US1665621A - Balanced motor fuel - Google Patents

Description

Pa tented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

BALANCED MOTOR FUEL.

No Drawing,

This invention relates to liquid fuels for use in lnternal combustlon motors. More particularly this invention appertains to im-.

provements in hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline, benzol, gasoline-benzol mixtures, and other volatile fuels for use in automotors. 1 The primary object of the present invention is to adapt fuels of the character mentioned, for more efficient and satisfactory use in the internal combustion motors of auto: mobiles and otherautomotors, by improving combustion, increasing operating efiiciency, eliminating or reducing the formation of 5 carbon monoxide and other obnoxious gases in the exhaust, and partly or totally eliminating the formation of carbon deposits.

Another object is to provide a fuel by" blending gasoline or other hydrocarbons with some suitable compound 'of the character mentioned in the specification, whereby. the tendency to knock of the. gasoline or other fuel used as a basis will be corrected without prejudice to other valuable and necessary characteristics possessed by said fuels.

Uther objects will more fully appear as the description proceeds, and the novel features and advantages of the, invention will 0 be set forth in the appended claims.

As stated in the premises, this invention does not contemplate the production of a gasoline substitute for use, as a fuel in internal combustion engines; but it does aim to produce a fuel for internal combustion engines, the basis of which is some suitable volatile hydrocarbon, preferably gasoline, to which relatively, small quantities of one or more corrective agents tending to improve 40 its performance, have been added.

The low grades of fuels that an enormous demand has of late years forced upon the market, and the general tendency of engine designers tovuse higher compression pressures, have given rise to difliculties of various nature which seriously interfere with motor operation. Chief among these difficulties is the tendency to knock that the average fuel develops under current practice conditions. Another serious difficulty is found in the formation of carbon deposits in the cylinders and in other parts of the engine. Still another seriously objectionable feature is improper combustion, causing Application filed December 23, 1924. Serial No. 757,732.

poor operating efficiency, and also causing the occurrence of carbon monoxide 1n the exhaust.

\Vhile these difiiculties may be due, singly I or in combination, to a wide variety of factors, yet 1n most instances there is a close 1nterrelat1on 1n the occurrence. Thls 1s esg'iecially true in connection with the hydrocarbon fuels to which this invention more" particularly refers.

In fact, while a tendency to knock may frequently be attributed to an excess of hydrogen in the fuel-air mixture, yet the formation of carbon deposits is a contributory cause thereto; in some cases it is the main cause, the particles of incandescent carbon in the cylinder causing preignition of the explosive mixture.

The formation of carbon deposits and that of carbon monoxide are also closely interrelated, being both due, in the majority of cases, to a deficiency of oxygen in the fuel-air mixture' The problem, therefore. mainly consists in so correcting the relative proportions of the various const1tu-' cuts in the mixture, that the performance of the fuel may be generally improved.

This subject has been extensively dealt with by me in other patent applications, one

entitled Motor fuels filed October 8, 1924, erial No. 742.428; one entitled Fuel for heat engines, filed October 14, 1924, Serial No. 743,636; another one entitled Fuels for internal combustion engines, filed Novem-- ber 21, 1924, Serial No. 751,398; and two.

others, one entitled Fuels for automotors, and the other entitled Anti-knock fuels, filed simultaneously herewith.

In my application No. 7 51,398, I have explained how the tendency of a fuel to detonate, and the deficiency of oxygen can be corrected at one and the'same time by blending the fuel with substances decreasing the percentages of fuel elements in the fuel-air mixture, thus increasing the relative proporhave pointed out the advantages which may be derived by adding to gasoline a proportion of dimethyl ketone and a proportion of alcohol, and preferably also a small proportion of water.- A corrective action is obtained by these additions, principally due.

to the-reduction of the fuel elements in the fuel-air mixture, a certain increase in the supply of oxygen, and the supply of a ther; mal diluent having a high latent heat of vaporization.

Small additions of tetranitromethanc or some other compound containing oxygen in excess of its own fuel requirements, may also be made, to supply oxygen to cover any possible remaining deficiency.

In my other application entitled Antiknock fuels, filed simultaneously herewith, I have described and claimed the use of a ketone-alcohol as a blending agent, with or without the addition of water or an oxidizing agent, or both. Compounds of this character, such as mentioned in the said application, are more energetic in their action in redueing the fuel contents and in increasing the oxygen in the fuel-air mixture, and therefore smaller quantities are needed to produce the desired effect.

