Solid composition for improving combustion engine efficiency

Abstract

A solid composition comprising copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), vanadium (V), tin (Sn) and silver (Ag), which improves performance of combustion engines by decreasing fuel consumption and levels of emission, particularly soot (particulate matter, or PM), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), in an economically efficient way.

Claims

1. A solid composition comprising Cu (copper), Zn (zinc), Mo (molybdenum), W (tungsten), V (vanadium), Sn (tin), and Ag (silver), and at least one additional component selected from a group consisting of excipients, fillers, bulking agents, binders, and solid diluents.

2. The solid composition according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of oxides, hydroxides, and salts of at least one of the Cu, Zn, Mo, W, V, Sn, and Ag.

3. A solid composition comprising Cu (copper), Zn (zinc), Mo (molybdenum), W (tungsten), V (vanadium), Sn (tin), and Ag (silver), wherein: the Cu is in the form of copper sulfate, the Zn is in the form of zinc acetate, the Mo, W and V are in the form of molybdates, wolframates and vanadates of monovalent cations, respectively, the Sn is in the form of salt, oxide, or hydroxide, and the Ag is in metallic form.

4. The solid composition according to claim 3, wherein: the Cu is in the form of CuSO.sub.4*5H2O and CuSO.sub.4, or combinations thereof, the Zn is in the form of Zn(CH.sub.3COO).sub.2*2H.sub.2O, the Mo is in the form of Na.sub.2MoO.sub.4, Na.sub.2MoO.sub.4*2H.sub.2O, and/or (NH.sub.4).sub.6Mo.sub.7O.sub.24*4H.sub.2O, or combinations thereof, the W is in the form of Na.sub.2WO.sub.4, Na.sub.2WO.sub.4 2H.sub.2O, 3Na.sub.2WO.sub.4*9WO.sub.3*xH.sub.2O, or combinations thereof, the V is in the form of KVO.sub.3, NaVO.sub.3, and/or NH.sub.4VO.sub.3, or combinations thereof, and the Sn is in the form of SnO.

5. A solid composition comprising: between about 35 and about 70 wt. % Cu (copper), between about 20 and about 40 wt. % Zn (zinc), between about 1 and about 10 wt. % Mo (molybdenum, between about 1 and about 10 wt. % W (tungsten), between about 1 and about 10 wt. % V (vanadium), between about 1 and about 10 wt. % Sn (tin), and between about 1 and about 5 wt. % Ag (silver).

6. The solid composition according to claim 1, wherein the at least one additional component includes: polymeric particles, chalk, limestone, sand, sandy gravel, silica, borosilicate, ceramic, fly ash, clay, resin, acrylic, styrene, vinyl polymer latex, alkyd, polyurethane, polyester, phenol formaldehyde, epoxy resin, and combinations thereof.

7. The solid composition according to claim 6, wherein the at least one of the additional component is soluble in fuel.

8. A three-dimensional product comprising the solid composition according to claim 1.

9. A method of obtaining the three-dimensional product according to claim 7, wherein the solid composition is formed, coated on the surface of inert substrate, or, enclosed in a fuel-soluble matrix.

10. A method for increasing efficiency of a combustion engine, wherein, prior to ignition of the combustion engine, fuel is brought into contact with the solid composition of claim 1.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the increasing of the efficiency further comprises decreasing fuel consumption and emission levels of the combustion engine, wherein emission of the combustion engine comprises soot, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

12. A method of increasing efficiency of a combustion engine, wherein, prior to ignition of the combustion engine, fuel is brought into contact with the three-dimensional product according to claim 8.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the increasing of the efficiency further comprises decreasing fuel consumption and emission levels of the combustion engine, wherein emission of the combustion engine comprises soot, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(1) The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of exemplary embodiments. Reference throughout this specification to one embodiment, an embodiment, or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases in one embodiment, in an embodiment, and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

(2) It is well known that catalysts can increase the speed of chemical reactions or enable reactions at less stringent conditions. In the context of combustion engines, catalysts may be useful when it is evident that the fuel burning reaction is not complete. Incomplete burning of fuel in combustion engines is often accompanied by a formation of soot (or particulate matter (PM)). When fuel is not fully burned, the operation of the engine is suboptimal, i.e., the same amount of fuel does less work than in optimal conditions, i.e., the fuel efficiency of the engine decreases. The causes of less fuel-efficient engine operation may be many: poor quality of fuel, extreme modes of engine operation (increased rotations per minute or r.p.m.), rapid braking, low excess of air oxygen, dust, soot deposited on the valves or turbine blades; worn out elements of the engine, etc. The main effect of those causes will most likely be an increased fuel consumption, higher than what the manufacturer originally declared for the corresponding vehicle. Incomplete combustion of fuel leads to an increase in fuel consumption, because part of the fuel cannot burn in time, resulting in a formation of soot, and therefore, a larger volume of fuel is required to reach the desired engine efficiency.

