An additive has been prepared for blending with gasoline that facilitates a cylinder resident reaction, in high compression internal combustion engines (ICEs), to produce an increase in engine's mechanical energy output. A method of increasing mechanical efficiency of an internal combustion engine (ICE) comprising blending an amount of additive with gasoline to perform hydrolysis of olefin hydrocarbons, represented by octene (C8) into petroleum gas hydrocarbons, represented by butane (C4), wherein the additive facilitates cylinder-resident reaction, aided by a low concentration of organometallic catalyst, to utilize the elements of the water combustion product, to hydrolyze olefin hydrocarbons such as octene, resident in the gasoline, into petroleum gas hydrocarbons such as butane, and to increase the ICE's efficiency of utilization of the energy of the fuel.

A method for making a catalyst composition that includes a reduction catalyst mixture including a first reduction catalyst and a second reduction catalyst, wherein said first reduction catalyst comprises mixed vanadium oxides and phosphorus oxides, wherein said mixed vanadium and antimony oxides comprises V.sub.4Sb.sub.6O.sub.8, and wherein said second reduction catalyst comprises vanadium and antimony oxides; and an oxidation catalyst comprising ferrocene. The method includes selecting an organic petroleum distillate-soluble solvent that is effective to act as a reducing agent; introducing finely ground V.sub.2O.sub.5 and aqueous H.sub.3PO.sub.4 into said selected organic petroleum distillate-soluble solvent to make a first mixture; adding finely ground V/Sb oxide catalyst to said first mixture to make a second mixture; bringing the second mixture to a boil; cooling the second mixture; and adding the ferrocene or other organometallic Fe-source material to the cooled second mixture to make the catalyst composition.

A formulation and methods for making high energy organic fuels that incorporate suspended metal particles with metal particle sized ranging from 33 nm to 5 micron. The hybrid organic fuels contain superior density and/or energy content to conventional liquid organic fuels. These hybrid organic fuels used in combination with metal particle afford fuels with 5 to 80% more net heat of combustion (based on volume). These fuels should extend the distant range for jets, liquid rocket engines, SCRAM jet engines, and improve energy content in fuel-air explosive applications such as fuel-air explosives and in the Multi-Effects Weapons System (MEWS) where the fuel is used both for propulsion and explosive effects.

A formulation and methods for making high energy organic fuels that incorporate suspended metal particles with metal particle sized ranging from 33 nm to 5 micron. The hybrid organic fuels contain superior density and/or energy content to conventional liquid organic fuels. These hybrid organic fuels used in combination with metal particle afford fuels with 5 to 80% more net heat of combustion (based on volume). These fuels should extend the distant range for jets, liquid rocket engines, SCRAM jet engines, and improve energy content in fuel-air explosive applications such as fuel-air explosives and in the Multi-Effects Weapons System (MEWS) where the fuel is used both for propulsion and explosive effects.

Provided are oil-based fuel additive compositions that, when combusted with a fuel containing vanadium in a gas turbine, inhibit vanadium hot corrosion in the gas turbine. The oil-based fuel additive compositions include at least one rare earth element compound or alkaline earth element compound that retards vanadium corrosion resulting from combustion of vanadium rich fuel.

A process based on the combined use of yttrium and magnesium to inhibit vanadium corrosion of high temperature parts of thermal equipment. The combined use of yttrium and magnesium, applied in a variable yttrium/magnesium ratio, compared with conventional magnesium inhibition, may reduce emission of magnesium vanadate and minimize losses of performance due to fouling of the high temperature parts, including in the presence of alkali metals. Further, compared with inhibition based on yttrium alone, it may reduce the inhibition cost and reinforce the protection against combined vanadium pentoxide and sodium sulfate corrosion.

The use, as markers of petroleum products, crude oils, biofuels or lubricants, of rare earth complexes or one of the constituents thereof chosen from rare earth ligands or salts, being capable of forming a rare earth complex after the addition of a developing solution. Preferably, the rare earth complex can be detected by time-resolved fluorescence. Also, a marking method and a method for detecting a rare earth complex as a marker of petroleum products, crude oils, biofuels or lubricants.

A quaternary ammonium salt detergent made from the reaction product of the reaction of: (a) polyalkene-substituted amine having at least one tertiary amino group; and (b) a quaternizing agent suitable for converting the tertiary amino group to a quaternary nitrogen and the use of such quaternary ammonium salt detergents in a fuel composition to reduce intake valve deposits.

An improved aviation gasoline formulation includes a branched aromatic composition to improve the Motor Octane Number of the fuel. Specifically, the branched aromatic composition includes an aromatic functional group covalently bonded to a branched alkyl group. The branched aromatic composition is used in the aviation gasoline together with a manganese-containing compound to enable the fuel to meet MON requirements.

A fuel additive for fuel formulations comprising calcium sulfonates in an amount effective to limit or eliminate valve seat recession in engines utilizing such fuel formulations. The fuel additive may also include a detergent, particularly in an amount to enhance the VSR limiting effect of the calcium sulfonates. Also included are fuel formulations containing calcium sulfonates in a concentration effective to limit vale seat recession in engines utilizing the fuel formulations. Methods for treating VSR in piston engines are also provided.