US2195843A

US2195843A - Cleaning composition and method of cleaning internal combustion engines

Info

Publication number: US2195843A
Application number: US753898A
Authority: US
Inventors: William J Sweeney; Joshua A Tilton
Original assignee: Standard IG Co
Current assignee: Standard IG Co
Priority date: 1934-11-20
Filing date: 1934-11-20
Publication date: 1940-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1957-04-02

Description

Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANING COMPOSITION AND METHOD OF CLEANING INTERNAL COIWBUSTION EN- GINES No Drawing.

Application November 20, 1934 Serial No. 753,898

2 Claims.

This invention relates to cleaning compositions or compounds and more particularly to a cleaning composition or compound for removing deleterious bodies that are formed in internal com- 5 bustion engines.

In the normal course of internal combustion engine operation it is well known and recognized that some ingredients of the crankcase lubricant combine with oxygen to form resinous or asphal- 1 tic material commonly called sludge." This sludge, either alone or as a water emulsion, tends to adhere to the motor parts and is in some ways detrimental to smooth engine performance. In some instances, emulsified sludge has been known to completely stop the flow of oil through engine oiling systems, resulting in a rise in bearing temperatures, high enough to melt the bearing metal. To remove sludge, the engine has to be dismantled and cleaned, or washed with some suitable solvent oil. In the latter course, the solvent usually consists of ordinary petroleum fractions or the more aromatic coal tar naphthas, either alone or in mixtures of light lubricating oil.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved cleaning composition for substantially dissolving the resinous and asphaltic material formed by the combination of oxygen with some ingredients of a lubricating oil while being used in an internal combustion engine.

This and other objects and advantages will be obvious from the following description. I

The general method used in cleaning internal combustion engines is to drain the used oil out of the crankcase, preferably while the engine is hot, add the solvent oil, run the engine for several minutes and drain. This procedure usually must be repeated several times if it is desired to have the draining come out clear. The crankcase is then refilled with clean lubricating oil.

40 According to this invention, destructively hydrogenated solvent naphthas of the type usually designated hydroformed naphthas are found to be decidedly effective solvents for resinous or asphaltic materials formed in crankcases of internal combustion engines, and in this respect provide an improved cleaner over the usual run of solvents such as common petroleum type solvents and coal tar solvents such as benzol and toluol. The manufacture of these solvents is according to a known process, but it may be gento be better solvents for the resinous and asoxides and sulphides of metals of the VI group of the periodic table are of particularimportance, and especially mixtures thereof with oxides of the 15 metals of the III and IV groups, and with zinc oxide, magnesia and the like. The rate of flow may be from 1.5 to 4 volumes of oil per hour per volume of catalyst and the amount of hydrogen is ordinarily from 1000 to 4000 cu. ft. per barrel 20 of oil. The physical properties of hydroformed solvents may be illustrated as follows:

Kauri butanol value Flash Fraction No. a

Point 25 Gravity A. P. I.

Hereafter in the specification and claims the hydroformed solvent naphthas will be known as hydrosolvents. The hydrosolvents having a boiling range of 419 F. to 460 F. have been found phaltic bodies found in internal combustion engines. The hydrosolvent fractions may be used as such or in a mixture consisting of the hydrosolvent fraction and other solvent oil, such as a mineral, animal or vegetable oil, preferably a higher boiling lubricating oil.

The inherent property of hydrosolvents, especially the 419 to 460- F. fraction, that makes them especially adapted for removing sludge formed in internal combustion engines may be known from the following illustration:

.Sludge, formed by the combination of oxygen with some ingredients of a lubricating oil, was separated from the lubricating oil by settling and f decantation. The action of various solvents on this separated sludge was determined and the following results were obtained:

Percent of lubricating oil sludge soluble in solvent Solvent Kahlbaum benzine (122 F. to 266 F. boiling range).

gleaners naphtha (300 F. to 410 F. boiling range) Toluol Hydrosolvent (365 F. to 419 F.boiling range) .7

Hydrosolvent (419 F. to 460 F. boiling range) and various changes and alternative arrangements may be made within the scope of the appended claims in which it is our intention to claim .all inherent novelty in the invention as broadly as the prior art permits.

We claim:

1. A cleaning composition as cleaning agent for crankcases of internal combustion engines containing a destructively hydrogenated solvent mineral oil having a boiling range of 419 to 460 F. and a kauri butanol value of about 85.7.

2. A method of cleaning crankcases of internal combustion engines which comprises draining the used oil out of the crankcase, adding a cleaning composition containing a destructively hydrogenated solvent mineral oil having a boiling range of 419 to 460 F. and a kauri butanol value of about 85.7 and a mineral lubricating oil, running the engine for several minutes and draining.

WILLIAM J. SWEENEY. JOSHUA A. TILTON.