NO336184B1 - Process for lowering the vapor pressure of an ethanol-containing engine fuel for spark-ignition engines - Google Patents

Abstract

Method of reducing the vapour pressure of a C3 to C12 hydrocarbon-based motor fuel mixture containing 0.1 to 20 % by volume of ethanol for conventional spark ignition internal combustion engines, wherein, in addition to an ethanol component (b) and a C3 to C12 hydrocarbon component (a), an oxygen-containing additive (c) selected from at least one of the following types of compounds: alcohol other than ethanol, ketone, ether, ester, hydroxy ketone, ketone ester, and a heterocyclic containing oxygen, is used in the fuel mixture in an amount of at least 0.05 by volume of the total fuel, is disclosed. A mixture of fuel grade ethanol (b) and oxygen-containing additive (c) usable in the method of the invention is also disclosed. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to motor fuels and substances for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for lowering the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of a fuel mixture comprising a hydrocarbon liquid and ethanol using an oxygen-containing additive. Ethanol and DVPE adjusting components, used to obtain a fuel mixture, are preferably derived from renewable raw materials. By means of the method of the invention, motor fuel containing up to 20 vol% ethanol can be obtained, which satisfies the standard requirements for spark-ignited internal combustion engines that run on petrol.

The background of the invention

Gasoline is the main fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. The widespread use of petrol results in pollution of the environment. Combustion of gasoline derived from crude oil or mineral gas disturbs the carbon dioxide balance in the atmosphere and causes the greenhouse effect. Crude oil reserves are steadily decreasing and certain countries are already facing crude oil shortages.

The growing concern for the protection of the environment, stricter requirements for the content of harmful components in the exhaust gases and crude oil shortages are pushing the industry to develop alternative fuels that burn cleaner.

The existing global number of vehicles and machinery operating with spark-ignited internal combustion engines currently makes it impossible to completely eliminate gasoline as an engine fuel.

The task of creating new fuels for internal combustion engines has existed for a long time and a large number of attempts have been made to use renewable sources to provide engine fuel components.

US Patent No. 2,365,009 granted in 1944 describes the combination of C1-5 alcohols and C3-5 hydrocarbons for use as a fuel. US Patent No. 4,818,250 granted in 1989 suggests the use of limonene obtained from lemon and other plants as motor fuel or as a component for blending with gasoline. In US patent no. 5,607,486 granted in 1997, new motor fuel additives comprising terpenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons and lower alcohol are shown.

Currently, there is a wide application for tert-butyl ethers as components of gasoline. Motor bre nn substances r comprising tert-butyl ether are described in US patent no. 4,468,233 granted in 1984. The main part of these ethers can be obtained from petroleum refining, but can just as well be produced from renewable sources.

Ethanol is the most promising product for use as an engine bre nn substance component in mixtures with gasoline. Ethanol can be obtained by processing renewable raw materials, generally known as biomass, which in turn is derived from carbon dioxide under the influence of solar energy.

Combustion of ethanol produces significantly less harmful components compared to the combustion of petrol. However, the use of a motor fuel that mainly contains ethanol requires specially designed engines. Spark-ignited internal combustion engines that normally run on petrol can be operated with a motor fuel comprising a mixture of petrol and no more than approx. 10 volume % ethanol. Such a mixture of petrol and ethanol is currently sold in the USA as gasohol. Current European regulations regarding petrol allow the addition of up to 5 volume % ethanol to petrol.

The main disadvantage of mixtures of ethanol and gasoline is that for mixtures containing up to 20% by volume of ethanol there is an increase in the dry vapor pressure equivalent, compared to that of the original gasoline.

Figure 1 shows the behavior of the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) as a function of ethanol content in mixtures of ethanol and petrol A92 summer, petrol A95 summer and winter at 37.8°C. Gasoline known as A92 and A95 is the standard gasoline purchased

at petrol stations in the USA and in Sweden. Petrol A92 originates from the USA and petrol A95 from Sweden. The ethanol used was fuel ethanol produced by Williams, USA. The DVPE of the mixtures was determined according to the standard ASTM D5191 method at the SGS laboratory in Stockholm, Sweden.

For the ethanol volume concentration range of 5-10%, which is of particular interest for use as a motor fuel for standard spark ignition engines, the data according to Figure 1 show that the DVPE of blends of gasoline and ethanol can exceed the DVPE of the gasoline source by more than 10% . As commercial petroleum companies normally supply the market with petrol that already has the maximum permitted DVPE, which is severely limited by current regulations, it is not possible to add ethanol to the previously commercially available petrol.

It is known that the DVPE for blends of gasoline and ethanol can be adjusted. US Patent No. 5,015,356 granted May 14, 1991 proposes to reformulate gasoline by removing both the volatile and non-volatile components from C4-C12 gasoline to yield a C6-C9 or C6-C10 intermediate gasoline. Such fuels are said to be better suited for the addition of alcohol compared to regular gasoline due to their lower dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE). A disadvantage of this method when adjusting the DVPE of the mixture of petrol and ethanol is that in order to achieve such a mixture it is necessary to produce specially reformed petrol, which adversely affects the supply chain and results in increased prices for engine fuel. Such gasolines and their blends with ethanol also have a higher flash point, which affects their performance characteristics.

It is known that certain chemical components reduce DVPE when added to petrol or when mixing petrol and ethanol. For example, US Patent No. 5,433,756, issued July 18, 1995, discloses a chemical clean-burning engine compound that includes, in addition to gasoline, ketones, nitro-paraffin, and also alcohols other than ethanol. It is noted that blends of the catalytic clean burning promoter shown in the patent lower the DVPE of gasoline fuels. Nothing is mentioned in the patent about the effect of the clean burn promoter mixture on the DVPE of gasoline/ethanol blends.

US Patent No. 5,688,295 granted November 18, 1997 provides a chemical compound as an additive to gasoline or as a fuel for standard gasoline engines. According to the invention, an alcohol-based fuel additive has been proposed. The fuel additive comprises from 20 to 70% alcohol, from 2.5 to 20% ketone and ether, from 0.03 to 20% aliphatic and silicone compounds, from 5 to 20% toluene and from 4 to

45% mineral alcohols. The alcohol is methanol or ethanol. It is noted in the patent that the additive improves gasoline quality and specifically reduces DVPE. The disadvantages of this method of motor fuel DVPE adjustment are that large amounts of additive are needed, namely no less than 15% by volume of the mixture, and the use of silicone compounds, which form silicon oxide during combustion, results in increased engine wear.

In W09743356, a method is described for reducing the vapor pressure of a hydrocarbon alcohol mixture by adding a co-solvent for the hydrocarbon and alcohol in the mixture. A spark-ignited motor fuel composition, comprising a hydrocarbon component with C5-C8 straight or branched alkanes, substantially free of olefins, matter, benzene and sulfur, in which the hydrocarbon component has a minimum anti-knock index of 65, according to ASTM D2699 and D2700 and a maximum DVPE of 15 psi, according to ASTM D5191, a gasoline grade by octane alcohol and a co-solvent for the hydrocarbon component and the alcohol in which the components of the fuel composition are present in amounts selected to provide a motor fuel with a minimum anti-knock index of 87 and a maximum DVPE of 15 psi is also described. The co-solvent used is biomass-derived 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MThF) and other heterocyclic ethers such as pyrans or oxepanes, MTHF is preferred.

The disadvantage of this method for adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent of mixtures of hydrocarbon liquid and ethanol is as follows: (1) It is necessary to use only hydrocarbon components C5-C8 which are straight-chain or branched alkanes (i) without unsaturated compounds such as olefins, benzene and other aromatics, (ii) without sulfur and, as follows from the description according to the invention, (iii) the hydrocarbon component is a coal gas condensate or a natural gas condensate; (2) It is necessary to use as a co-solvent for the hydrocarbon component and ethanol only a special class of chemical compounds containing oxygen, namely ethers, including short-chain and heterocyclic ethers; (3) It is necessary to use a large amount of ethanol in the fuel, not less than 25%; (4) It is necessary to use a large amount of co-solvent, not less than 20%, of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran; and (5) It is required to limit the spark-ignited internal combustion engine when operated with such fuel composition and, specifically, the on-board computer software must be modified or replaced.

It is consequently an aim of the present invention to provide a method with which the above-mentioned disadvantages in the prior art can be solved. It is a main object of the invention to provide a method for reducing the vapor pressure of a C3 to C12 hydrocarbon-based fuel mixture containing up to 20 volume% ethanol for conventional gasoline engines to no more than the vapor pressure of the C3 to C12 hydrocarbon itself, or at least so that the standard requirements for gasoline fuel is satisfied.

Summary of the invention

The purpose of the present invention, as described in the set of requirements, is to solve the problems mentioned above. This has been achieved in that an oxygen-containing additive selected from at least one of the following types of compounds: alcohol other than ethanol, ketone, ether, ester, hydroxy-ketone, ketone ester and heterocyclic compounds containing oxygen is used in the fuel mixture in an amount of at least 0 .05% by volume of the total fuel mixture.

The present inventors have found that specific types of compounds with an oxygen-containing group surprisingly lower the vapor pressure of a gasoline-ethanol mixture.

This effect may unexpectedly be further enhanced by specific C6-C12 hydrocarbon compounds.

They have also found that the octane rating of the resulting hydrocarbon-based fuel mixture can surprisingly be achieved and even increased using the oxygen component of the present invention.

According to the present method, up to 20% by volume of fuel with ethanol (b) can be used in the entire fuel composition. The oxygen-containing additive (c) used can be obtained from renewable raw materials and the hydrocarbon component (a) used can for example be any standard gasoline (which does not have to be reformulated) and can possibly contain aromatics and sulfur and also hydrocarbons obtained from renewable raw materials.

By means of the method of the invention, fuel for standard spark-ignited internal combustion engines can be produced, which fuel enables such engines to have the same maximum performance as when operated on a standard petrol engine currently available on the market. A reduction in the level of toxic emissions in the exhaust and a reduction in fuel consumption can also be achieved by using the method according to the invention.

According to one aspect of the invention, in addition to the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE), the anti-shock index (octane number) can also be checked.

Another object of the invention is to provide an additive mixture of ethanol fuel (b) and oxygen-containing additive (c), and optionally, the further component (d), which are individual hydrocarbons of the C6-C12 fraction of their mixtures, which additive mixture can then is used in the method of the invention, i.e. added to the hydrocarbon component (a). The mixture of (b) and (c) and possibly (d) can also be used per se as a fuel for modified engines, i.e. not standard petrol engines. The additive mixture can also be used to adjust the octane number and/or to reduce the vapor pressure of a high vapor pressure hydrocarbon component.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear in the further description, examples and claims.

Brief description of the te<g>nin<g>s

In Figure 1, the behavior of the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) as a function of the ethanol content of prior art blends of ethanol and gasoline is shown.