(3) Without being bound to a particular theory, as will be discussed in more detail below, compositions according to embodiments of the present invention result in an increased rate of fuel combustion.

(4) It was found that the present invention is most useful in situations when combustion engines work in suboptimal conditions and consume more fuel. It often happens when an engine is, for example, worn out (or, in other words, its resources are partially spent). The compositions according to the present invention will often demonstrate the best effect when employed in connection with an engine that is worn out at least to some degree. Notably, a new or recently serviced engine will also benefit (but less) from the present invention since a new and properly tuned engine provides conditions for optimal combustion and leaves less room for efficiency improvement. Worsening of fuel efficiency in a worn-out engine may be explained, for example, by lower oxygen availability, and/or increased heterogeneity of the fuel-air mixture, containing not only fumes, but also small droplets and particles of soot. The role that a combustion catalyst plays is increasing the rate of fuel combustion, thus contributing to the full burning of the fuel.

(5) The components of the composition according to embodiments of this invention include, as was mentioned above, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), vanadium (V), tin (Sn) and silver (Ag).

(6) Cu may be present as metallic powder, and as compounds where Cu has different oxidation states: oxides, halides, salts, particularly sulfates, both anhydrous and hydrates; acetates, carbonates, etc. Zn may be present in metallic form, and as its oxide and salts, particularly, acetate, chloride, silicate, tungstate, etc. Mo may be present in metallic form, and as its compounds, e.g. in oxides, as carbides, nitrate, phosphides, sulfide, and molybdates of different monovalent cations, such as K, Na and NH.sub.4. W may be used as, e.g., metallic W, tungsten oxide, sulfide, chlorides, tungstic acid, phosphotungstic acid, and tungstates of different monovalent cations, e.g. K, Na, and NH.sub.4, but also as a tungstate of Zn. V may be as a metal, or its oxides, halides, and vanadates of K, Na and NH.sub.4, etc. Sn may be present in its metallic form, or as oxides, sulfides, halides, etc. Ag may also be in its metallic form, or as an oxide, halide, nitrate, carbonate, etc. One, two, or more chemical forms of each component may be present in the composition.

(7) In some embodiments, the composition according to this invention achieves its effect by being fixedly arranged at the point where fuel enters the engine of the vehicle, preferably, before the gasoline engine injector or the high-pressure pump of a diesel engine, and being allowed to come into contact with the fuel before combustion. To ensure this, the composition may be provided within (e.g., as part of, coated on, etc.) a three-dimensional product. The composition must be provided in a number of shapes within the product to enable contact of the composition with the fuel and flow-through of the fuel. Such shapes may constitute, as already mentioned earlier, various granules, rods, tubes, rings, cubes, pyramids, tablets, blocks, or bricks, etc.; and they may be obtained by, for instance, coating the composition of this invention on substrate, such as ceramics, plastics, metals, etc.

(8) The coating of substrates may be accomplished, for instance, by pressing, or gluing the composition onto the substrate. In the case of gluing, the glue may be soluble in fuel, to allow gradual loosening of the particles of the composition. Alternatively, the shapes may be produced by forming the composition, for example, pressing it together, or incorporating the composition in a fuel-soluble matrix, to allow gradual loosening of the composition's nanoparticles and their suspension in the fuel.

(9) Before coating on a substrate, shaping, or incorporating in a matrix, the composition according to embodiments of the present invention must be ground to a fine powder, all the components together, or separately, and thoroughly mixed afterward.

(10) To enable contact with the fuel, the shapes may be enclosed in a volume, such as a container, cassette, or compartment having at least one inlet and at least one outlet for the fuel, and allowing flow-through of the fuel, effecting slow, gradual loosening of the composition's particles, which results in the presence of the composition in the fuel, entering the combustion engine, and thus the catalytic effect of the composition, e.g. fuel combustion rate increase, is enabled. In some embodiments, the composition may be used as coating for a tubing, or a conduit, which provides passage of fuel to the combustion engine.

(11) The solid composition of the present invention, may, as appropriate, further contain additional components, including but not limited to excipients, fillers, bulking agents, binders, or solid diluents, such as, for example, polymeric particles, chalk, limestone, sand, sandy gravel, silica, borosilicate, ceramic, fly ash, clay; resins; acrylic, styrene, or vinyl polymer latex; alkyd, polyurethane, polyester, phenol formaldehyde or epoxy resin, and combinations thereof.

(12) One, several, or all of the additional components may be soluble in fuel, for instance, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, etc. Fuel-soluble polymeric components may act in the role of glue, for coating the composition, or as a matrix, for shaping the composition in different forms.

(13) The invention will be now further described by several examples which are intended to be descriptive, and not limiting the invention.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

(14) This example presents average data (see Table 1 below) on the fuel savings and emission reduction for the period of efficiency of an effective amount of an exemplary embodiment of the composition according to the present invention, for various types of vehicles.

