Fuel and related compositions – Liquid fuels – Organic nitrogen compound containing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2004-12-28
Toomer, Cephia D. (Department: 1714)
Fuel and related compositions
Liquid fuels
Organic nitrogen compound containing
C044S447000, C044S451000, C044S452000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06835217
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This disclosure relates generally to a fuel composition including at least a major amount of an internal combustion engine hydrocarbon fuel, e.g., gasoline, containing at least one alcohol wherein methyl tertiary-butyl ether is substantially absent from the hydrocarbon fuel and a minor amount of a friction modifier and to a method for operating an internal combustion engine employing the fuel composition as the fuel therefor.
The petroleum industry has long recognized a need for greater fuel economy and efficiency in the operation of hydrocarbon fuel powered internal combustion engines, e.g., spark-ignition engines. In many instances, high compression ratios are desired in order to provide for superior engine performance under various driving conditions. The petroleum industry also recognizes that exhaust emissions from spark-ignition powered engines play a significant role in air pollution.
In an effort to lower toxic exhaust emissions, methyl tertiary-butyl ether (‘MTBE’) has been added to hydrocarbon fuels for use in spark-ignition engines. Hydrocarbon fuels additized with MTBE are referred to as ‘oxygenated fuels’. Exhaust emissions from oxygenated fuels generally contain lower levels of, for example, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and nitric oxide.
There has been recent concerns over the toxicity of MTBE and the potential health effects therefrom. See, e.g., Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Health Risk Perspectives on Fuel Oxygenates”, Report No. EPA 600/R-94/217, December, 1994. For example, problems associated with MTBE-containing fuels include environmental concerns relating to the toxicity of the MTBE-containing fuels and acute symptoms such as headaches and nausea from individuals breathing the fuel's fumes. Thus, it would be desirable to replace MTBE in hydrocarbon fuels thereby eliminating the environmental concerns as well as the potential health effects caused by the use of MTBE-containing fuels.
Ethyl alcohol has been suggested as a replacement for MTBE. Oxygenated fuels derived from ethyl alcohol are significantly less toxic than their MTBE counterpart. Ethyl alcohol-additized fuels, however, demonstratably have reduced fuel economy when used in spark ignition engines.
One approach to achieving enhanced fuel economy while also reducing the wear of engine components is by improving the efficiency of the internal combustion engine in which the fuel is used. Improvement in the engine's efficiency can be achieved through a number of methods, e.g., (1) improving control over fuel/air ratio; (2) decreasing the crankcase oil viscosity; and, (3) reducing the internal friction of the engine in certain specific areas due to wear. In method (3), for example, inside an engine, about 18 percent of the fuel's heat value, i.e., the amount of heat released in the combustion of the fuel and therefore able to perform work, is lost by internal friction routes in engine components, e.g., bearings, valve train, pistons, rings, water and oil pumps, etc. Only about 25 percent of the fuel's heat value is converted to useful work at the crankshaft. Friction occurring at the piston rings and parts of the valve train account for over 50 percent of the heat value loss. A lubricity improving fuel additive, e.g., a friction modifier, capable of reducing friction at these engine components by ⅓ preserves an additional 3% of the fuel's heat value for useful work at the crankshaft. Therefore, there has been a continual search for friction modifiers which improve the delivery of friction modifier to strategic areas of the engine thereby improving the fuel economy of engines.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,252,889, 4,185,594, 4,208,190, 4,204,481 and 4,428,182 disclose anti-wear additives for fuels adapted for use in diesel engines consisting of fatty acid esters, unsaturated dimerized fatty acids, primary aliphatic amines, fatty acid amides of diethanolanine and long-chain aliphatic monocarboxylic acids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,562 discloses a friction reducing additive for lubricants and fuels formed by the reaction of primary alkoxyalkylamines with carboxylic acids or alternatively by the ammonolysis of the appropriate formate ester.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,769 discloses a detergent additive for gasoline, which contains the reaction product of a C
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fatty acid ester such as coconut oil and a mono- or di-hydroxy hydrocarbyl amine such as diethanolarine or dimethylaminopropylarnine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a fuel composition is provided which comprises:
(a) a major amount of an internal combustion engine hydrocarbon fuel containing at least one alcohol, it being provided that methyl tertiary-butyl ether is substantially absent from the fuel; and,
(b) a friction modifying amount of a reaction product of at least one natural or synthetic oil and at least one alkanolamine.
Further in accordance with the present invention, a method of operating an internal combustion engine is provided which comprises operating the engine employing as a fuel therefor a fuel composition which comprises:
(a) a major amount of an internal combustion engine hydrocarbon fuel containing at least one alcohol, it being provided that methyl tertiary-butyl ether is substantially absent from the fuel; and,
(b) a friction modifying amount of a reaction product of at least one natural or synthetic oil and at least one alkanolamine.
The term “hydrocarbon fuel” as utilized herein shall be understood as referring to those hydrocarbon fuels such as, for example, gasoline or diesel.
The term “gasoline” as utilized herein shall be understood as referring to a fuel for spark-ignition internal combustion engines consisting essentially of volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbons derived from crude petroleum by processes such as distillation reforming, polymerization, catalytic cracking, and alkylation. The term “diesel” as utilized herein shall be understood as referring to that fraction of crude oil that distills after kerosene and is useful for internal combustion in compression-ignition engines.
The term “natural oil” utilized herein refers to those naturally occurring oils that are derived from animal or plant sources. Such oils are mixed C
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fatty acid esters, i.e., glycerol fatty acid esters, and include specifically coconut oil, babassu oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, olive oil, castor oil, rape oil, beef tallow oil, whale oil, sunflower, cottonseed oil, linseed oil, tung oil, tallow oil, lard oil, peanut oil, soya oil, etc. It will be understood that such oils will predominately comprise triglycerides with small amounts, e.g. up to about 10 weight percent, of mono- and diglycerides.
The term “synthetic oil” utilized herein refers to products produced by reacting carboxylic acids with glycerol, e.g., glycerol triacetate, and the like. It will be understood that such synthetic oils can contain between about 0.1 wt % to about 20 wt. % mono- and di-glycerides, and mixtures thereof.
The hydrocarbon fuels containing at least one alcohol and wherein MTBE is substantially absent therefrom are less toxic than those fuels containing MTBE. Additionally, by utilizing a friction modifier in the fuel composition of this invention, greater fuel economy and efficiency in the operation of a hydrocarbon fuel powered internal combustion engine employing the foregoing fuel composition can be achieved.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
By employing the aforestated reaction product in a friction modifying amount in the fuel composition of this invention, greater fuel economy and efficiency in the operation of internal combustion engines can be achieved than a fuel containing only an alcohol with MTBE being substantially absent therefrom. Additionally, the fuel composition of this invention exhibits substantially less toxicity than those fuels containing MTBE. In general, the fuel composition of this invention will include at least (a) a major amount of an internal combustion engine hydarbon fuel con
DeBlase Frank J.
DeRosa Thomas F.
Kaufman Benjamin J.
Ketcham James R.
Rawdon Michael G.
Carmen Michael E.
Texaco Inc.
Toomer Cephia D.
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