The present application is more specifically directed to the use of blending agents which contain a relatively large proportion of oxygen, and which bring about a balancing action upon the fuel composition, byVat the same time increasing its capacity for power generation. This is obtained by using as a blending. agent a solution of some suitable oxide of nitrogen in some suitable solvent, the' solvent itself assisting in bringing about the balanced condition of the fuel.

Nitrogen is capable of producing five different oxides, which are all more or less soluble in various solvents. I have found nitrogen peroxide referable for use on account'of its relative stability, high oxygen contents, and solubility in substances which are particularly well adapted to' correct the fuel contents of the mixture. In fact nitroen peroxide is quite soluble in dimethyl etone acetic acid, methyl alcohol and ethyl alcoho in the order named, and these su stances have been mentioned before as the very ones which are advocated as suitable blending agents.

Asa rule I- prefer to use as a solvent dimethyl ketone, not only because it takes up a larger proportion of the oxide, but also' because it is compatiblewith water; and at times, especially when the heavier grades of gasoline are used, it may be advisable to add a small-pro ortion of water as a thermal diluent, in a dition to the nitro en provided by the'ox'ide. As I have exp ained in my previous application, water has the advantage of having a high latentheat of vapor1- zation, and therefore it has a tendency to in the fuel mixture, orivhcn a suitable carrying agent is employed, such as dimethyl kc tone; it follows, therefore, that a suitable blending compound may also be had by dissolving 'a certain quantity of a nitrogen oxide, in a mixture of dimethyl ketone and alcohol;

Owing to the variety of conditions that a fuel is expected to meet, and owing to the different compositions of the fuels themselves, it is practically impossible ,to set downany hard and fast rule for the compounding of a fuel mixture. The adjustment of the carburetor, other conditions being equal, has a controlling influence upon the nature of the fuel-air mixture. While the best eifi ciency is obtained by the production of rather lean mixtures, the average practice is to adjust the carburetor for maximum power and flexibility, and this adjustment is rather on the-side of a rich mixture, where the fuel-air ratio is about 1:123. I

For average compression pressures, and average carburetor adjustment, using a fairly good grade of gasoline as a basis, I have found the following mixture to'be satisfactory:

Nitrogen peroxide, dissolved in the ket'OIl 13 If a rather heavier grade of gasoline is used, the following mixture is to be recom-" mended:

Partsby a weight. I Gasoline 77 Kerosene A 3 Dimethyl ketone a; 6 Nitrogen peroxide 9 Water 5 According to the fuel used, and to p erformance conditiozisto bemet, various mixtures may be prepared with these ingred ents varyin between the following proportions:

Liquid hydrocarbonfuel', from 60 to 98 parts. 1

One of the oxides of nitrogen, from 1 to 30 parts.

A suitable solvent therefor,'from 1 to 25 p 2 Water, from O to 10 parts.

As stated .above, I prefer to use gasoline sults. In such cases, a decrease of the fuel elements in the fuel-airmixt-ure" is not necessary, and it may not even be desirable from the standpoint of power generating capacity; and therefore it is sufficient to dissolve the oxide of nitrogen used directly into the fuel.

All the nitrogen oxides are heavy gases, easily dissolved, and easily retained in solution; so that once the fuel, or the fuel mix-f ture, have been charged with asuitable quantity of nitrogen oxide gas, the r'esulting .mixtures are quite stable, and there is no tendency of the I claim:' I 1. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, an oxide gas to escape.

of nitrogen, and a solvent forsaid oxide.

ternal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, an oxide of nitrogen, a solvent for said oxide, and a relatively small proportion of Water.

4. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an int ernal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, an oxide of nitrogen, anddimethyl ketone.

5. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an in- 6. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, nitrogen perox-- idefdimethyl ketone, and arelatively small \proportion of Water. 1

7. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, a ketone, and an oxide of nitrogen dissolved in said ketone.

8. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of a petroleum'distillate dimethyl ketone, and nitrogen peroxide dissolved in said ketone.

9. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mix ture of aliquid hydrocarbon from 60 to 98 parts, an oxide of nitrogen from 1 to 30 parts, and a solvent for said oxide, from 1 to 25 parts.

10. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture ofa; liquid hydrocarbon from 60 to 98 parts, .an oxide of nitrogen from 1 to 30 parts, a solvent-for'said oxide, from 1 to 25 parts, and Water, from O to 10 parts.

11. A liquid fuel adapted foruse in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of petroleum distillate from 60 to 98 parts, nitrogen peroxide from 1 to 30 parts, 'dimethyl ketone from 1 to 25 parts, and water, from 0 to 10 parts.

EDWARp F; CHANDLER.