US1331054A - Motor-fuel for internal-combustion engines - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. DINSMORE, E

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOTOR-FUEL FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

No Drawing.

. fuel of that kind which will meet the practical requirements of ordinary motor car service in all kinds of weather, and which, to that end, will be obtainable at reasonable cost, will vaporize freely without the use of a preheater, and will burn without objectionable deposit of carbon in the motor.

Heretofore light gasolene has been the preferred fuel for this service, but the demand has so far outrun the supply that heavier grades of mineral oil have been resorted to of necessity, until the motor gasolene sold today approaches more nearly to the grade of kerosene than of light gasolene with the result that it vaporizes too slowly and burns so imperfectly as to leave a considerable deposit of soot. Loss of power and difficulty in starting the motor particularly in cold weather are further objectionable consequences.

The present invention is based on the dis- "covery that methyl acetate either alone or in mixture with other volatile and combustible liquids, when used in relatively small proportions with kerosene or the lighter distillates of petroleum, forms a quick vaporizing agent which will greatly accelerate vaporization of the fuel for the purpose of carbureting the air drawn into the motor,

and will burn with practically complete freedom from soot deposit in the cylinder and valve passages. v

While the present invention makes possible and satisfactory the use of kerosene as the basis for the motor fluid, nevertheless, it is to be understood that other liquid distillates of petroleum may also be treated in accordance with this invention using a lesser proportion of the vaporizing agent if lighter distillates of petroleum are used. This treatment consists essentially in mixing with the petroleum distillate to beused a suitable quantity of a vaporizing element Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 17, 1920,

Application filed March 19, 1919. Serial No. 283,550.

which will mingle freely and permanently with the petroleum distlllate at all atmospheric temperatures and cause a more rapid and easy vaporization thereof and to form with the air an explosive or combustible mixture which shall burn without depositing carbon in the'motor.

Another feature of the invention consists in the economical production of methyl alcohol, as a by-product, in the production of the present motor fluid.

The use of methyl acetate alone under present conditions would be too expensive for ordinary commercial service on account of the high cost of that substance. There are,however,muchless costly compounds in which methyl acetate occurs in association with other substances particularly ketones that are highly combustible and inflammable, and which because of the presence of the methyl acetate will remain permanently mixed with kerosene or other petroleum distillate at all usual ranges of atmospheric temperature.

There are at least two such substances already produced on a commercial scale in industrial processes that are available at sufficiently low cost and obtainable in sufliciently large quantities to meet the practical requirements of this problem. Moreover, I have found that the mere mechanical mixing of these compounds with kerosene or the like affords a new commercially economical method of obtaining as a by-product methyl alcohol without the time-consumincr and expensive resort to fractional distillation or other methods heretofore in vogue.

In the process of destructive distillation of wood there are produced at different stages or in different branches of the process two substances, each of which contains sufficient methyl acetate for the purposes of the present invention, and in association with a considerable percentage of ketones which, without the presence of the'methyl acetate will not remain mixed with kerosene at low atmospheric temperature but which, when mixed or associated with the methyl acetate, will not separate from the kerosene at such temperatures.

The first of these substances is the socalled crude wood spirit which as it is found in the destructive distillation of wood usually comprises a mixture approximately as follows: .48 methyl alcohol, .30 methyl acetate and ketones of which a considerable part is acetone, .04.- light volatile oils, and .18 water.

On mixing this crude wood spirit with kerosene or other liquid petroleum dlstillate in'the proportion of say, for example 1 part of wood spirit and 5 parts of kerosene, it will be found that the kerosene has absorbed or taken up practically all of the ketone ingredients and the methyl acetate and has rejected the methyl alcohol and water. The methyl alcohol may be easily separated from the water by well known methods, while the kerosene containing the methyl acetate and ketones forms a very effective nd satisfactory motor fluid which will remain a permanent mixture at temperatures far below the freezing point of water and will quickly vaporize 1n the ca'bureter and will burn with practically complete freedom from soot deposit in the cylinder and the valve passages.

The recovery of methyl alcohol by the simple operation of the mechanical mixing with kerosene gives a valuable by-product tending to materially reduce the cost of the motor fluid thereby promoting its commercial availability, and this forms a valuable and important feature of the present invention. i

Of course, in the event that methylacetate could'beproduced at much lower cost than is now possible, the methyl-acetate whether with or without ketones could be mixed directly with kerosene in suitable proportions to meet the requirement for any particular purpose.

It will be understood that the proportion given above for mixing kerosene with crude wood spirit may be considerably varied according to the particular requirements or circumstances such as the prevailing range of atmospheric temperature where the fluid is to be used, or according to the grade of petroleum distillate that is used as the basis of the motor fluid mixture. In general a I larger proportion of the methyl acetate-keand usually a much smaller Just as in the case of the tone content will increase the vaporizing effect but at a corresponding increase in the cost of the fluid.

. The other substance derived from destructive distillation of wood mentioned above that is applicable to the purposes of this invention is the methyl acetone obtained from the distillation of the gray acetate of lime which is produced in the treatment of the products obtained from the destructive distillation of wood. This methyl acetone so produced ischaracterized by the presence of a considerable quantity of methyl acetate quantity of methyl alcohol. crude wood spirit mentioned above the ad mixture of this methyl acetone with the of the methyl acetate.

- kerosene or other petroleum liquid distillate acetate and ketone content will be absorbed by the petroleum. It is to be noted, however, that inasmuch as the ketone content in the methyl acetone is relatively much greater than in the crude wood spirit a smaller proportion of the methyl -acetone may be mixed with the kerosene to secure practically the same resultant composition of motor fluid, so that in this case from 10 to 15 parts of kerosene may be mixed with one part of methyl acetone to form the motor fluid.

Whether produced from either substance or other analogous substances in the art it will be found that the presence of a substantial quantity of methyl acetate will serve to fix the associated ketones permanently in the motor fluid mixture so that they will not be separated or thrown out by-the chilling effect of low temperature which would in most instances occur without the presence Moreover, as in both substances the methyl acetate is associated with a substantial amount of methyl alcohol in the crude products of wood distillation, the recovery of wood alcohol by the inexpensive process of'mixing kerosene to separate from the ketones permits the obtaining of the proper ketone ingredients at a minimum cost so that the motor fluid can be produced within a cost of commercial availability which is an essential requirement in motor fluid intended for general use.

What I claim is:

l. The herein described process of producing a liquid fuel for internal combustion motors or the like which consists in mixing with the methyl acetone containing liquid product of the destructive distillation of wood, a relatively larger quantity of petroleum distillate, thereby absorbing the methyl acetone content of said liquid product into the kerosene and leaving the methyl alcohol contentphysically separate therefrom and mechanically separating the methyl alcohol from the other ingredients, substantially as described.

2. The herein described process of separating the ketone and methyl acetate ingrepermanently mixed therewith a quick vaporizing agent containing methyl acetate, substantially as described.

4. A motor fluid for internal combustion engines consisting principally of kerosene,

in which is mingled a relatively small proportion of ketones containing methyl acetate, substantially as described.

5. A motor fluid for internal combustion engines comprising a liquid distillate of petroleum such as kerosene and a ketone ingredient containing methyl acetate, the kerosene and the methyl-acetate ketone content being in substantially the proportions set forth.

6. A motor fluid for internal combustion engines comprising a liquid distillate of petroleum such as kerosene and a relatively small percentage of methyl acetate mixed therewith, substantially as indicated.

In Witness whereof, I have subscribed to the above specification.

GEORGE F. DINSMORE.