JPS6011959B2 - Improved additives for hydrocarbon fuels and methods for improving combustion of hydrocarbon fuels - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improved liquid hydrocarbon fuels and fuel additives for diesel engine fuels and for reducing air contaminants, solid carbon deposits in diesel engines, and diesel fuel during storage. The present invention relates to a method for reducing slime deposits in.

A fuel additive consisting of a metal-free aromatic nitro compound, such as picric acid, and an iron salt of an aromatic nitro acid, such as ferrous picrate, dissolved in a solvent such as methylated spirits of benzene is a U.S. This is described in Patent No. 250653y. This additive has several drawbacks that prevent it from being widely used. It has a very low flash point, is highly corrosive, and is unstable. An attempt to overcome some of the above drawbacks by using non-oxidizing compatible solvents for the metal-free aromatic nitro compounds and iron salts of aromatic nitro acids was made in U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,858. Are listed. While this is effective in some respects, the improved additives of this invention are far more preferred. In heavy-duty diesel engines, such as ships, locomotives, trucks, and generators, long idling times, fuel composition variations, and frequent acceleration loads combine to make the engine design engineer's job difficult. There is. The engineer must consider and compromise on several ideal designs to create a device that performs satisfactorily in a variety of operating conditions.
When fuel burns, it goes through several stages. At least the following three are important. {1} Air-to-fuel ratio, '2) Degree of mixing at a particular location in the flame, glue temperature. These two variables determine whether the fuel is oxidized or
It is either thermally decomposed or emitted without combustion. With good mixing and sufficient air supply, oxygen is added to the fuel vapor to produce successively more oxidized products, eventually leading to the lowest energy state (carbon dioxide and water). On the other hand, if there is not enough air in the flame reduction zone to sustain this process, the heat will cause the fuel to decompose into smaller molecular units. This is the so-called pyrolysis process, and heavy fuel types must undergo this process in order to vaporize. However, if smaller units (ultimately carbon) escape the visible flame zone, they are exhausted, producing exhaust smoke containing carbon and smog-forming unburned hydrocarbons. Therefore, it is extremely important that sufficient heat is present to sufficiently mix and atomize the fuel and air in the correct proportions. The additive of the present invention improves the fuel combustion process in the following ways. (11 improves the fuel-air ratio by strongly separating fuel fine droplets and performing extremely good vaporization,
'2' Reduce or eliminate carbon deposits by more complete combustion; [3' Raise normal combustion chamber temperature by cooling more quickly and remove adiabatic carbon deposits; '41 Compression ratio - Increases the motor's normal operating performance by restoring the engine's engine capacity to its design value as much as possible; - Extends oil life by dramatically reducing crank case contamination with carbon, gum and resinous materials;
■ Acid and other impurities can be more easily expelled by reducing binder resins, gums and carbon; [71 Reduce or eliminate injector fouling; {8) Piston rings and Reduces valve sticking, increases horsepower, facilitates 00 starts,
(11) reduce or eliminate sparks from the exhaust; (12) reduce exhaust odor to an insignificant level; and (13) reduce air pollutants. One of the principal objects of the present invention is an improved additive for liquid hydrocarbon fuels, particularly diesel fuels. The additive reduces solid carbon deposits, exhaust sparks and exhaust pollutants from the exhaust of the engine;
and has the effect of eliminating in many cases. Another purpose is
An improved additive that is non-corrosive, stable, and low cost to improve hydrocarbon fuels. Another object is to reduce and substantially eliminate slime deposits that form during diesel fuel storage. Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of overhauls to remove solid carbon deposits that accumulate during normal diesel fuel combustion.

The above object can be achieved by blending into the fuel a predetermined amount of a mixture of an iron salt of an aromatic nitro acid and an aliphatic nitro compound having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The amount of additive used must be such that the combusted fuel exhaust gas contains an effective amount of atomically dispersed iron that is sufficient to catalyze the secondary combustion of the primary exhaust gas through the thermal exhaust zone. . Preferably, the additive is a mixture of ferrous picrate and an aliphatic nitro compound dissolved in a compatible solvent. The fuel additive of the present invention is preferably a solution of ferrous picrate and an aliphatic nitro compound in a solvent and oil, to which antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors and viscosity modifiers can be added. .