In Figure 2, the behavior of the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of various fuels of the present invention as a function of their ethanol content is shown.

Detailed description of the present invention

The present method enables the use of C3-C12 hydrocarbon fractions as hydrocarbon component (a), including narrower areas within this wide area, without restrictions regarding the presence of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, aromatics and sulphur. In particular, the hydrocarbon component may be a standard gasoline currently available on the market, as well as other mixtures of hydrocarbons obtained by refining petroleum, off-gas from chemical potash recovery, coal carbonization, natural gas and synthetic gas. Hydrocarbons obtained from renewable raw materials may also be included. C3-C12 fractions are usually prepared by partial distillation or by mixing different hydrocarbons.

First and foremost, and as previously mentioned, component (a) may contain aromatics and sulphur, which are either co-produced or naturally found in the hydrocarbon component.

According to the method of the present invention, the DVPE can be reduced for fuel mixtures containing up to 20 volume% ethanol, calculated as pure

ethanol. According to a preferred embodiment, the vapor pressure of the hydrocarbon-based ethanol-containing fuel mixture is reduced by 50% of the ethanol-induced increase in vapor pressure, more preferably by 80%, and even more preferably, the vapor pressure of the hydrocarbon-based ethanol-containing fuel mixture is reduced to a vapor pressure corresponding to that of the hydrocarbon component alone and/or to the vapor pressure according to any standard requirement for commercially sold gasoline.

As will be clear from the drawings, if desired, the DVPE can be reduced to a level even lower than that used for the hydrocarbon component.

According to a most preferred embodiment, the other fuel properties, such as, for example, the octane number, are kept within the required standard limits.

This is accomplished by adding at least one oxygen-containing organic compound (c), other than ethanol, to the motor fuel composition. The oxygen-containing organic compound enables adjustment of (i) the dry vapor pressure equivalent, (ii) the anti-shock index and other performance parameters of the engine fuel composition as well as (iii) reduction of fuel consumption and reduction of toxic substances in the engine exhaust emissions. The oxygen-containing compound (c) has oxygen bound in at least each of the following functional groups:

Such functional groups are, for example, present in the following classes of organic compounds and which can be used in the present invention: alcohols, ketones, ethers, esters, hydroxy ketones, ketone esters and heterocyclics with oxygen-containing rings.

The fuel additive can be a derivative from fossil-based sources or preferably from renewable sources such as biomass.

The oxygen-containing fuel additive (c) can typically be an alcohol other than ethanol. In general, aliphatic or alicyclic alcohols are used, both saturated and unsaturated, preferably alkanols. More preferably, alkanols with the general formula R-OH are used, where R is alkyl with 3 to 10 carbon atoms, most preferably 3 to 8 carbon atoms, such as propanol, isopropanol, n-buanol, isobutanol, tert-butanol, n-pentanol, isopentanol , tert-pentanol, 4-methyl-2-pentanol, diethylcarbinol, diisopropylcarbinol, 2-ethylhexanol, 2,4,4-thiemthylpentanol, 2,6-dimethyl-4-hetpanol, linalool, 3,6-dimethyl-3-octanol , phenol, phenylmethanol, methylphenol, methylcyclohexanol or similar alcohols and mixtures thereof.

The component (c) can also be an aliphatic or alicyclic ketone, both saturated and unsaturated, with the general formula

where R and R' are the same or different and are each C1-C6 hydrocarbons, which may also be cyclic, and are preferably C1-C4 hydrocarbons. Preferred ketones have a total (R + R') of 4 to 9 carbon atoms and include methyl ethyl ketone, methyl propyl ketone, diethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, 3-heptanone, 2-octanone, diisobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone, acetophenone, trimethylcyclohexanone or similar ketones and mixtures thereof. The compound (c) may also be an aliphatic or alicyclic ether, including both saturated and unsaturated ethers of the general formula R-O-R', wherein R and R' are the same or different and are each a C1-C10 hydrocarbon group. In general, lower (Ci-C6) dialkyl ethers are preferred. Typically, ethers include methyl tertamyl ether, methyl isoamyl ether, ethyl isobutyl ether, ethyl tertbutyl ether, dibutyl ether, diisobutyl ether, diisoamyl ether, anisole, methyl anisole, phenetol or similar ethers and mixtures thereof. The component (c) can further be an aliphatic or alicyclic ester, including saturated and unsaturated esters, of the general formula

where R and R' are the same or different. R and R' are preferably hydrocarbon groups, more preferably alkyl groups and most preferably alkyl and phenyl with 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Particularly preferred is an ester where R is C1-C4 and R' is C4-C6. Typical esters are alkyl esters of alkanoic acids including n-butyl acetate, isobutyl acetate, tert-butyl acetate, isobutyl propionate, isobutyl isobutyrate, n-amyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, methyl benzoate, phenyl acetate, cyclohexyl acetate, or similar esters and mixtures thereof. In general, it is preferred to use an ester with from 5 to 8 carbon atoms.

The additive (c) can simultaneously contain two oxygen-containing groups bound to the same molecule with different carbon atoms.

The additive (c) may be a hydroxyketone. A preferred hydroxyketone has the general formula:

where R is hydrocarbyl and Ri is hydrogen or hydrocarbyl, preferably lower alkyl, i.e. (Ci-C4). In general, it is preferred to use a ketol with from 4 to 6 carbon atoms. Typical hydroxyketones include 1-hydroxy-2-butanone, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone or similar ketols or mixtures thereof.

In yet another embodiment, the fuel additive (c) is a ketone ester, preferably of the general formula

where R is hydrocarbyl, preferably lower alkyl, i.e. (C1-C4).

Typical ketone esters include methyl acetoacetate, ethyl acetoacetate, and tert-butyl acetoacetate. Such ketone esters preferably have from 6 to 8 carbon atoms.

The additive (c) can also be a ring-oxygen-containing heterocyclic compound and preferably the oxygen-containing heterocycle has a C4-C5 ring. More preferably, the heterocycle additive has a total of from 5 to 8 carbon atoms. The additive can preferably have the formula (1) or (2) as follows:

where R is hydrogen or hydrocarbyl, preferably -CH3, and R1 is -CH3 or -OH or -CH2OH or CH3CO2CH2-.

A typical heterocyclic additive (c) is tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl acetate, dimethyltetrahydrofuran, tetramethyltetrahydrofuran, methyltetrahydropyran, 4-methyl-4-oxytetrahydropyran or similar heterocyclic additives or mixtures thereof.

Component (c) can also be a mixture of any of the compounds mentioned above from one or more of the above-mentioned different compound classes.

Suitable materials (b) for use according to the present invention can be identified without difficulty by the person skilled in the art. A suitable example of the ethanol component is ethanol containing 99.5% of the main substance. All impurities in ethanol in an amount of at least 0.5% by volume thereof and which fall within the previously mentioned definition of compound (c) should be taken into account when the amount used of component (c) is to be determined. This means that such impurities must be included in an amount of at least 0.5% in ethanol to be considered part of component (c). Any water, if present in ethanol, should preferably not exceed about 0.25% by volume of the total fuel mixture to meet today's standard fuel requirements for gasoline engines.

Therefore, a denatured ethanol mixture as delivered to the market, containing around 92% ethanol, hydrocarbons and by-products, can also be used as the ethanol component in the fuel composition according to the invention.

Except when otherwise indicated, all amounts in % volume are based on the total volume of the motor fuel composition.

In general, ethanol (b) is used in amounts of from 0.1% to 20%, typically from about 1 to 20% by volume, preferably 3 to 15% by volume and more preferably from about 5 to 10% by volume. The oxygen-containing additive (c) is generally used in amounts from 0.05 to 15% by volume, more generally from 0.1 to about 15% by volume, preferably from about 3 to 10% by volume and most preferably from about 5 to 10% by volume .

In general, the total volume of ethanol (b) and oxygen-containing additive (c) used is from 0.15 to 25% by volume, normally from about 0.5 to 25% by volume, preferably from 1 to 20% by volume, more preferably from 3 to 15 % by volume and most preferably from 5 to 15% by volume.

The ratio between ethanol (b) and oxygen-containing additive (c) used is therefore generally from 1:150 to 400:1 and more preferably from 1:10 to 10:1.

The total oxygen content in motor fuel compositions based on ethanol and oxygen additive, expressed as % by weight of oxygen based on the total weight of the motor fuel mixture, is preferably not greater than 7% by weight, more preferably not greater than 5% by weight.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in order to obtain a motor fuel suitable for the operation of a standard spark-ignited internal combustion engine, the hydrocarbon component, ethanol and additional oxygen-containing component are mixed to obtain a resulting motor fuel mixture with the following properties: density at 15°C and at normal atmospheric pressure of not less than 690

kg/m<3>,

oxygen content based on the amount of oxygen-containing components

not more than 7% w/w of the motor fuel composition,

anti-crash index (octane number) not lower than the anti-crash index (octane number) of the hydrocarbon component source and preferably for 0.5(RON+MON) of not less than 80,

dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) substantially the same as the DVPE of the hydrocarbon component source and preferably from 20 kPa to 120 kPa,

acid content of not more than 0.1% by weight HAc,

- pH from 5 to 9,

aromatic hydrocarbon content of not more than 40% by volume, including benzene, and for benzene alone not more than 1% by volume,

limits for evaporation of the liquid at normal atmospheric pressure in % of the source volume of the motor fuel mixture:

- sulfur content of no more than 50 mg/kg

- resin content of no more than 2 mg/100 ml

According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the hydrocarbon component and ethanol should be added together to the mixture, followed by the addition of the additional oxygen-containing compound or compounds. Thereafter, the resulting motor fuel mixture should preferably be maintained at a temperature not lower than -35°C for at least about one hour. A characteristic feature of this invention is that the motor fuel mixture components can only be added to each other to produce the desired mixture. It is generally not necessary to shake or otherwise perform any substantial mixing to prepare the mixture.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in order to obtain a motor fuel composition suitable for the operation of a standard spark-ignited internal combustion engine and with a minimum harmful effect on the environment, it is preferred to use oxygen-containing component(s) that come from renewable raw material(s).

A component (d) can optionally be used to further reduce the vapor pressure of the fuel mixture of components (a), (b) and (c). An individual carbon selected from a C6-C12 fraction of aliphatic or alicyclic saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons may be used as component (d). Preferably, the hydrocarbon component (d) is selected from a C8-Cn fraction. Suitable examples of (d) are benzene, toluene, xylene, tert-butylbenzene, tert-butyltoluene, tert-butylxylene, cyclooctadiene, cyclooctotetraene, limonene, isooctane, isononane, isodecane, isooctene, myrcene, allocymene, tert-butylcyclohexane or similar hydrocarbons and mixtures thereof.

Hydrocarbon component (d) can also be a fraction with a boiling point at 100-200°C, obtained by distilling oil, bituminous coal resin or synthesis gas treatment products.

