Use of a polyalkylene glycol to reduce fuel consumption

Abstract

The use of a polyalkylene glycol of formula HO-(A-O).sub.p(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.m-(A-O).sub.qH wherein A is a C.sub.3- to C.sub.20-alkylene group or a mixture of such alkylene groups, m is a number of from 2 to 100 and p and q are each numbers of from 1 to 100, as an additive in a fuel.

Claims

1. A process of reducing fuel consumption, the process comprising: operating an internal combustion engine with fuel, said fuel comprising a polyalkylene glycol of formula I
HO-(A-O).sub.p(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.m-(A-O).sub.qH(I) wherein A is a mixture of two different types of alkylene groups A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 with A.sup.1 designating one or more C.sub.3- to C.sub.4-alkylene groups and A.sup.2 designating one or more C.sub.8- to C.sub.12-alkylene groups, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 being arranged randomly or blockwise, m is a number of from 2 to 100 and p and q are each numbers of from 1 to 100.

2. A process for minimization of power loss in an internal combustion engine and for improving acceleration of an internal combustion engine, the process comprising: operating an internal combustion engine with fuel, said fuel comprising a polyalkylene glycol of formula I
HO-(A-O).sub.p(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.m-(A-O).sub.qH(I) A is a mixture of two different types of alkylene groups A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 with A.sup.1 designating one or more C.sub.3- to C.sub.4-alkylene groups and A.sup.2 designating one or more C.sub.8- to C.sub.12-allylene groups, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 being arranged randomly or blockwise, m is a number of from 2 to 100 and p and q are each numbers of from 1 to 100.

3. A process for improving the lubricity of a lubricant oil contained in an internal combustion engine for lubricating purposes, the process comprising: operating an internal combustion engine with fuel, said fuel comprising a polyalkylene glycol of formula I
HO-(A-O).sub.p(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.m-(A-O).sub.qH(I) A is a mixture of two different types of alkylene groups A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 with A.sup.1 designating one or more C.sub.3- to C.sub.4-alkylene groups and A.sup.2 designating one or more C.sub.8- to C.sub.12-alkylene groups, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 being arranged randomly or blockwise, m is a number of from 2 to 100 and p and q are each numbers of from 1 to 100; wherein said polyalkylene glycol of general formula I is present in the fuel in an amount effective for improving the lubricity of said lubricant oil.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein A is arranged randomly.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the polyalkylene glycol of formula I is obtained by alkoxylation of a polyethylene glycol of formula II
HO(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.mH(II) wherein m is a number of from 2 to 100, with 2 to 200 moles of a mixture of two different types of alkylene groups A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 wherein A.sup.1 is one or more C.sub.3- to C.sub.4-alkylene groups and A.sup.2 is one or more C.sub.8- to C.sub.12-alkylene groups, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 being arranged randomly or blockwise, per mole of polyethylene glycol II.

6. A fuel composition, comprising: in a major amount, a gasoline fuel, and, in a minor amount, a polyalkylene glycol, and at least one fuel additive which is different from the said polyalkylene glycol and has detergent action, wherein the polyalkylene glycol is of formula I
HO-(A-O).sub.p(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.m-(A-O).sub.qH(I) A is a mixture of two different types of alkylene groups A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 with A.sup.1 designating one or more C.sub.3- to C.sub.4-alkylene groups and A.sup.2 designating one or more C.sub.8- to C.sub.12-alkylene groups, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 being arranged randomly or blockwise, m is a number of from 2 to 100 and p and q are each numbers of from 1 to 100.

7. The fuel composition according to claim 6, wherein the fuel additive which is different from the polyalkylene glycol and has detergent action, is at least one selected from the group consisting of: (Da) mono- or polyamino groups having up to 6 nitrogen atoms, at least one nitrogen atom having basic properties; (Db) nitro groups, optionally in combination with hydroxyl groups; (Dc) hydroxyl groups in combination with mono- or polyamino groups, at least one nitrogen atom having basic properties; (Dd) carboxyl groups or their alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts; (De) sulfonic acid groups or their alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts; (Df) polyoxy-C.sub.2-C.sub.4-alkylene moieties terminated by hydroxyl groups, mono- or polyamino groups, at least one nitrogen atom having basic properties, or by carbamate groups; (Dg) carboxylic ester groups; (Dh) moieties derived from succinic anhydride and having hydroxyl and/or amino and/or amido and/or imido groups; and (Di) moieties obtained by Mannich reaction of substituted phenols with aldehydes and mono- or polyamines.

8. The fuel composition according to claim 6, further comprising at least one carrier oil.

9. The fuel composition according to claim 8, further comprising at least one tertiary hydrocarbyl amine of formula NR.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3 wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are the same or different C.sub.1- to C.sub.20-hydro-carbyl residues with the proviso that the overall number of carbon atoms in formula NR.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3 does not exceed 30.

