Solid anti-friction devices – materials therefor – lubricant or se – Lubricants or separants for moving solid surfaces and... – Heterocyclic ring compound; a heterocyclic ring is one...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-23
2004-04-06
Howard, Jacqueline V. (Department: 1764)
Solid anti-friction devices, materials therefor, lubricant or se
Lubricants or separants for moving solid surfaces and...
Heterocyclic ring compound; a heterocyclic ring is one...
C508S291000, C508S485000, C508S562000, C508S580000, C508S583000, C044S302000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06716801
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns compositions and a method for their preparation. More particularly, the present invention concerns water-in-oil emulsions, suitable for use as a fuel or lubricant. In particular, the present invention concerns water-in-oil emulsions having improved stability and lubricity properties, wherein the average droplet size of the water phase in the oil phase is no greater than 0.1 &mgr;m.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of water as an additive in fuel oils to reduce emissions of pollutants and to aid incorporation of other beneficial performance additives has been known for many years. The use of water as an additive in lubricant oils to improve the cooling properties of e.g. cutting oils has also been known for many years. Water is incorporated into the fuel and lubricant oils in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion
Water-in-oil emulsions formed with a large water droplet size give a milky appearance. These emulsions require a number of secondary additives such as corrosion inhibitors and bactericides to overcome problems associated with addition of the water phase. These emulsions due to their large water droplet size also exhibit instability that leads to oil/water separation. Naturally, this is unwelcome as it may lead to problems with not only machine failure but also problems with loss of production in say a diesel-powered generator.
Water-in-oil emulsions formed with an average water droplet size of less than 0.1 &mgr;m are translucent. This small droplet size not only gives an appearance which is more aesthetically pleasing to the user but also offers several major advantages over the larger droplet-sized systems. The clear emulsions tend to be more stable than the milky emulsions, as the water droplets remain in dispersion longer and do not readily undergo macro oil/water phase separation. The small droplet size also appears to negate the need for both corrosion inhibitors and bactericides.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,494 (Robbins et al) discloses the preparation of microemulsions employing a selected combination of three microemulsifiers, specifically a fatty acid, an amino alcohol and an alkyl phenol.
FR-A-2373328 (Grangette et al) discloses the preparation of microemulsions of oil and salt water, employing sulphur containing surfactants.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,391 (McCoy et al) discloses a process for preparing clear, stable water-in-petroleum microemulsions, which may contain increased quantities of water-soluble additives. The microemulsions are formed by use of both a gasoline-soluble surfactant and a water-soluble surfactant. The only water-soluble surfactants employed in the worked examples are ethoxylated nonylphenols.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,967 (Emerson et al) discloses the use of water-in-oil emulsions for emulsion polymerisation processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,670 (Hazbun et al) discloses stable water-in-fuel microemulsions employing a cosurfactant combination of a phenyl alcohol and an ionic or nonionic surfactant.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,868 (Schmid et al) discloses surfactant mixtures useful in the preparation of oil-in-water emulsions. There is no disclosure of any water-in-oil microemulsion comprising at least 60 wt % oil phase.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,220 (Cawiezel) discloses the preparation of a water-in-oil emulsion fracturing fluid including an emulsifying agent sold by ICI under the trademark Hypermer (Hpermer emulsifying agents are not disclosed as being C
6
-C
15
alcohol ethoxylates or mixtures thereof).
Mixtures of C
6
-C
15
alcohol ethoxylates are commercially available surfactants normally sold for use in the preparation of e.g. washing detergents.
WO-A-9818884 (Ying et al), which was published on May 7, 1998, discloses water-in-fuel microemulsions, including examples of such emulsions comprising a C
8
alcohol ethoxylate, with 6 EO groups, mixed with a polyglyceryl-4-monooleate, and mixtures of C
9
-C
11
alcohol ethoxylates mixed with either polyglyceryl oleates linear alcohols or POE sorbitan alcohols. The presence of the polyglyceryl oleates and POE sorbitan alcohols tend to have detrimental effects on the viscosity properties of the emulsions which, in turn, has a consequential detrimental effect on the lubricity properties of the emulsion.
The water-in-oil emulsions previously sold for use as fuels and lubricants generally contain surfactants that, due to incomplete combustion emit by-products, are potentially harmful to the environment, such as nitrogen-, phenyl- and sulphur-containing compounds, and/or have detrimental effects on the lubricity properties. There is a continuing need therefore to provide new fuels and lubricants that do not suffer the same problems. With this background, however, any new fuel and lubricant must also perform at least as well as the prior art fuels and lubricants.
Cutting oils, based on water-in-oil emulsions, have been used to lubricate machine tools. The excellent coolant property of the water has been demonstrated to improve the life of the tool. However, the incorporation of water coupled with the instability of macroemulsions give rise to other problems, such as the lubricity of the oil is decreased with addition of water thereby affecting the surface finish of the metal.
It is the object of the present invention to provide novel water-in-oil microemulsions that may be used as fuels or lubricants and which, without loss of performance, employ surfactants that may be more environmentally acceptable than those hitherto employed in fuels. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel water-in-oil microemulsion that may require less surfactant than is used in conventional water-in-oil microemulsion fuels and lubricants.
As there is a tendency in the design of modern engines to employ the fuel not only as a fuel per se, but also as a lubricant and coolant, where a portion of fuel is continually recirculated between the hot engine and fuel tank, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a water-in-oil microemulsion fuel or lubricant that may demonstrate improved stability
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a water-in-oil microemulsion fuel or lubricant that may demonstrate improved lubricity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a stable, clear water-in-oil emulsion, useful as a fuel or lubricant, consisting of from about 5 to about 40 wt % aqueous phase and from about 95 to about 60 wt % non-aqueous phase, said aqueous phase being dispersed in said non-aqueous phase in the form of droplets having an average droplet size no greater than about 0.1 &mgr;m, said emulsion comprising at least 60 wt % of an oil selected from fuel oils, lubricating oils and mixtures thereof, from about 5 to about 30 wt % of an emulsifier composition, and the balance to 100 wt % water, wherein said emulsifier composition consists essentially of i) a mixture of C
6
-C
15
alcohol ethoxylates, each comprising from 2 to 12 EO groups, ii) from 0 to about 25 wt % of said emulsifier composition of an emulsifier selected from polyisobutylsuccinimde, a sorbitan ester and mixtures thereof, iii) from 0 to about 90 wt % of an amine ethoxylate.
In another embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a stable, clear water-in-oil emulsion consisting of from about 5 to about 40 wt % aqueous phase and from about 95 to about 60 wt % non-aqueous phase, said aqueous phase being dispersed in said non-aqueous phase in the form of droplets having an average droplet size no greater than about 0.1 &mgr;m, said emulsion comprising at least 60 wt % of an oil selected from fuel oils and lubricating oils, from about 5 to about 30 wt % of an emulsifier composition, and the balance to 100 wt % water, wherein said emulsifier composition consists essentially of i) a mixture of C
6
-C
15
alcohol ethoxylates, each comprising from 2 to 12 EO groups, ii) from about 0.3 to about 25 wt % of said emulsifier composition of an emulsifier selected from polyisobutylsuccinimde, a sorbitan ester and mixtures thereof, iii) from
Abu-Jawdeh Pauline
Fay Sharpe Fagan Minnich & McKee LLP
Howard Jacqueline V.
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