As already mentioned, the invention further relates to an additive mixture consisting of components (b) and (c) and possibly also component (d) which can later be added to hydrocarbon component (a) and is also possible to use as a fuel for a modified spark ignition internal combustion engine.

The additive mixture preferably has an ethanol (b) to additive (c) ratio of from 1:150 to 200:1 by volume. According to a preferred embodiment of the additive mixture, the mixture comprises the oxygen-containing component (c) in an amount of from 0.5 to 99.5% by volume and ethanol (b) in an amount of from 0.5 to 99.5% by volume and component ( d) comprising at least one C6-C12 hydrocarbon, more preferably C8-Cn hydrocarbon in an amount from 0 to 99% by volume, preferably from 0 to 90%, more preferably from 0 to 79.5% and most preferably from 5 to 77% of the additive mixture . The additive mixture preferably has a ratio between ethanol (b) and the sum of other additive components (c) + (d) from 1:200 to 200:1 in volume, more preferred is the ratio between ethanol (b) and the sum of the components (c ) + (d) from 1:10 to 10:1 by volume.

The additive mixture's octane number can be created and the mixture can be used to adjust component (a)'s octane number to a desired level by adding a corresponding proportion of mixture (b), (c), (d) to component (a).

As examples showing the effectiveness of the present invention, the following motor fuel compositions are presented which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but which clearly illustrate some of the currently preferred embodiments of the invention.

It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that all fuel compositions of the following examples can also be obtained by first preparing an additive mixture of components (b) and (c) and possibly (d), which mixture can then be added to component (a) or vice versa . In this case, a certain amount of the mixture may be necessary.

Examples

To prepare the mixed motor fuel, the following were used as components (b), (c) and (d): fuel ethanol purchased from Sekab in Sweden and from ADM Corp. and Williams i

USA,

oxygen-containing compounds, individually unsubstituted hydrocarbons

and mixtures thereof purchased from Merck in Germany and from Lukoil in Russia

Naphta, which is a distillate gasoline containing aliphatic and alicyclic saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons. Alkylate, which is a hydrocarbon fraction consisting almost exclusively of isoparaffin carbons obtained by alkylating isobutene with butanol. Alkylenebenzene, which is a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons obtained in benzene alkylation. Technically classified alkylbenzene mainly includes ethylbenzene, propylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, butylbenzene and others.

All testing of source gasoline and ethanol-containing motor fuels, including those comprising the components of this invention, was conducted using standard ASTM procedures at the SGS laboratory in Sweden and at Auto Research Laboratories, Inc. in the United States.

The drive testing was carried out on a 1987 Volvo 240 DL according to the standard test method EU2000 NEDC EC 98/69.

European 2000 (EU 2000) New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standard test descriptions are identical to the standard EU/ECE Test Description and Driving Cycle (91/441 EEC respectively ECE-R 83/01 and 93/116 EEC). These standardized EU tests include city driving cycles and extra urban driving cycles and require that specific air pollution regulations are satisfied. Exhaust air pollution analysis is performed with a constant volume test procedure and uses a flame ionizing detector for hydrocarbon determination. Exhaust Emission Directive 91/441 EEC (Phase I) specifically prescribes CO, (HC + NO) and (PM) standards, while EU Fuel Consumption Directive 93/116 EEC (1996) implements consumption standards.

The testing was carried out on a 1987 Volvo 240 DL with a B230F, 4-cylinder, 2.32 liter engine (No. LG4F20-87) producing 83 kW at 90 rev/sec and a torque of 185 Nm at 46 rev/sec.

Example 1

Example 1 shows the possibility of reducing the dry vapor pressure equivalent of the ethanol-containing engine fuel in cases where gasoline types with a dry vapor pressure equivalent according to ASTM D5191 at a level of 90 kPa (about 13 psi) are used as a hydrocarbon base.

To prepare the mixture of this composition, winter gasoline A92, A95 and A98 which are currently available on the market and purchased in Sweden from Shell, Statoil, Q80K and Preem were used.

Figure 1 shows the behavior of the DVPE of the ethanol-containing motor fuel based on winter A95 gasoline. The ethanol-containing motor oils based on winter A92 and A98 used in this example also show a similar behavior.

The source gasoline comprising aliphatic and alicyclic C4-C12 hydrocarbons includes both saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.

The Vinter A92 petrol used had the following specification:

DVPE = 89.0 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 87.7

Fuel 1-1 (not according to the invention) which contained A92 winter gasoline and ethanol, had the following properties for different ethanol contents:

A92 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 94.4 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.1

A92 : ethanol = 90 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 94.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.2

The following different versions of fuels 1-2 and 1-3 show the possibility of adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of ethanol-containing motor fuel based on winter A92 gasoline.

The fuel 1-2 of the invention contained A92 winter petrol (a), ethanol (b) and oxygen-containing additives (c) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate = 88.5 : 4.5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 89.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.9

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl acetate = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 88.6 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.0

A92 : ethanol : diacetone alcohol = 88.5 : 4.5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 89.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.65

A92 : ethanol : ethylacetoacetate = 90.5 : 2.5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 89.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 87.8

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl propionate = 87.5 : 5.5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 88.7 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.4

The motor fuel compositions below show that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel induced by the presence of ethanol to the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into line with the current regulatory requirements for the corresponding petrol. The DVPE level for winter petrol is 90 kPa.

A92 : ethanol : 3-fiheptanone = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.9

A92 : ethanol : 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol = 85 : 8.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.3

A92 : ethanol : diisobutyl ketone = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.25

The fuel 1-3 of the invention contained A92 winter gasoline (a), ethanol (b), oxygen-containing additives (c) and hydrocarbons C6-Ci2 (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : alkylate = 79 : 9 : 2 : 10% by volume

The boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 88.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.25

A92 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate : naphtha = 80 : 5 : 5 : 10% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 88.7 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 88.6

A92 : ethanol : tert-butanol : naphtha = 81 : 5 : 5 : 9% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 87.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.6

The motor fuel compositions below show that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel induced by the presence of ethanol to the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into line with the current regulatory requirements for the corresponding petrol. The DVPE level for winter petrol is 90 kPa.

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : benzene : ethylbenzene : diethylbenzene = 82.5 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 0.5 : 3 : 4% by volume

DVPE = 90 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.0

A92 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate : toluene = 82.5 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 90 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.8

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : isoamyl alcohol : m-xylene = 82.5 : 9.2 : 0.2 : 0.6 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 90 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.9

The following compositions 1-5 to 1-6 show the possibility of adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of ethanol-containing motor fuel based on winter A98 gasoline.

Winter A98 petrol had the following specifications:

DVPE = 89.5 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.35

The compared fuel 1-4 contained A98 winter gasoline and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 95.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.85

A98 : ethanol = 90 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 94.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.1

The fuel 1-5 contained A98 winter petrol (a), ethanol (b) and oxygen-containing additives (c) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol = 84 : 9 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 88.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

A98 : ethanol : tert-butyl acetate = 84 : 9 : 7 volume% DVPE = 89.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.3

A98 : ethanol : benzyl alcohol = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5 volume% DVPE = 89.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.05

A98 : ethanol : cyclohexanone = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5 vol% DVPE = 88.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.9

A98 : ethanol : diethyl ketone = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5 vol% DVPE = 89.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.85

A98 : ethanol : methylpropyl ketone = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5 vol% DVPE = 89.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

A98 : ethanol : methyl isobutyl ketone = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 89.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.65

A98 : ethanol : 3-heptanone = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 89.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

The motor fuel compositions below show that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel induced by the presence of ethanol to the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into line with the current regulatory requirements for the corresponding petrol. The DVPE level for winter petrol is 90 kPa.

A98 : ethanol : methyl isobutyl ketone = 85 : 8 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.7

A98 : ethanol : cyclohexanone = 85 : 8.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

A98 : ethanol : methylphenol = 85 : 8 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.05

The fuel 1-6 contained A98 winter gasoline (a), ethanol (b), oxygen-containing additives (c) and C6-Ci2 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isooctane = 80 : 5 : 5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 82.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.2

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : m-isopropyltoluene = 78.2 : 6.1 : 6.1 : 9.6 vol% DVPE = 81.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.8

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha = 80 : 5 : 5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 82.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.35

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha : m-isopropyltoluene = 80 : 5 : 5 : 5 : 5 volume% The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 82.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.25

A98 : ethanol : tert-butyl acetate : naphtha = 83 : 5 : 5 : 7% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 82.1 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

The motor fuel compositions below show that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel induced by the presence of ethanol to the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into line with the current regulatory requirements for the corresponding petrol. The DVPE level for winter petrol is 90 kPa.

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isooctane = 85 : 5 : 5 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.3

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha = 85 : 5 : 5 : 5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : isopropylxylene = 85 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 90 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.1

The motor fuel compositions teach that it may be necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol below the DVPE level of the source gasoline. Normally this is necessary when the DVPE for the source petrol is higher than the regulatory requirements for the corresponding petrol. In this way, for example, it is possible to transform winter petrol into summer petrol. The DVPE level for summer petrol is 70 kPa.

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : isooctane : naphtha = 60 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 15 : 15 volume% The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 70 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.85

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : alkylate : naphtha = 60 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 15 : 15 volume% The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

The boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 70 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.6

A98 : ethanol : tert-butyl acetate : naphtha = 60 : 9 : 3 : 28% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 70 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.4

The following fuels 1-8, 1-9 and 1-10 show the possibility of adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of the ethanol-containing motor fuel based on winter A95 gasoline.

Winter A95 petrol had the following specifications:

DVPE = 89.5 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.1

Testing according to the standard test method EU 2000 NEDC EC 98/69 as described above showed the following results:

The comparative fuel 1-7 contained A95 winter petrol and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 94.9 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.6

A95 : ethanol = 90 : 10% by volume (referred to as RFM 1 below)

DVPE = 94.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.4

The testing of the reference fuel mixture (RFM 1) shows the following results compared to winter A95 petrol:

The fuel 1-8 of the invention contained A95 winter petrol (a), ethanol (b) and the oxygen-containing additives (c) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : ethanol : diisoamyl ether = 86 : 8 : 6% by volume

DVPE = 87.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.6

A95 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 87.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.85

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl propionate = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 87.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.35

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl acetate = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 87.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.25

A95 : ethanol : 2-octanone = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 87.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.5

A95 : ethanol : tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 87.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.6

The motor fuel compositions below show that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel induced by the presence of ethanol to the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into line with the current regulatory requirements for the corresponding petrol. The DVPE level for winter petrol is 90 kPa.