10. The fuel composition according to claim 6, which comprises (Da) a polyisobutene a monoamine or a polyisobutene polyamine having M.sub.n=300 to 5000, having at least 50 mol-% of vinylidene double bonds and having been prepared by hydroformylation of the respective polyisobutene and subsequent reductive amination with ammonia, a monoamine or a polyamine, in combination with at least one mineral or synthetic carrier oil.

11. An additive concentrate, comprising: at least one polyalkylene glycol, and at least one fuel additive which is different from the polyalkylene glycol and has detergent action, wherein each of the at least one polyalkylene glycol is a polyalkylene glycol of formula I
HO-(A-O).sub.p(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.m-(A-O).sub.qH(I) A is a mixture of two different types of alkylene groups A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 with A.sup.1 designating one or more C.sub.3- to C.sub.4-alkylene groups and A.sup.2 designating one or more C.sub.8- to C.sub.12-alkylene groups, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 being arranged randomly or blockwise, m is a number of from 2 to 100 and p and q are each numbers of from 1 to 100.

12. An additive concentrate according to claim 11, wherein the at least one fuel additive comprises (Da) a polyisobutene monoamine or a polyisobutene polyamine having M.sub.n=300 to 5000, having at least 50 mol-% of vinylidene double bonds and having been prepared by hydroformylation of the respective polyisobutene and subsequent reductive amination with ammonia, a monoamine or a polyamine, and further comprising at least one mineral or synthetic carrier oil.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Preparation of a Polyalkylene Glycol PAG 1

(1) Polyethylene glycol (m=about 4) available from BASF SE under the trade name of Pluriol E 200 was dried and simultaneously reacted with 12 moles of 1,2-dodecylene oxide per mole of polyethylene glycol and 20 moles of 1,2-butylene oxide per mole of polyethylene oxide in the presence of sodium methoxide as an alkoxylation catalyst at 130 C., resulting in randomly arranged outward-positioned -(A-O)-units. The polyalkylene glycol obtained after purification proceedings by ion exchange resin, exhibited a kinematic viscosity of 27 mm.sup.2/s at 100 C.

Example 2: Preparation of a Polyalkylene Glycol PAG 2

(2) Polyethylene glycol (m=about 9) available from BASF SE under the trade name of Pluriol E 405 was dried and simultaneously reacted with 12 moles of 1,2-dodecylene oxide per mole of polyethylene glycol and 20 moles of 1,2-butylene oxide per mole of polyethylene oxide in the presence of sodium methoxide as an alkoxylation catalyst at 130 C., resulting in randomly arranged outward-positioned -(A-O)-units. The polyalkylene glycol obtained after purification proceedings by ion exchange resin, exhibited a kinematic viscosity of 27 mm.sup.2/s at 100 C.

Example 3: Storage Stability

(3) 48.0% by weight of a customary gasoline performance package (GPP 1) containing as detergent additive component Kerocom PIBA (a polyisobutene monoamine made by BASF SE, based on a polyisobutene with M.sub.n=1000) and usual polyether-based carrier oils, aliphatic hydrocarbons as a diluent, demulsifiers and corrosion inhibitors in customary amounts, 37.7% by weight of xylene and 14.3% by weight of polyalkylene glycol of Example 1 (PAG 1) above, were mixed at 20 C. and stored thereafter in a sealed glass bottle at 20 C. for 42 days. At the beginning of this storage period and then after each 7 days, the mixture was evaluated visually and checked for possible phase separation and precipitation. It is the aim that the mixture remains clear (c), homogeneous (h) and liquid (l) after storage and does not exhibit any phase separation (ps) or precipitation (pr). The following table shows the results of the evaluations:

(4) TABLE-US-00001 after 7 days c, h, l after 14 days c, h, l after 21 days c, h, l after 28 days c, h, l after 35 days c, h, l after 42 days c, h, l Result: pass

Example 4: Engine Cleanliness Tests

(5) In order to demonstrate that the polyalkylene glycols mentioned do not decrease engine cleanliness and that engine cleanliness is in most cases even increased by the polyalkylene glycols mentioned, the average IVD values and the TCD values were determined with 250 mg/kg of the same gasoline performance package (GPP 1) as used in Example 3 above containing additionally 150 mg/kg of polyalkylene glycol PAG 1, and, for comparison, with 250 mg/kg of the same gasoline performance package without PAG 1 (referred to as GPP 2), according to CEC F-20-98 with a Mercedes Benz M111 E engine using a customary RON 95 E10 gasoline fuel and a customary RL-223/5 engine oil. The following table shows the results of the determinations:

(6) TABLE-US-00002 Additive average IVD [mg/valve] TCD [mg] GPP 1 3.25 4639 GPP 2 13.25 5109