When this formulation is added to a hydrocarbon fuel in the desired amount, its active components decompose during the first stage of combustion, increasing turbulence in the combustion chamber. Oxygen is delivered to the fuel and gas at an accelerated rate to provide further oxidation within the short time allowed by the ignition cycle. High-load diesel engines are prone to solid carbon deposits in the exhaust holes and valves. Carbon buildup in this valve prevents the valve from closing completely, which naturally reduces engine efficiency. Solid carbon deposits also accumulate in the piston dome or cylinder head of diesel engines.
Idling disturbances caused by flashfiring are now being observed, and the cause of this disturbance appears to be the presence of these carbon deposits.
Addition of the fuel additive of the present invention to diesel fuel removes carbon deposits present in the exhaust system. By removing the exhaust flue carbon, combustion sparks from this exhaust smoke are no longer a problem. Complete combustion eliminates the problem of phosphorous sparks, ensuring the safety of tarpaulin-covered loads and the stability of power transport or equipment operation in areas covered with dry wood or grass. The weight ratio of the iron salt of the aromatic nitro acid to the aliphatic nitro compound can vary from 1:10 to 1:100, but the weight ratio of the aromatic nitro acid salt to the aliphatic nitro compound is from 1:15 to 1:55. Preferably, a ratio is used. The amount of such additive added to the liquid hydrocarbon fuel is relatively small.

Effects can be obtained even when using as little as 0.003% of the formulation based on the weight of the fuel. Amounts up to 0.03% or higher can be used if desired. However, 0.0
There is no particular advantage at amounts above 0.6%. Large excesses will not be harmful to the engine using the fuel, but will affect the calorific value of the fuel. The preferred aromatic nitrate salt for use in the present invention is ferrous picrate, although ferrous and ferric salts of trinitrophenol, trinitrocresol, and picramic acid can also be used.

Aliphatic nitro compounds useful in the present invention are those having one nitro group and 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as nitromethane, nitroethane, nitropropane, and nitrobutane. Although it is preferred to use 1-nitropropane, satisfactory results can be obtained with any of the above compounds.

The additive is typically dissolved in a solvent and added to liquid hydrocarbon fuels.

Since small amounts of the iron salts and aliphatic nitro compounds are added to the fuel, they are normally dissolved in a suitable organic solvent that is compatible with the additive component and the hydrocarbon fuel. Such solvents include, for example, toluene, xylene, isopropyl alcohol, butanol, key oil, fusel oil and aromatic petroleum fractions. It has surprisingly been found that the fuel additives of the present invention have the effect of reducing or substantially eliminating slime deposits that regularly form during storage of diesel fuel.

These slimes result from the growth of bacteria and fungi, whose habitat is in condensed water droplets or pools on which the fuel floats, and whose energy source is the fuel itself. When contaminated with slime,
The body of slime forming these organisms causes corrosion of tank metal and fouling of lines, screens, etc.
It has also been found that the compositions of the present invention effectively control and eliminate slime deposits when added in amounts equal to those used to improve fuel properties. The following examples are exemplary only and are not intended to be limiting in any way.

Example 1 To produce the fuel additive of the present invention, 0.5
4. The hot water (7000) containing 22% hydroquinone
Coperas (FeS04, 7 days 20) was dissolved.

Then 70 hours of anhydrous sodium carbonate was added to this solution. The mixture was stirred to allow the precipitated ferrous carbonate to settle out. The fairly clear aqueous layer was decanted and the precipitate was further washed with hot water. It was washed with water, and the precipitate was washed with denatured alcohol. This mixture was then dissolved in inpropyl alcohol and 400 g of picric acid was added. The mixture was stirred and allowed to react for several hours until the evolution of carbon dioxide ceased. Then 1100 g of nitropropane was added and the mixture was mixed with 20 gallons of inpropyl alcohol.
gallons of Pacific base oil
) dissolved in This product can be packed in drum cans or cans. Example 2 A transportation bus equipped with a 202 horsepower diesel engine was fed with the additive of Example 1 in the fuel intake line to provide 0.6 to 1 ferrous picrate per 100 gallons of intake fuel.
19.2% of nitropropane was blended, or 0.005% by weight of the mixture based on the fuel.