A95 : ethanol : diisoamyl ether = 87 : 9 : 4% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.0

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl acetate = 88 : 7 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.3

A95 : ethanol : tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.8

The fuel 1-9 contained A95 winter gasoline (a), ethanol (b), the oxygen-containing additives (c) and C6-Ci2 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : alkylate = 83.7 : 5 : 2 : 9.3% by volume

The boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 88.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.65

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha = 83.7 : 5 : 2 : 9.3% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 88.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.8

A95 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate : alkylate = 81 : 5 : 5 : 9% by volume

The boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 87.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

A95 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate : naphtha = 81:5:5:9 volume%

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 87.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.1

The motor fuel compositions below show that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel induced by the presence of ethanol to the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into line with the current regulatory requirements for the corresponding petrol. The DVPE level for winter petrol is 90 kPa.

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : xylene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.1

A95 : ethanol : isobutanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha = 80 : 9.2 : 0.2 : 0.6 : 10% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.0

A95 : ethanol : isobutanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : alkylate = 80 : 9.2 : 0.2 : 0.6 : 5 : 5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

The boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.6

The motor fuel compositions below show that it may be necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol below the DVPE level of the source gasoline. Normally this is necessary when the DVPE for the source petrol is higher than the regulatory requirements for the corresponding petrol. In this way, it is, for example, possible to transform winter petrol into summer petrol. The DVPE level for summer petrol is 70 kPa.

A95 : ethanol : isobutanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : isooctane = 60 : 9.2 : 0.2 : 0.6 : 15 : 15% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.8

A95 : ethanol : tert-butyl acetate : naphtha = 60 : 9 : 1 : 30% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.4

The fuel 1-10 contains 75 vol% A95 winter gasoline, 9.6 vol% ethanol, 0.4 vol% isobutyl alcohol, 4.5 vol% m-isopropyltoluene and 10.5 vol% naphtha

with a boiling point of 100-200°C. This fuel formulation shows that it is possible to reduce the DVPE, increase the octane number, reduce the level of toxic air pollution in the exhaust and reduce fuel consumption compared to the reference blend of gasoline and ethanol (RFM 1). The motor fuel composition has the following properties:

density at 15°C, according to

Motor fuel Tormulation 1-10 was tested in accordance with the standard test method EU 2000 NEDC EC 98/69 and the following results, compared to winter A95 petrol, were obtained:

The fuel formulations 1-1 to 1-10 showed reduced DVPE over the tested ethanol-containing motor bre nn substance is based on summer gasoline. Similar results are obtained when other oxygen-containing compounds according to the invention are substituted for the additives from examples 1-1 to 1-10.

To prepare the above fuel formulations 1-1 to 1-10 of this motor fuel composition, gasoline was first mixed with ethanol and the corresponding oxygen containing additive was added to the fuel mixture. The motor fuel composition obtained was then tested for between 1 and 24 hours at a temperature not lower than -35°C. All formulations mentioned above were prepared without the use of any mixing device.

It was possible to use an additive mixture of the oxygen-containing additive other than ethanol (c) and ethanol (b) to formulate the ethanol-containing motor fuels for standard spark-ignited engines that satisfy the standard conditions for gasoline, both in terms of vapor pressure and anti-shock stability.

The fuel compositions the teacher such opportunity.

A mixture comprising 50% ethanol and 50% isoamyl alcohol was mixed in different proportions with winter gasolines with a dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) not exceeding 90 kPa. All resulting blends did not have a DVPE higher than that required in the conditions for winter gasoline, namely 90 kPa.

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 87 : 6.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 89.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.15

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 86 : 7.0 : 7.0% by volume

DVPE = 89.3 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 86.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.9

Figure 2 shows the behavior of the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) as a function of ethanol content when additive blend 2 comprising 33.3% ethanol and 66.7% tert-pentanol is added to A95 winter gasoline. Figure 2 shows that by varying the ethanol content in petrol within the range from 0 to 11%, the vapor pressure for these compositions is not increased by more than what is required in the standard conditions for DVPE of winter petrol, which is 90 kPa.

Similar DVPE behavior was observed for A92 and A98 winter gasoline blended with an additive blend comprising 33.3 vol% ethanol and 66.7 vol% tert-pentanol. The effect of reducing the vapor pressure of the ethanol-containing gasolines while increasing the ethanol content of the resulting mixture by 0 to 11% by volume was also observed when part of the oxygen-containing additive was replaced by C6-C12 hydrocarbons (component (d)). The compositions teach the effect obtained by means of the invention.

An additive mixture comprising 40% by volume ethanol, 10% by volume isobutanol and 50% by volume isopropyltoluene was mixed with winter gasoline with a DVPE no higher than 90 kPa. The different compositions that were obtained had the following properties:

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : isopropyltoluene = 85 : 6 : 1.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 84.9 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.9

A95 : ethanol : isobutanol : isopropyltoluene = 80 : 8 : 2 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 84.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.1

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : isopropyltoluene = 86 : 5.6 : 1.4 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 85.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.8

Similar results were obtained when other oxygen-containing compounds and also C6-C12 hydrocarbons of the present invention were used in the invention to prepare the additive mixture, which was then used to prepare the ethanol-containing gasolines. These petrols fully met the conditions for motor fuel used in standard spark ignition engines.

Example 2

Example 2 shows the possibility of reducing the dry vapor pressure equivalent of the ethanol-containing motor fuel in the cases where gasoline with a dry vapor pressure equivalent according to ASTM D-5191 at a level of 70 kPa (about 10 psi) is used as a hydrocarbon base.

To prepare the mixtures of this composition summer petrol A92, A95 and A98 which are currently available on the market and are purchased from Shell, Statoil, Q80K and Preem in Sweden, were used.

The source gasoline included aliphatic and alicyclic C4-C12 hydrocarbons, including saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Figure 1 shows the behavior of the DVPE of the ethanol-containing motor fuel based on summer A95 gasoline. The ethanol-containing motor fuels based on winter A92 and A98 gasoline, respectively, showed similar behavior.

The following fuels 2-2 and 2-3 show the ability to adjust the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of the ethanol-containing fuel based on summer A92 gasoline.

Sommer A92 petrol had the following characteristics:

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 87.5

The compared fuel 2-1 contained A92 summer petrol and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 77.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.3

A92 : ethanol = 90 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 76.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.5

The fuel 2-2 contained A92 summer petrol (a), ethanol (b) and the oxygen-containing additives (c) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 85 : 6.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 69.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.3

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol = 80 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 67.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.8

A92 : ethanol : diethyl carbinol = 85 : 6.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 69.6 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.5

A92 : ethanol : diisobutyl ketone = 85.5 : 7.5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 69.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.0

A92 : ethanol : diisobutyl ether = 85 : 8 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 68.9 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.1

A92 : ethanol : di-n-butyl ester = 85 : 8 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 88.5

A92 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 69.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.5

The motor fuel compositions below show that it may be necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol below the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for summer petrol is 70 kPa.

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol = 87.5 : 10 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.6

A92 : ethanol : di-n-butyl ether = 85 : 9 : 6% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.2

A92 : ethanol : diisobutyl ketone = 85 : 8 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.4

The fuel 2-3 contained A92 summer petrol (a), ethanol (b), oxygen-containing additives (c) and C6-C12 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions: A92 : ethanol : methyl ethyl ketone : isooctane = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 volume% DVPE = 69.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.0

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : isooctane = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 vol% DVPE = 69.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.1

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : isononane = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 volume% DVPE = 68.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.0

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : isodecane = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 volume% DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.8

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : isooctene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 vol% DVPE = 68.9 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.2

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : toluene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 volume% DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.4

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 volume% Boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 67.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.4

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha : toluene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 5 : 5 volume% The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 67.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.9

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha : isopropyltoluene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 5 : 5 volume% The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 67.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.2

The motor fuel compositions below show that it may be necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol below the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for summer petrol is 70 kPa.

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : isodecane = 82.5 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.85

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : tert-butylbenzene = 82.5 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 7.5 vol% DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.5

A92 : ethanol : isobutanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : tert-butyltoluene = 82.5 : 9.2 : 0.2 : 0.6 : 5 : 2.5% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.1

The following fuels 2-5 and 2-6 showed the ability to adjust the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of the ethanol-containing motor fuel based on summer A98 gasoline.

Summer A98 petrol had the following specifications:

DVPE = 69.5 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

The comparative fuel 2-4 contains A98 summer petrol and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 76.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.3

A98 : ethanol = 90 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 76.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.7

The fuel 2-5 contained A98 summer petrol (a), ethanol (b) and the oxygen-containing additives (c) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 69.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.5

A98 : ethanol : diisobutyl ketone = 83 : 9.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 69.0

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.9

A98 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 69.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.4

The motor fuel compositions teach that it may be necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol below the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for summer petrol is 70 kPa.

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol = 85 : 8 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.7

A98 : ethanol : tert-pentanol = 90 : 5 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.8

The fuel 2-6 contained A98 summer gasoline (a), ethanol (b), oxygen-containing additives (c) and C6-C12 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : isooctane = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 69.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.7

A98 : ethanol : isopropanol : alkylbenzene = 80 : 5 : 5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.0

The motor fuel compositions teach that it may be necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol below the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for summer petrol is 70 kPa.

A98 : ethanol : isobutanol : isooctane = 81.5 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 8.5% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.5

A98 : ethanol : tert-butanol : limonene = 86 : 7 : 4 : 4% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.6

The following fuels 2-8 to 2-10 show the ability to adjust the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of the ethanol-containing fuel based on summer A95 gasoline.

The Sommer A95 petrol had the following specifications:

DVPE = 68.5 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.8

The tests carried out as above showed the following results for summer A95 petrol:

The comparative fuel 2-7 contained A95 summer petrol and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 75.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.9

A95 : ethanol = 90 : 10% by volume (also referred to as RFM 2 below)

DVPE = 75.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.25

The testing of the reference fuel mixture (RFM 2) showed the following results compared to summer A95 petrol:

The fuel 2-8 contained A95 summer gasoline and the oxygen-containing additives and had the following properties for the different compositions: A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5 volume% DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

A95 : ethanol : diisoamyl ether = 85 : 8 : 6% by volume

DVPE = 66.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.2

A95 : ethanol : isobutyl acetate = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 67.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

A95 : ethanol : tert-butanol = 88 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 68.4 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.6

A95 : ethanol : tert-pentanol = 90 : 5 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

A95 : ethanol : isopropanol = 80 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.8

A95 : ethanol : 4-methyl-2-pentanol = 85 : 8 : 7 volume% DVPE = 66.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.0

A95 : ethanol : diethyl ketone = 85 : 8 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 68.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

A95 : ethanol : trimethylcyclohexanone = 85 : 8 : 7 volume% DVPE = 67.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.8

A95 : ethanol : methyl tertamyl ether = 80 : 8 : 12% by volume

DVPE = 68.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.8

A95 : ethanol : n-butyl acetate = 87 : 6.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 68.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.1

A95 : ethanol : isobutyl isobutyrate = 90 : 5 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.0

A95 : ethanol : methyl acetoacetate = 85 : 7 : 8% by volume

DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.9

The motor fuel compositions below show that it may be necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol below the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for summer petrol is 70 kPa.

