises gasoline.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the partition ratio of said composition is at least about 50.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said additive further comprises a fuel-soluble solvent for said composition.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the fuel is gasoline and said solvent is ethanol, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, methyl tertiary butyl ether or mixtures thereof.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein said additive is present in an amount such that the platinum group metal is present in an amount of from 0.01 to 1.0 parts per million of the fuel.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein said composition is substantially free of phosphorous, arsenic, antimony and halides.

18. A method for improving the operation of a catalytic converter, comprising admixing with the gasoline used to power an engine an additive which comprises a gasoline soluble platinum group metal composition having at least one platinum group metal to carbon bond.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said composition has a breakdown temperature at least about 50°

C.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the partition ratio of said composition is at least about 50.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said additive further comprises a fuel-soluble solvent for said composition.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said solvent is ethanol, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, methyl tertiary butyl ether or mixtures thereof.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein said additive is present in an amount such that the platinum group metal is present in an amount of from 0.01 to 1.0 parts per million of the fuel.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein said composition is substantially free of phosphorous, arsenic, antimony and halides.

25. A method for improving the operation of a diesel engine particulate trap comprising admixing with diesel fuel used to power a diesel engine, and additive which comprises an organometallic platinum group metal composition wherein said composition

a) has a partition ratio sufficient to maintain preferential solubility in the diesel fuel;

b) is resistant to breakdown under ambient temperatures;

c) does not contain a disadvantageous amount of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony or halides.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said composition has a breakdown temperature at least about 50°

C.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the partition ratio of said composition is at least about 50.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said additive further comprises a diesel fuel-soluble solvent for said composition.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein said solvent comprises octyl nitrate.

30. The method of claim 25 wherein said additive is admixed with the diesel fuel in an amount such that the platinum group metal is present in an amount of from 0.01 to 1.0 parts per million of the diesel fuel.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein said composition is substantially free of phosphorous, arsenic, antimony and halides.

32. A method for improving the operation of a post-combustion pollution control device installed on a fuel-powered vehicle, the method comprising admixing with the fuel an additive which comprises a mixture, the mixture comprising a platinum group metal composition and an oxygenated hydrocarbon solvent which is soluble in the fuel, wherein the mixture is present in the fuel in an amount effective to provide from about 0.01 to about 1.0 parts per million of platinum group metal in the fuel.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the post-combustion pollution control device comprises a diesel engine particulate trap or a catalytic converter and the fuel comprises diesel fuel or gasoline.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the platinum group metal composition comprises an organometallic platinum group metal composition which is resistant to breakdown under ambient conditions.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the platinum group metal composition has a breakdown temperature of at least about 50°

C.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, heterocyclic oxygen compounds, ethers and mixtures thereof.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols having from 1 to 4 carbons, tetrahydrofuran, methyl tertiary butyl ether and mixtures thereof.