Table 1 shows the exhaust gas analysis at the start of the test and one month later. Table 1 A skilled engineer who carried out this example recognized that the exhaust odor characteristic of the diesel bus had significantly decreased by the time one month had passed.

Example 3 The concentrate of Example 1 was added in a calculated amount to approximately 0.005% by weight of the fuel directly into the fuel tank of a tugboat transporting a barge from Seattle, Washington, USA to Alaska.

Prior to treatment with the liquid additive, voyages required opening the engine head to scrape out solid carbon deposits and clean the piston rings each time the ship returned to Seattle.
After adding the fuel additive, the ship sailed between Seattle and Alaska, and when the head was opened after returning to port, there were no solid carbon deposits and the ring was smooth. The logbook notes that significant amounts of fuel and lubricant were saved on this voyage. Example 4 A supply tank was attached to supply the mixture to a venturi-type meter attached to the fuel intake line of a railroad locomotive equipped with a two-stroke opposed piston diesel engine generator.

This meter measures 0.6 parts of ferrous picrate and 19.2 parts of 1-nitropropane per 100 gallons of fuel supplied, or approximately 0.005 parts by weight of ferrous picrate and 1-nitropropane per 100 gallons of fuel supplied. It was designed to be prepared and blended. This locomotive was randomly combined with three other locomotives, used daily, and taken between Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. It was observed that the sparks from the two unprocessed locomotives trailed to the third car, but the sparks from the processed locomotives were negligible, with only a few visible within a few feet of the road. reported by.

After being used for about a month, the locomotive was taken to the factory and the engine was opened. Although the expected solid carbon deposits would normally require 2-3 days of extensive work, there was only a small amount of carbon that could be wiped off with a cloth or blown out with a steam cleaner. The exhaust analysis of the locomotive described above is shown in Table 2 along with a control sample of an untreated locomotive that has passed the same time since overhaul. Each locomotive was operated with a dynamometer and data was measured at idling, with the throttle half open, and with the throttle fully open. Additionally, emissions analysis for another set of treated and untreated locomotives is also shown.

The processing method is the same as described above. Because the test was conducted on a stationary locomotive, it was possible to measure the ring of carbon settling around each flue. The treated locomotive A's bonito duct was covered with carbon approximately 1 foot in each direction from the flue, while the non-treated locomotive B was covered with carbon approximately 3 feet in each direction from the flue. As the time when the additive was added to diesel fuel passes,
There is no longer a need to add a separate disinfectant to the fuel. No signs of algae or fungi were observed in the fuel filter. From the above examples it can be seen that the addition of the fuel additive of the present invention to diesel fuel results in several of the advantages outlined above.

ship ship

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Contains at least 0.003% by weight of a mixture of an iron salt of an aromatic nitro acid and an aliphatic nitro compound having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, the weight of the aromatic nitro acid and the aliphatic nitro compound An improved liquid hydrocarbon fuel with a ratio ranging from 1:10 to 1:100. 2. The fuel according to claim 1, wherein the iron salt of aromatic nitro acid is ferrous picrate. 3. The fuel according to claim 1, wherein the aliphatic nitro compound is nitropropane. 4. At least 0.004% by weight of a mixture of ferrous picrate and nitropropane is added, and the ratio of ferrous picrate to nitropropane is in the range of 1:15 to 1:55. fuel according to. 5. An improved additive for hydrocarbon fuels consisting of a mixture of 1 part by weight of an iron salt of an aromatic nitro acid and 10 to 100 parts by weight of an aliphatic nitro compound having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. 6. The additive according to claim 5, wherein the iron salt of aromatic nitro acid is ferrous picrate. 7. The additive according to claim 6, wherein the aliphatic nitro compound is nitropropane. 8. The additive of claim 5 comprising a compatible solvent mixture of said mixture. 9 The solvent is isopropyl alcohol, butanol,
9. The additive of claim 8 which is one selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, mineral oil, fuel oil and aromatic petroleum fractions.