A95 : ethanol : 4-methyl-2-pentanol = 85 : 10 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.6

A95 : ethanol : isobutyl isobutyrate = 90 : 6 : 4% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.5

The fuel 2-9 contained A95 summer gasoline (a), ethanol (b), oxygen-containing additives (c) and C6-Ci2 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : ethanol : tert-pentanol : alkylbenzene = 80 : 7 : 4 : 9% by volume

DVPE = 67.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.6

A95 : ethanol : tert-butanol : alkylbenzene = 80 : 7 : 4 : 9% by volume

DVPE = 68.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.8

A95 : ethanol : propanol : xylene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 68.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.1

A95 : ethanol : diethyl ketone : xylene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 68.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.2

A95 : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha : isopropyltoluene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 5 : 5 volume% Boiling point for naphtha is 100-170°C

DVPE = 68.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.4

A95 : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha : alkylate = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 5 : 5 volume% Boiling point for naphtha is 100-170°C

Boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 68.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

The motor fuel compositions teach that it may be necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol below the DVPE level of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for summer petrol is 70 kPa.

A95 : ethanol : isobutanol : isoamyl alcohol : xylene = 82.5 : 9.2 : 0.2 : 0.6 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

A95 : ethanol : isobutanol : isoamyl alcohol : cyclooctadiene = 82.5 : 9.2 : 0.2 : 0.6 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.1

The fuel formulation 2-10 contained 81.5 vol% A95 summer gasoline, 8.5 vol% m-isopropyltoluene, 9.2 vol% ethanol and 0.8 vol% isoamyl alcohol. Formulation 2-10 was tested to show the extent to which the composition according to the invention maintained the dry vapor pressure equivalent at the same level as the source gasoline with an increase in the octane number, while the toxic pollution in the exhaust and the fuel consumption were reduced compared to mixture RFM 2 of gasoline and ethanol. Formulation 2-10 had the following specific characteristics:

density at 15°C, according to

The motor fuel formulation 2-10 was tested according to the test method EU 2000 NEDC EC 98/69 which above gave the following results compared (+) or (-)% with the results for source A95 summer gasoline:

Fuel formulations 2-1 and 2-10 showed reduced DVPE over the tested ethanol-containing motor fuels based on summer gasoline. Similar results were obtained by replacing other additives according to the invention with additives from Examples 2-1 to 2-10.

To prepare all of the above fuel formulations 2-1 to 2-10 of this motor fuel mixture, gasoline was first mixed with ethanol and the corresponding oxygen containing additives were then added to this mixture. The motor fuel mixture obtained was then allowed to stand for 1 and 24 hours before testing at a temperature not lower than -35°C. All the above formulations were prepared without the use of any mixing device.

Use of an additive mixture comprising ethanol and oxygen-containing compounds other than ethanol for the production of the ethanol-containing gasolines was carried out with summer gasoline. The fuel blends teach the possibility of obtaining ethanol-containing gasoline to satisfy standard conditions for summer gasoline, including vapor pressure not higher than 70 kPa. Figure 2 shows the behavior of the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) as a function of ethanol content when blending summer A95 gasoline with the additive blend 3 comprising 35 vol% ethanol, 5 vol% isoamyl alcohol and 60 vol% naphtha boiling at temperatures between 100 and 170°C . Figure 2 shows that by varying the ethanol content in petrol within the range from 0 to 20%, no higher increase of the vapor pressure is induced for these compounds than the conditions for the standards for DVPE of summer petrol, which is 70 kPa.

Similar DVPE behavior was observed for A92 and A98 summer gasoline blended with an additive blend comprising 35 vol% ethanol, 5 vol% isoamyl alcohol and 60 vol% naphtha boiling at 100-170°C.

The ratio between ethanol and the oxygen-containing compound other than ethanol in the additive mixture, which is used for the production of ethanol-containing gasoline, is very important. The ratio between the components of the additive established by the present invention makes it possible to adjust the vapor pressure of ethanol-containing petrol in a wide range.

The compositions teach the possibility of using additive mixtures with both high and low ethanol content. An additive mixture comprising 92 vol% ethanol, 6 vol% isoamyl alcohol and 2 vol% isobutanol was mixed with summer gasoline. The compositions obtained had the following properties:

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 80 : 18.4 : 1.2 : 0.4% by volume

DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.3

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 85 : 16.56 : 1.08 : 0.36 vol% DVPE = 69.9 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.6

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 78 : 20.24 : 1.32 : 0.44 vol% DVPE = 70.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.5

An additive mixture comprising 25 vol% ethanol, 60 vol% isoamyl alcohol and 15 vol% isobutanol was mixed with summer gasoline. The compositions obtained had the following properties:

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 80 : 5 : 12 : 3% by volume

DVPE = 66.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 88.6

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 84 : 4 : 9.6 : 2.4% by volume

DVPE = 65.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.3

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 86 : 3.5 : 8.4 : 2.1% by volume

DVPE = 65.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.3

Similar results were obtained when other oxygen-containing compounds (c) and also C6-C12 hydrocarbons (d) of the invention were used in the ratio established by the invention to produce the additive mixture, which were then used in the production of ethanol-containing gasoline. The petrol fully meets the conditions for motor fuel used in standard spark-ignited engines.

Furthermore, the additive mixture comprising ethanol and the oxygen-containing compound according to the invention other than ethanol within the scope of the present invention can be used as an independent motor fuel for engines adapted to run on ethanol.

Example 3

Example 3 shows the possibility of reducing the dry vapor pressure equivalent of the ethanol-containing fuel in cases when gasoline with a dry vapor pressure equivalent according to ASTM D-5191 at a level of 48 kPa (about 7 pSi) is used as the hydrocarbon base.

To prepare the mixtures of this composition, unleaded summer gasoline A92, A95 and A92, which meets American standards and is purchased in the USA under the trade marks Phillips J Base Fuel, Union Clear Base and Indolene, was used.

The source gasolines included aliphatic and alicyclic C5-Ci2 hydrocarbons which include both saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Figure 1 shows the behavior of the DVPE of the ethanol-containing motor fuel based on US summer A92 gasoline. The ethanol-containing motor fuels based on American summer A95 and A98 gasoline, respectively, showed similar behavior. Sommer A92 petrol had the following specification:

DVPE = 47.8 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 87.7

The fuel 3-1, which contained American A92 summer petrol and ethanol, had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 55.9 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.0

A92 : ethanol = 95 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 55.4 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.1

Fuel 3-2 contained American A92 summer petrol, ethanol and oxygen-containing additives and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 83 : 8.5 : 8.5% by volume

DVPE = 47.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.6

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl propionate = 82 : 8 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 47.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.9

A92 : ethanol : 2-ethylhexanol = 82 : 8 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 47.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.2

A92 : ethanol : tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol = 82 : 7 : 10 volume% DVPE = 47.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.3

A92 : ethanol : cyclohexanone = 82 : 7 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 47.7 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.1

A92 : ethanol : methoxybenzene = 80 : 8.5 : 11.5 vol% DVPE = 46.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.6

A92 : ethanol : methoxytoluene = 82 : 8 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 46.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.8

A92 : ethanol : methyl benzoate = 82 : 8 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 46.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.5

The motor fuel compositions below show that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol to the level of the DVPE of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding petrol. The DVPE level for US summer gasoline is 7 psi, which is equivalent to 48.28 kPa.

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 83 : 9 : 8% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.8

A92 : ethanol : methoxytoluene = 84 : 8 : 8% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.5

A92 : ethanol : methyl benzoate = 85 : 8 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.1

Fuel 3-3 contained US A92 summer gasoline (a), ethanol (b), oxygen-containing additives (c) and C6-Ci2 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions: A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 15.4 volume%

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 47.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.5

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : m-isopropyltoluene = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 15.4% by volume

DVPE = 47.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.5

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : isooctane = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 15.4% by volume

DVPE = 47.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.3

The motor fuel compositions below show that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol to the level of the DVPE of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient to simply bring it into compliance with the conditions of the applicable regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for US summer gasoline is 7 psi, which equates to 48.28 kPa.

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha = 76 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 14.4% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.6

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha : isooctane = 76 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 10.4 : 4% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.8

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha : m-isopropyltoluene = 77 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 10.4 : 3% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.9

The following fuel showed the possibility of adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of the ethanol-containing fuel based on US A98 summer gasoline.

The US A98 petrol had the following specification:

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

The comparative fuel 3-4 contained US A98 summer gasoline and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 56.3 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

A98 : ethanol = 90 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 55.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.6

The fuel 3-5 contained American A98 gasoline for summer use (a), ethanol (b) and oxygen-containing additives (c), and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 82.5 : 9 : 8.5% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.3

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol = 82.5 : 9 : 7 : 1.5% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.4

A98 : ethanol : tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol = 80 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 48.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.7

The fuel 3-6 contained American A98 gasoline for summer use (a), ethanol (b), oxygen-containing additives and C6-Ci2 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions: A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha = 75 : 9 .2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 15.4 volume%

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.3

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : isooctane = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 15.4% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.9

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : m-isopropyltoluene = 75.5 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 14.9% by volume

DVPE = 47.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.4

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha : isooctane = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 8.4 : 7% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.6

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha : m-isopropyltoluene = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 10.4 : 5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 48.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.7

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha : alkylate = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 7.9 : 7.5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

Boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.6

The following fuel showed the possibility of adjusting the vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of the ethanol-containing motor fuel based on US summer A95 gasoline.

American Summer A95 gasoline had the following specification:

DVPE = 47.0 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.9

American Summer A95 gasoline was used as a reference fuel for the testing performed according to the EU2000 NEDC EC 98/69 test cycle on a 1987 Volvo 240 DL with a B230F, 4-cylinder, 2.32 liter engine (No. LG4F20-87) which developed 83kW at 90 revolutions/second and a torque of 185 Nm at 46 revolutions/second.

The testing carried out as above showed the following results for the US summer A95 petrol:

The comparative fuel 3-7 contained American A95 summer gasoline and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : ethanol = 95 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 55.3 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.5

A95 : ethanol = 90 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 54.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

Testing of the reference gasoline-alcohol blend (RFM 3) comprising 90 vol% US A95 summer gasoline and 10 vol% ethanol conducted on a 1987 Volvo 240 DL with a B230F, 4-cylinder, 2.32 liter engine (No. LG4F20-87) according to the standard test method EU 2000 NEDC EC 98/69 showed the following results compared to American A95 gasoline:

The fuel 3-8 contained American A95 summer gasoline, ethanol and oxygen-containing additives, and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 83 : 8.5 : 8.5% by volume

DVPE = 47.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.7

A95 : ethanol : n-amyl acetate = 80 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 47.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.8

A95 : ethanol : cyclohexyl acetate = 80 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 46.7 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

A95 : ethanol : tetramethyltetrahydrofuran = 80 : 12 : 8% by volume

DVPE = 47.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.6

A95 : ethanol : methyltetrahydropyran = 80 : 15 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 46.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

The motor fuel blends teach that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol to the level of DVPE = 47.0 kPa of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient just to bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for the US summer gasoline is 7 psi, which is equivalent to 48.28 kPa.

