US3074386A - Diesel fuel oil - Google Patents

Description

nite tatcs The present application relates to fuel oils having improved combustion efiiciency.

The term fuel oil in general comprises all liquid hydrocarbons used as fuels for burners and furnaces and the like, or as fuels for diesel engines, and includes both residual oils and distillate oils such as gas oil. The fuel oil may, for example, have a Luchaire flash point above 60 C.

It is generally necessary to improve the properties, in particular the combustion efficiency, of fuel oils. It has been observed, particularly in diesel engines, that when the quantity of fuel injected is increased, smoke, increasing with the quantity of fuel injected, appears in the exhaust gases. This is due to the incomplete combustion of the fuel which decreases the combustion efiiciency of the engine and also causes engine fouling.

It has now been discovered that fuel oils of improved combustion efficiency are obtained when the fuel oil contains a minor proportion of an oil-soluble compound formed by reacting an organic base, or an alkylene oxide containing from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, with an organic derivative of phosphoric acid having the general formula:

wherein X represents oxygen or sulphur, R and R represent alkyl or substituted alkyl radicals containing from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 8 to 14 carbon atoms.

The oil-soluble organic phosphorus compounds of the present invention are self-dispersing in fuel oils and are derivatives of phosphoric acid in which an acid hydrogen is combined with:

(1) An organic base such as an amine to form a salt in which X represents oxygen or sulphur, R" and R' may be alkyl radicals having for preference from 2 to 20 atoms, better still 8 to 14 atoms of carbon. These radicals may or may not have substituent groups such as OH, NH;,, SH, CN etc.; R' may be an alkyl radical having for preference from 4 to 18 and better still from 6 to 12 carbon atoms.

(2) An alkylene oxide having for preference from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, to yield in the case of ethylene oxide the derivatives complying with the general formula:

0 (CHz-CHa-O) H X=P-OR" in which X, R and R" have the same meaning as in the previous formula and n represents a whole number.

According to the invention, the amines used may be of the straight or branched chain type, primary or secondary, mono-amines or polyamines, amido-arnines or ethanolamines.

The quantity of organic derivative of phosphoric acid to be added to the fuel oil is for the preference between 3,074,336 Patented Jan. 22, 1963 ice 0.005 and 5% better still between 0.05 and 1% by weight in relation to the fuel oil.

This organic derivative of phosphoric acid is particularly'suitable for improving gas oils, domestic fuel oils, light and heavy fuel 'oils, i;e. light hydrocarbons having aLuchairefiash point above 60 C.

The following examples given by way of explanation will better show the scope and importance of the invention.

The tests 'were carried out with a diesel engine of General Motors (GM 371) possessing the following characteristics:

Number of cylinders 3.

.Bore in mm 108 (4% inches). Stroke in mm. 127 (5 inches). Cylinder capacity in cc. 3474 (212 cubic inches). Temperature of water C.

Temperature of oil 107 C.

Speed 1200 r.p.m.

Smoke measurements at the exhaust'have'been carried out by means of the smoke meter known by the name of the Von Brand Smoke-meter. This apparatus makes it possible to effect the measurement of the smoke contained in the exhaust'gases, by causing the latter to pass through a paper screen unwinding at constant rate. The intensity of the spot is obtained by interpolation between two standards (one white and the other black), by measuring the percentage of light reflected with the aid of a photo-reflecto-meter.

By running the diesel engine with a determined output and feeding it with a gas oil with or without additive, the following characteristics were measured,

and the following calculation was made:

Consumption of gas oil with additive consumption gas oil without additive Consumption of fuel oil Without additive EXAMPLE I With the use of a gas oil having the following characteristics:

Density at 15 C. 0.857 Engler viscosity at 20 C. 1.43 Sulphur 1% the following results were obtained, using as additive according to the invention the product resulting from the neutralization of dilaurophosphoric acid with octylamine in the proportion of 0.6 g. per kg. of gas oil.

Cetane number Table 1 Output in H.P.

Datum Gas Oil:

I 13. 5 15.5 16. 5 l9. 5 24. 5 28. 5 34. 5 C 9. 56 10. 28 11.01 11. 69 12. 53 12. 98 13. 57 t, C 238 253 267 282 297 309 321 Gas Oil additives:

9. 44 10. 17 10.86 11. 59 12. 44 12.87 13. 53 AC -1. 22 1. 04 -l. 30 0. 0. 68 0. 83 0. 25 t, 0-.-. 236 250 264 280 296 305 318 3 These results show that the application of the additive according to the invention makes it possible to: (1) Obtain less smoke for a given output. (2) Obtain more power for a given smoke index. (3) Lessen consumption.

EXAMPLE II Using the same gas-oil as in Example 'I, the following results were obtained, using as additive according to the invention ethoxy-dilaurophosphoric acid with 6 molecules of ethylene oxide in the proportion of 0.6 g. per kg. gas

It is obvious that this invention has only been described by way of explanation and in no sense restrictively.

What is claimed is: 1. An improved diesel fuel oil composition containing between 0.005 and 5.0 weight percent of an oil soluble organic phosphorus additive having the formula:

wherein X is selected from the group of oxygen and sulfur, R and R" are alkyl radicals of from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, and n is a whole number from 2 to 6, said compound enhancing the combustion eificiency of said diesel oil.

2. A diesel fuel oil composition as defined in claim 1 wherein said oil soluble additive is added in an amount between 0.05 and 1.0 weight percent.

3. A diesel fuel oil composition as defined in claim 1 wherein said X is oxygen, R and R" have from 8 to 14 carbon atoms, and n is 6.

4. A diesel fuel oil composition as defined in claim 1 wherein said diesel oil has a Luchaire flash point above C.

5. A process of operating a diesel engine, which process comprises adding to a diesel fuel oil between 0.005 and 5.0 weight percent of an oil soluble organic phosphorus additive having the formula:

wherein X is selected from the group of oxygen and sulfur, R and R" are alkyl radicals of from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, and n is a whole number from 2 to 6, and combusting said fuel in said engine, thereby enhancing the combustion efliciency and reducing the tendency of said engine to smoke.

6. A process as defined by claim 5 wherein said oil soluble additive is added in an amount between 0.05 and 1.0 weight percent.

7. A process as defined by claim 5 wherein said X is oxygen, R and R" have from 8 to 14 carbon atoms, and n is 6.

8. A process as defined by claim 5 wherein said fuel oil is a diesel oil having a Luchaire flash point above 60 C.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,335,953 McCracken et a1. Dec. 7, 1943 2,602,049 Smith et al July 1, 1952 2,793,945 Walker et al. May 28, 1957 2,841,126 Cantrell et a1. July 1, 1958 2,905,542 Gottshall et al Sept. 22, 1959 2,979,523 Cantrell et a1 Apr. 11, 1961

Claims (1)

1. 5. A PROCESS OF OPERATING A DIESEL ENGINE, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES ADDING TO A DIESEL FUEL OIL BETWEEN 0.005 AND 5.0 WEIGHT PERCENT OF AN OIL SOLUBLE ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS ADDITIVE HAVING THE FORMULA: