GB789857A - Improved petroleum distillate fuels - Google Patents

Abstract

A complex is formed by heating an aqueous solution of an ammonium or alkali metal nitrite with a mineral oil solution of a sulphonate at a temperature between 230 DEG and 300 DEG F. until all the water is vaporized. The nitrite may be ammonium, sodium, potassium or lithium nitrite, and the sulphonate may be an ammonium, sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium or barium salt of an alkyl monocyclic or bicyclic aryl sulphonic acid having a molecular weight between 300 and 650 and wherein the alkyl group or groups contain a total number of carbon atoms up to 40. The sulphonate may be a salt of didodecyl benzene, tridodecyl benzene, octadecyl benzene, tetracosyl benzene, hexyl dodecyl benzene or hexyl octadecyl benzene sulphonic acids. 0.1 to 4.0 mols. of the nitrite may be reacted with one mol. of the sulphonate. In an example an aqueous solution of sodium nitrite is reacted with a kerosene solution of ammonium didodecyl benzene sulphonate.ALSO:A fuel composition comprises a major proportion of distillate petroleum hydrocarbons and a minor proportion of a complex formed by reacting a water-soluble ammonium or alkali metal nitrite with an oil-soluble sulphonate. The fuel may be a kerosene, diesel fuel, heating oil or industrial fuel oil, and may contain over 10 per cent by volume of cracked constituents. The nitrite may be ammonium, sodium, potassium or lithium nitrite, and the sulphonate may be an ammonium, sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium or barium salt of an alkyl monocyclic or bicyclic aryl sulphonic acid having a molecular weight between 300 and 650 and wherein the alkyl group or groups contain a total number of carbon atoms up to 40. The sulphonate may be a salt of didodecyl benzene, tridodecyl benzene, octadecyl benzene, tetracosyl benzene, hexyl dodedecyl benzene or hexyl octadecyl benzene sulphonic acids. The complex is prepared by heating 0.1 to 4.0 mols. of the nitrite in aqueous solution per mol. of the sulphonate in an oil solution at a temperature between 230 DEG and 300 DEG F. until all the water is vaporized. The oil solution of the complex is added to the fuel to provide a concentration between 0.002 and 0.3 per cent by weight of the complex in the fuel. An example using a complex of sodium nitrite and ammonium didodecyl benzene sulphonate is given.