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 84 : 8.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.7

A95 : ethanol : phenylacetate = 82.5 : 10 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.3

A95 : ethanol : tetramethyltetrahydroruane = 81 : 10 : 9% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

The fuel 3-9 contained American A95 summer gasoline (a), ethanol (b), oxygen-containing additives (c) and C6-C12 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions: A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 15.4 volume%

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 47.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.6

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : isooctane = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 15.4% by volume

DVPE = 47.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : m-isopropyltoluene = 75 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 15.4% by volume

DVPE = 46.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

A95 : ethanol : tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol : cyclooctatetraene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 46.6 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

A95 : ethanol : 4-methyl-4oxytetrahydropyran : allokymene = 80 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 46.7 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.1

The motor fuel blends teach that it is not always necessary to reduce the excess DVPE of the motor fuel caused by the presence of ethanol to the level of DVPE = 47.0 kPa of the source gasoline. In some cases, it is sufficient just to bring it into compliance with the conditions of the current regulations for the corresponding gasoline. The DVPE level for the US summer gasoline is 7 psi, which is equivalent to 48.28 kPa.

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha = 76.5 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 7 : 6.9% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.7

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha : isooctane = 76.5 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 7 : 6.9% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : m-isopropyltoluene = 77 : 9.2 : 0.3 : 0.1 : 13.4% by volume

DVPE = 48.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.9

The fuel formulation 3-10 contained 76 vol% US A95 summer gasoline, 9.2 vol% ethanol, 0.25 vol% isoamyl alcohol, 0.05 vol% isobutyl alcohol, 11.5 vol% naphtha boiling at 100-200°C and 3 vol % isopropyltoluene. Formulation 3-10 was tested to show how the invention enables the production of ethanol-containing gasoline that fully satisfies the conditions of current standards, primarily at the DVPE level and also for other parameters. At the same time, this petrol ensures a reduction in toxic air pollution and lower fuel consumption compared to the mixture RFM 3 of American A95 summer petrol with 10% ethanol. Formulation 3-10 had the following specific characteristics:

density at 15°C, according to

The engine fuel formulation 3-10 was tested on a 1987 Volvo 240 DL with a B230F, 4-cylinder, 2.32 liter engine (No. LG4F20-87) according to test method EU 2000 NEDC EC 98/69 above and gave the following results compared (+) or (-)% with the results for US A95 summer gasoline:

Similar results were obtained when the other oxygen-containing compounds replaced the tested oxygen-containing compounds.

For the production of all fuel compounds above, American summer gasoline was originally mixed with ethanol, to which mixture a corresponding oxygen-containing additive was then added. The motor fuel mixture obtained was then allowed to stand before testing for between 1 and 24 hours at a temperature not lower than -35°C. All formulations mentioned above were prepared without the use of any stirring device.

It was possible to use the additive mixture comprising ethanol and oxygen-containing compounds other than ethanol also to adjust the vapor pressure of the ethanol-containing fuels used in standard internal spark-ignited combustion engines based on summer gasoline that met US standards. By adding C-8-C12 hydrocarbons to the composition of the additive mixture, the effectiveness of the vapor pressure reduced effect on the additive was pointed to excess vapor pressure caused by the presence of ethanol in the gasoline.

The additive mixture comprising 60% by volume ethanol, 32% by volume isoamyl alcohol, and 8% by volume isobutyl alcohol was mixed in various proportions with US summer gasoline with a dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) no higher than 7 psi, which is equivalent to 48.28 kPa.

The compositions obtained had the following properties:

A92 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 87.5 : 7.5 : 4 : 1% by volume

DVPE = 51.7 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.7

A95 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 85 : 9 : 4.8 : 1.2% by volume

DVPE = 51.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.8

A98 : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol = 80 : 12 : 6.4 : 1.6% by volume

DVPE = 52.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.5

The preceding examples show the possibility of partially reducing the excess vapor pressure at about 50% of the excess vapor pressure of gasoline caused by the presence of ethanol in the mixture.

An additive mixture comprising 50% by volume ethanol and 50% by volume methyl isobutyl ketone was mixed in various proportions with US summer gasoline with a dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) no higher than 7 psi, which corresponds to 48.28 kPa. The composition obtained had the following properties:

A92 : ethanol : methyl isobutyl ketone = 85 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 49.4 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.0

A95 : ethanol : methyl isobutyl ketone = 84 : 8 : 8% by volume

DVPE = 48.6 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.7

A98 : ethanol : methyl isobutyl ketone = 82 : 9 : 9% by volume

DVPE = 49.7 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.9

The preceding examples show the possibility of partially reducing the excess vapor pressure at about 80% of the excess vapor pressure of gasoline caused by the presence of ethanol in the mixture. Figure 2 shows the behavior of the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) as a function of the ethanol content of the blend of US A92 summer gasoline and additive blend 4 comprising 35 vol% ethanol, 1 vol% isoamyl alcohol, 0.2 vol% isobutanol, 43.8 vol% naphtha with a boiling point of between 100 and 170°C and 20% isopropyltoluene. Figure 2 shows that the use of this additive mixture of ethanol-containing gasoline enables the reduction of more than 100% of excess vapor pressure caused by the presence of ethanol.

Similar results for DVPE were obtained for US A95 and A98 gasoline blended with the additive blend composed of 35 vol% ethanol, 1 vol% isoamyl alcohol, 0.2 vol% isobutanol, 4.38 vol% naphtha with a boiling point of 100-170°C and 20 vol% isopropyltoluene.

Similar results were obtained when other oxygen-containing compounds and C6-C12 hydrocarbons of this invention were used in the proportion established in the present invention to formulate the additive mixture, which was then used to make the ethanol-containing gasolines. The petrols fully satisfy the requirements for motor fuel used in standard internal combustion spark ignition engines.

Furthermore, the additive mixture comprising ethanol, the oxygen-containing compound other than ethanol and C6-C12 hydrocarbons in the proportions and composition of the present invention can be used as an independent motor fuel for engines adapted to operate with ethanol.

Example 4

Example 4 shows the possibility of reducing the dry vapor pressure equivalent of the ethanol-containing motor fuel for cases where the hydrocarbon base of the fuel is a non-standard gasoline with a dry vapor pressure equivalent according to ASTM D5191 at a level of 100 kPa (about 16 psi).

To prepare the mixture of this composition, unleaded winter gasoline A92, A95 and A92 purchased in Sweden from Shell, Statoil, Q80K and Preem and gas condensate (GK) purchased in Russia from Gazprom were used.

The hydrocarbon component (HCC) of the motor fuel blends was prepared by mixing about 85% by volume winter A92, A95 or A98 gasoline with about 15% by volume gas condensate hydrocarbon liquid (GC).

To prepare the hydrocarbon component (HCC) for fuel formulations 4-1 through 4-10 of the motor fuel composition, about 85% by volume winter A92, A95 or A98 gasoline was first mixed with gas condensate hydrocarbon liquid (GC). The obtained hydrocarbon component (HCC) was then allowed to stand for 24 hours. The resulting gasoline contained aliphatic and alicyclic C3-C12 hydrocarbons, including saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Figure 1 shows the behavior of DVPE of ethanol-containing motor fuel based on winter A98 gasoline and gas condensate. The ethanol-containing motor fuel based on winter A92 and A98 petrol and gas condensate (GC) showed similar behaviour.

Petrol comprising 85 vol% winter petrol A92 and 15 vol% gas condensate (GC) had the following properties:

DVPE = 110.0 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 87.9

The comparative fuel 4-1 contained A92 winter petrol, gas condensate (GC) and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : GC : ethanol = 80.75 : 14.25 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 115.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.4

A92 : GC : ethanol = 76.5 : 13.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 115.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.6

Fuel 4-2 according to the invention contained A92 winter gasoline, gas condensate (GC), ethanol and oxygen-containing additive and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 74 : 13 : 6.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 109.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.35

A92 : GC : ethanol : 2.5 dimethyltetrahydrofuran = 68 : 12 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 110.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.75

A92 : GC : ethanol : propanol = 68 : 12 : 12 : 8 volume%

DVPE = 109.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.0

A92 : GC : ethanol : diisopropylcarbinol = 72 : 13 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 109.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.3

A92 : GC : ethanol : acetophenone = 72 : 13 : 9 : 6 volume%

DVPE = 110.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.8

A92 : GC : ethanol : isobutylpropionate = 75 : 13 : 5 : 7% by volume

DVPE = 109.2 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.0

The fuel 4-3 contained winter A92 petrol, gas condensate (GC), ethanol, oxygen-containing additive and C6-C12 hydrocarbons and had the following properties for the different compositions: A92 : GC : ethanol : isobutanol : isopropylbenzene = 68 : 12 : 9.5 : 0 .5 : 10 volume% DVPE = 108.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.7

A92 : GC : ethanol : tert-butyl ethyl ether : naphtha = 68 : 12 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 volume% Boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 108.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.6

A92 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl methyl ether : toluene = 68 : 12 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 10 vol% DVPE = 107.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.6

The fuel compositions below show that the invention makes it possible to reduce the excess DVPE of non-standard petrol to the level of the corresponding standard petrol. The DVPE for standard A92 winter petrol is 90 kPa.

A92 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : alkylate = 55 : 10 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 12.5 : 12.5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

The boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.6

A92 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : ethylbenzene = 55 : 10 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 15 : 1+ volume%

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 89.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.9

A92 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : isopropyltoluene = 55 : 10 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 20 : 5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 90.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.6

The following compositions show the possibility of adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of the ethanol-containing fuel mixture based on about 85% by volume of winter A98 gasoline and about 15% by volume of gas condensate.

The petrol comprising 85 vol% winter A98 petrol and 15 vol% gas condensate (GC) had the following specification:

DVPE = 109.8 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

The comparative fuel 4-4 contained A98 winter petrol, gas condensate (GC) and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : GC : ethanol = 80.75 : 14.25 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 115.3 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.1

A98 : GC : ethanol = 76.5 : 13.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 114.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.0

Fuel 4-5 according to the invention contained A98 winter petrol, gas condensate (GC) and oxygen-containing additives and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 74 : 13 : 6.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 109.6 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.3

A98 : GC : ethanol : ethoxybenzene = 72 : 13 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

DVPE = 110.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.0

A98 : GC : ethanol : 3,3,5 trimethylcyclohexanone = 72 : 13 : 7.5 : 7.5 vol% DVPE = 109.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.3

The fuel 4-6 contained A98 winter petrol, gas condensate, ethanol, oxygen-containing additives and C6-C12 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions: A98 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha = 68 : 12 : 9.2 : 0.6 : 0.2 : 10% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 107.4 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.8

A98 : GC : ethanol : ethyl isobutyl ether : myrzene = 72 : 13 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 5 vol% DVPE = 110.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.6

A98 : GC : ethanol : isobutanol : isooctane = 68 : 12 : 5 : 5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 102.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.5

The motor fuel compositions below show that the invention makes it possible to reduce the excess DVPE of non-standard petrol to the equivalent standard petrol's DVPE level. The DVPE for standard winter A98 gasoline is 90.0 kPa.

A92 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : alkylate = 55 : 10 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 12.5 : 12.5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

Boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 89.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.0

A92 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : isopropylbenzene = 55 : 10 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 15 : 10% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 89.6 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.2

A92 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : isopropyltoluene = 55 : 10 : 5 : 5 : 20 : 5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 88.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 94.1

The following compositions showed the possibility of adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) of the ethanol-containing fuel mixture based on about 85% by volume of winter A95 gasoline and about 15% by volume of gas condensate.

The petrol comprising 85 vol% winter A98 petrol and 15 vol% gas condensate (GC) had the following specification:

DVPE = 109.5 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.2

The hydrocarbon component (HCC) comprising 85 vol% winter gasoline and 15 vol% gas condensate (GC) was used as reference fuel for testing as described above and gave the following results:

The fuel 4-7 contained A95 winter petrol, gas condensate (GC) and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : GC : ethanol = 80.75 : 14.25 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 115.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.7

A95 : GC : ethanol = 76.5 : 13.5 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 114.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

The reference fuel mixture (RFM 4) comprising 80.75% winter A95 petrol, 14.25% gas condensate (GC) and 5% ethanol was tested as described above and gave the following results in comparison (+) or (-)% with the results for the petrol which comprises 85% by volume winter petrol A95 and 15% by volume gas condensate (GC):

The fuel 4-8 according to the invention contained A95 winter petrol, gas condensate (GC), ethanol and oxygen-containing additives and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 74 : 13 : 6.5 : 6.5% by volume

DVPE = 109.1 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

A95 : GC : ethanol : phenol = 72 : 13 : 8 : 7 volume%

DVPE = 107.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.6

A95 : GC : ethanol : phenylacetate = 68 : 12 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 106.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.8

A95 : GC : ethanol : 3-hydroxy-2-butanone = 68 : 12 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 108.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.6

A95 : GC : ethanol : tert-butyl acetoacetate = 68 : 12 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 108.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

A95 : GC : ethanol : 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexanone = 71 : 12 : 9 : 8% by volume

DVPE = 108.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.6

The fuel 4-9 contained A95 winter gasoline, gas condensate (GC), ethanol, oxygen-containing additives and C6-C12 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions: A95 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutyl alcohol : naphtha = 68 : 12 : 9.2 : 0.6 : 0.2 : 10 volume%

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 107.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.1

A95 : GC : ethanol : isobutanol : cyclooctatetraene = 72 : 13 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 5 vol% DVPE = 108.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.6

The motor fuel compositions below show that the invention makes it possible to reduce the excess DVPE of non-standard petrol to the equivalent standard petrol's DVPE level. The DVPE for standard winter gasoline A95 is 90.0 kPa.

A95 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : isobutanol : naphtha : alkylate = 55 : 10 : 9.2 : 0.6 : 0.2 : 12.5 : 12.5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

The boiling point for alkylate is 100-130°C

DVPE = 89.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.4

A95 : GC : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha : tertbutylxylene = 55 : 10 : 9.5 : 0.5 : 20 : 5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 89.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

A95 : GC : ethanol : isobutanol : naphtha : isopropylbenzene = 55 : 10 : 5 : 5 : 20 : 5% by volume

The boiling point for naphtha is 100-200°C

DVPE = 89.9 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.2

The motor fuel 4-10 contained 55 vol% A95 winter petrol, 10 vol% gas condensate (GC), 5 vol% ethanol, 5 vol% tert-butanol, 20 vol% naphtha with a boiling point of 100-200°C and 5 vol% isopropyltoluene. Formulations 4-10 were tested to show how the invention enables the ethanol-containing gasoline formulation to fully satisfy the conditions of current standards, primarily regarding the dry vapor pressure equivalent limit, and also for other parameters of the fuel, even when the source hydrocarbon component (HCC) has a DVPE significantly higher than the conditions for the standards. At the same time, this ethanol-containing petrol reduces the level of excessive air pollution in the exhaust and reduces fuel consumption compared to mixture RFM 4 described above. Formulation 4-10 had the following specific characteristics:

density at 15°C, according to

Motor fuel Tormulation 4-10 was tested as mentioned above and gave the following results compared (+) or (-)% with the results for motor fuel comprising 85 vol% winter A95 petrol and 15 vol% gas condensate:

Similar results were obtained when other oxygen-containing additives of the invention are substituted with the oxygen-containing additives from Examples 4-1 to 4-10.

To prepare all of the above formulations 4-1 to 4-10 of this motor fuel blend, the hydrocarbon component (HCC), which is a mixture of winter gasoline and gas condensate (GC), was first mixed with ethanol, to which mixture the corresponding oxygen-containing additive was then added and C6-C12 hydrocarbons. The motor fuel mixture obtained was then allowed to stand before testing for between 1 and 24 hours at a temperature not lower than -35°C. All the formulations mentioned above were prepared without the use of any stirring device.

The fuel formulations according to the invention showed the possibility of adjusting the vapor pressure of the ethanol-containing fuel for a standard internal combustion spark ignition engine based on non-standard gasoline with a high vapor pressure. Figure 2 shows the behavior of the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) as a function of the ethanol content of the blends with the hydrocarbon component (HCC), comprising 85% by volume winter A98 gasoline and 15% by volume gas condensate, and additive blend 1, comprising 40% by volume ethanol and 60 vol% methyl benzoate.' Figure 2 shows that by using this additive mixture comprising ethanol and the oxygen-containing additive other than ethanol, it is possible to obtain ethanol-containing gasolines with a vapor pressure that does not exceed the vapor pressure of the source hydrocarbon component (HCC).

Similar results for DVPE were obtained for the fuel blends of the additive blend comprising 40 vol% ethanol and 60 vol% methyl benzoate and the hydrocarbon component comprising 15 vol% gas condensate (GC) and 85 vol% A92 or A95 winter gasoline.

These gasoline blends according to the invention have a vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) that does not exceed the DVPE of the source hydrocarbon component (HCC). At the same time, it is possible to add the oxygen-containing additive only in the amount sufficient to obtain the ethanol-containing gasoline which fully complies with the conditions of motor fuel used in standard internal combustion spark ignition engines.

Example 5

Example 5 shows the possibility of reducing the dry vapor pressure equivalent of the ethanol-containing motor fuel in cases where the hydrocarbon base of the fuel is a reformulated gasoline with a dry vapor pressure equivalent in accordance with ASTM D-5191 at a level of 27.5 kPa (about 4 psi).

To prepare the mixtures of this composition, unleaded reformulated gasoline purchased in Sweden from Preem and in Russia from Lukoil and Petroleum gasoline purchased from Merck in Germany were used.

The hydrocarbon component (HCC) of the motor fuel blends was prepared by mixing about 85% by volume winter A92, A95 or A98 gasoline with about 15% by volume gas condensate hydrocarbon liquid (GC).

The source gasolines included aliphatic and alkcyclic C6-C12 hydrocarbons, including saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Figure 1 shows the behavior of DVPE of ethanol-containing motor fuel based on reformulated gasoline A92 and Petroluem benzine. Similar behavior was observed for the ethanol-containing motor fuel based on reformulated A95 and A98 gasoline and Petroleum gasoline.

It should be emphasized that adding ethanol to the reformulated gasoline induces a higher vapor pressure increase compared to adding ethanol to standard gasoline.

Petrol comprising 80% by volume of reformulated petrol A92 and 20% by volume Petroleum benzine (PB) had the following properties:

DVPE = 27.5 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 85.5

Comparative fuel 5-1 contained A92 reformulated petrol, Petroleum benzine (PB) and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : PB : ethanol = 76 : 19 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 36.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.0

A92 : PB : ethanol = 72 : 18 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 36.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.7

The fuel 5-2 according to the invention contained A92 reformulated petrol, Petroleum benzine (PB), ethanol and oxygen-containing additive and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A92 : PB : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 64 : 16 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 27.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.5

A92 : PB : ethanol : diisobutyl ether = 64 : 16 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 27.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.8

A92 : PB : ethanol : n-butanol = 64 : 16 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 27.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.1

A92 : PB : ethanol : 2,4,4-trimethyl-l-petanol = 64 : 16 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 25.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.8

Fuel 5-3 contained reformulated A92 gasoline, petroleum gasoline (PB), ethanol, oxygen-containing additives and also C8-Ci2 hydrocarbons and had the following properties for the different compositions: A92 : PB : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha = 60 : 15 : 9.2 : 0.8 : 15% by volume The boiling point for naphtha is 140-200°C

DVPE = 27.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 89.3

A92 : PB : ethanol : n-butanol : naphtha : xylene = 60 : 15 : 9.2 : 0.8 : 7.5 : 7.5% by volume

The boiling point of naphtha is 140-200°C

DVPE = 27.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.2

A92 : PB : ethanol : tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol : isopropylbenzene = 60 : 15 : 9 : 1 : 15% by volume

The boiling point of naphtha is 140-200°C

DVPE = 27.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.3

The motor fuels below show the possibility of adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent of the ethanol-containing gasolines based on reformulated A98 gasoline and Petroleum gasoline (PB).

The motor fuel comprising 80% by volume reformulated petrol A98 and 20% by volume Petroleum benzine (PB) had the following properties:

DVPE = 27.3 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 88.0

The comparative fuel 5-4 contained A98 reformulated petrol, Petroleum benzine (PB) and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : PB : ethanol = 76 : 19 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 36.3 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.0

A98 : PB : ethanol = 72 : 18 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 35.8 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

The fuel 5-5 according to the invention contained A98 reformulated petrol, Petroleum benzine (PB), ethanol and oxygen-containing additives and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A98 : PB : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 64 : 16 : 10 : 10

DVPE = 26.9 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

A98 : PB : ethanol : n-amyl alcohol = 64 : 16 : 10 : 10

DVPE = 26.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.2

A98 : PB : ethanol : linalool = 68 : 17 : 9 : 6

DVPE = 27.1 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.6

A98 : PB : ethanol : 3,6-dimethyl-3-octanol = 68 : 17 : 9 : 6

DVPE = 27.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.5

The fuel 5-6 contained A98 reformulated petrol, Petroleum benzine (PB), ethanol, oxygen-containing additives and C8-C12 hydrocarbons (d) and had the following properties for the different compositions: A98 : PB : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha = 60 : 15 : 9 .2 : 0.8 : 15% by volume The boiling point for naphtha is 140-200°C

DVPE = 27.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.7

A98 : PB : ethanol : linalool : allocymene = 60 : 15 : 9 : 1 : 15% by volume

DVPE = 26.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

A98 : PB : ethanol : methylcyclohexanol : limonene = 60 : 15 : 9.5 : 1 : 14.5% by volume

DVPE = 25.4 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.2

The motor fuel mixtures below show the possibility of adjusting the dry vapor pressure equivalent of the ethanol-containing fuel mixture based on about 80% by volume of reformulated A95 gasoline and about 20% by volume of Petroleum benzine (PB). Petrol comprising 80% by volume of the reformulated A95 petrol and 20% by volume of Petroleum Benzine (PB) had the following properties:

DVPE = 27.6 kPa

Anti-impact index 0.5 (RON + MON) = 86.3

The hydrocarbon component (HCC) comprising 80 vol% reformulated gasoline and 20 vol% Petroleum benzine (PB) was used as a reference fuel for testing on a 1987 Volvo 240 DL with a B230F, 4-cylinder, 2.32 liter engine (No. LG4F20 -87) according to the test method EU 2000 NEDC EC 98/69 and gave the following results:

The fuel 5-7 contained A95 reformulated petrol, Petroleum benzine (PB) and ethanol and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : PB : ethanol = 76 : 19 : 5% by volume

DVPE = 36.6 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.2

A95 : PB : ethanol = 72 : 18 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 36.1 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.7

The reference fuel blend (RFM 5) comprising 72 vol.% reformulated A95 gasoline, 18 vol.% Petroleum benzine (PC) and 10 vol.% ethanol was tested on a 1987 Volvo 240 DL with a B230F, 4-cylinder, 2.32 liter engine (No .LG4F20-97) according to test method EU 2000 NEDC EC 98/69 which above and gave the following results compared (+) or (-)% with the results for the gasoline comprising 80 vol.% reformulated gasoline A95 and 20 vol.% Petroleum benzine ( GC):

The fuel 5-8 contained A95 reformulated petrol, Petroleum benzine (PB), ethanol and oxygen-containing additives and had the following properties for the different compositions:

A95 : PB : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol = 64 : 16 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 27.1 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

A95 : PB : ethanol : 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol = 64 : 16 : 10 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 27.0 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.4

A95 : PB : ethanol : tetrahydrofurfuryl acetate = 64 : 15 : 15 : 10% by volume

DVPE = 25.6 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 93.0

The fuel 5-9 contained A95 reformulated petrol, Petroleum benzine (PB), ethanol, oxygen-containing additives and C8-C12 hydrocarbons and had the following properties for the different compositions: A95 : PB : ethanol : isoamyl alcohol : naphtha = 60 : 15 : 9.2 : 0.8 : 15% by volume The boiling point for naphtha is 140-200°C

DVPE = 27.1 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 91.4

A95 : PB : ethanol : tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol : tert-butylcyclohexane = 60 : 15 : 9.2 : 0.8 : 15% by volume

DVPE = 26.5 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 90.7

A95 : PB : ethanol : 4-methyl-4-hydroxytetrahydropyran : isopropyltoluene = 60 : 15

: 9.2 : 0.8 : 15 volume%

DVPE = 26.1 kPa

0.5 (RON + MON) = 92.0

Motor fuel 5-10 contained 60% by volume A95 reformulated gasoline, 15% by volume Petroleum benzine (PB), 10% by volume ethanol, 5% by volume 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran and 10% by volume isopropyltoluene. Formulations 5-10 were tested to show how the invention enables the formulation of ethanol-containing gasoline with a low vapor pressure, in which the presence in the motor fuel composition of ethanol does not cause an increase of dry vapor pressure equivalent compared to the source hydrocarbon component (HCC). Furthermore, this petrol ensures a reduction in toxic air pollution in the exhaust and a reduction in fuel consumption compared to the mixture RFM 5 above. Formulation 5-10 had the following specific characteristics:

density at 15°C, according to

The motor fuel formulation 5-10 was tested as described above and gave the following results compared (+) or (-)% with the results for the motor fuel comprising 80 vol% reformulated A95 gasoline and 20 vol% Petroleum gasoline: Similar results were obtained when other oxygen containing additives in according to the invention, they replaced oxygen-containing additives from examples 5-1 to 5-10.

For the production of all fuel formulations 5-1 to 5-10 of this motor fuel mixture, first the hydrocarbon component (HCC), which is a mixture of reformulated gasoline and petroleum benzine (PB) was mixed with ethanol, to which mixture was then added correspondingly oxygen-containing additives and C8-C12 hydrocarbons. The motor fuel mixture obtained was then allowed to stand before testing for between 1 and 24 hours at a temperature not lower than -35°C. All the above formulations were prepared without the use of any mixing device.

The invention showed the possibility of adjusting the vapor pressure of the ethanol-containing motor fuels for standard internal combustion spark ignition engines based on non-standard gasoline with a low vapor pressure.

Figure 2 shows the behavior of the dry vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) when mixing the hydrocarbon component comprising 80 vol% reformulated A92 petrol and 20 vol% Petroleum petrol, and the oxygen-containing additive mixture 5, comprising 40 vol% ethanol, 20 vol% 3.3, 5-trimethylcyclohexanone and 20 vol.% naphtha with a boiling point of 13-170° and 20 vol.% tert-butyltoluene. The graph shows that the use of the additive according to the invention makes it possible to obtain ethanol-containing petrol with a vapor pressure that does not exceed the vapor pressure of the source hydrocarbon component (HCC).

Similar DVPE behavior was shown by mixing the above oxygenated additive with the hydrocarbon component (HCC) comprising 20 vol% Petroleum gasoline (GC) and 80 vol% A95 or A98 reformulated gasoline.

Similar results were obtained when other oxygen-containing compounds and C8-C12 hydrocarbons according to the invention were used in the proportion according to the invention to formulate the oxygen-containing additive, which was then used in the manufacture of ethanol-containing gasoline.

These gasolines have a vapor pressure equivalent (DVPE) no higher than the DVPE of the source hydrocarbon component (HCC). At the same time, the anti-knock index for all ethanol-containing gasoline produced according to the invention was higher than that for the source hydrocarbon component (HCC).

The description and examples of preferred embodiments of the invention should be seen as illustration and not a limitation of the invention as defined in the claims. Numerous variations and combinations of the properties described above can be used without deviating from the present invention as described in the claims. All such modifications are intended to be inclusive in the scope of the following requirements.

Claims (9)

1. Method for reducing the vapor pressure of a C3-C12 hydrocarbon based motor fuel blend for conventional spark ignition internal combustion engines containing 0.1 to 20% by volume ethanol, not more than 0.25% water by weight according to ASTM D 6304 and not more than 7% by weight oxygen according to ASTM D 4815, by at least 80% of the ethanol-induced vapor pressure increase, and more preferably to the vapor pressure of the C3-C12 hydrocarbon component (a) alone, by combining: component (a) by combining: component (a); and an ethanol component (b), characterized in that further components (c) and (d) are combined with components (a) and (b), where an oxygen-containing component (c) selected from at least one of the following types of compounds: alkanol with from 3 to 10 carbon atoms; dialkyl ethers having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms; ketone having from 4 to 9 carbon atoms; alkyl esters of alkanoic acid having from 5 to 8 carbon atoms; hydroxyketone having from 4 to 6 carbon atoms; alkanoic acid ketones with from 5 to 8 carbon atoms; oxygen-containing heterocyclic compound selected from: tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl acetate, dimethyltetrahydrofuran, tetramethyltetrahydrofuran, methyltetrahydropyran, 4-methyl-4-oxytetrahydropyran and mixtures thereof; and a component (d) selected from at least one C 6 -C 12 hydrocarbon; in order to obtain a fuel mixture in which component (c) is present in an amount from 0.05 up to 15 percent by volume of the total volume of the fuel mixture and component (d) is present in an amount such that the ratio ( b):((c)+(d)) is from 1:200 to 200:1 in volume. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the oxygen-containing component (c), component (d) and ethanol component (b) are combined into a mixture, which mixture of (c), (b) and (d) is then added to the hydrocarbon component (a), or vice versa. 3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the ethanol component (b) is added to the hydrocarbon component (a), to which a mixture of (b) and (a) the oxygen-containing component (c) and component (d) is added. 4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that C3-C12 hydrocarbon component (a) is selected from the group consisting of a non-reformulated standard type of gasoline, a hydrocarbon liquid from petroleum refining, a hydrocarbon liquid from natural gas, a hydrocarbon liquid from an off- gas from chemical recovery carbonization, a hydrocarbon liquid from synthesis gas process or mixtures thereof, a non-reformulated standard type gasoline is preferred. 5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fuel mixture obtained exhibits the following characteristics: (i) a density at 15°C according to ASTM D 4052 of at least 690 kg/m<3>; (ii) a dry vapor pressure equivalent according to ASTM D 5191 from 20 kPa to 120 kPa; (iii) an acid content according to ASTM D 1613 of not more than 0.1% by weight HAc; (iv) a pH according to ASTM D 1287 of 5 to 9; (v) an aromatics content according to SS 155120 of not more than 40% by volume, in which benzene is present in amounts according to EN 238 of not more than 1% by volume; (vi) a sulfur content according to ASTM D 5453 of not more than 50 mg/kg; (vii) a gum content according to ASTM D 381 of not more than 2 mg/100 ml; (viii) distillation properties according to ASTM D86 in which the initial boiling point is at least 20°C; a volatile proportion at 70°C is at least 25% by volume; a volatile proportion at 100°C is at least 50% by volume; a volatile proportion at 150°C is at least 75% by volume; a volatile fraction at 190°C is at least 95% by volume, a final boiling point no higher than 205°C and an evaporation residue of no more than 2% by volume; and (ix) an anti-knock index 0.5 (RON + MON) according to ASTM D 2699-86 and ASTM D 2700-86 of at least 80. 6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that hydrocarbon component (d) is selected from benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, isopropyltoluene, diethylbenzene, isopropylxylene, tertbutylbenzene, tert-butyltoluene, tert-butylxylene, cyclooctadiene, cyclooctotetraene, limonene, isooctane, isononane, isodecane, isooctene, myrcene, allocymene, tert-butylcyclohexane and mixtures thereof. 7. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that hydrocarbon component (d) is selected from a C8-Cn fraction. 8. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that hydrocarbon component (d) is selected from a fraction boiling at 100-200°C, which is obtained by distillation of oil, bituminous coal resin or synthesis gas processing products. 9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ratio of (b):((c)+(d)) is from 1:10 to 10:1 by volume.