(15) This exemplary embodiment of the composition included 50 wt. % Cu (copper), 28 wt. % Zn (zinc), 6 wt. % Mo (molybdenum), 4 wt. % W (tungsten), 6 wt. % V (vanadium), 3 wt. % Sn (tin), and 2 wt. % Ag (silver).

(16) The effective amount of the composition provided for different types of vehicles depended on the size and power of the vehicle.

(17) The effective amount of the composition for each type of vehicle was connected to a fuel line before the gasoline engine injector or the high-pressure pump of a diesel engine, in a compartment, having one inlet and one outlet, and allowed to come into contact with the fuel before its combustion.

(18) The results of measurements showed a substantial elimination of soot emission, a significant decrease of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide, and a significant decrease in the emission of carbon dioxide and a decrease in fuel consumption.

(19) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Fuel saving and emission reduction for the period of composition's efficiency: Indicators Effect (%) Fuel saving 8-20% CO.sub.2 5-25% CO 30-60% NO.sub.x 25-55% PM 2.5 & 70-90% PM 10

(20) The list of the vehicles that were used to obtain the Table 1 data is presented in Table 2 (see Table 2 below). The vehicles are of different make, usage, mileage, etc., but all of them demonstrated fuel savings and a decrease in the amount of emissions. The exemplary embodiment of the composition according to the present invention (i.e., an embodiment that included 50 wt. % copper, 28 wt. % zinc, 6 wt. % molybdenum, 4 wt. % tungsten, 6 wt. % vanadium, 3 wt. % tin, and 2 wt. % silver) was tested on passenger cars, trucks, various agricultural machinery (tractors, etc.), a locomotive, a cargo vessel, a small civil plane, and a civil helicopter.

(21) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 The list of vehicles and means of transportation on which the composition of the present invention was tested: Productivity Fuel 1/100 km type & 1/hour Type and make of vehicle, means of transport Gasoline 20 Ford Focus (1.9 L), Volkswagen Golf VI (1.8 L), Chevrolet Lacetti (1.8 L), Ford Transit minivan (2.4 L), Hyundai Elantra 2010 (1.6 L) unmanned civil aerial vehicle M-22 Virage, Aeroprakt A-22LS two-seat aircraft Diesel 20 Volkswagen T5 minivan (2.0 L), ISUZU NQR 71P van (4.5 L), JCB 3CX backhoe (4.4 L), Volkswagen Touareg (x2: 2.5 L, 3.0 L), MAZDA CX-5 (2.0 L), Peugeot 308 (1.6 L), Ford Transit Connect van (2.0 L) Diesel 40 John Deere 9560 RT tractor (8.1 L), John Deere 8400 tractor (8.1 L), MAN TGA 18.430 truck (10.5 L), MAN TGA 5551A2 truck (11.1 L), RENAULT MAGNUM 500 truck (12.7 L), RENAULT T-430 (10.8 L), SCANIA G410 PDE truck (12.7 L), Scania G410 truck; x3 (12.74 L), DAF XF truck (9.5 L), DAF XF 95 truck (12.5 L), DAF XF 105.410 truck (12.8 L), VAN HOOL T917 Astron bus (9.1 L), MERCEDES ACTROS 1844LS (11.9 L) Diesel 60 MAN LE 8.180 18 wheeler truck (4.6 L), KAMAZ 45143-62 dump truck (11.7 L), VOLVO FH500 truck (12.7 L) Diesel 80 Helicopter MI-8 Diesel 250 John Deere 9560 RT heavy tractor (28.7 L), Locomotive ChME3, Barge vessel (772 KW)

Example 2

(22) This example presents measurements of fuel consumption of a Volkswagen T5 van, with a 2 L diesel engine, with and without the use of the exemplary embodiment of the composition that included 50 wt. % copper, 28 wt. % zinc, 6 wt. % molybdenum, 4 wt. % tungsten, 6 wt. % vanadium, 3 wt. % tin, and 2 wt. % silver. The measurements were taken in two runs, firstwithout the above-described composition according to this exemplary embodiment, and secondwith the above-described composition according to this exemplary embodiment.

(23) The effective amount of the inventive composition added for this type of vehicle was fixedly arranged at the point where fuel entered the engine of the vehicle, and allowed to come into contact with the fuel before it entered the engine.

(24) Consumption of fuel without the composition was measured for a road stretch of 100 km. Consumption of fuel per 100 km with use of the composition was measured for 200 km, all other conditions being equal. Both runs were started with a full tank of fuel.

(25) Without the above-described inventive composition, the vehicle consumed 7.9 liters of fuel for 100 kilometers, and 7.0 liters with the above-described inventive composition, which constitutes a 11.3% fuel consumption decrease.

Example 3

(26) Fuel consumption of a JOHN DEERE 8400 tractor with an 8.1 L diesel engine was measured, with and without the exemplary embodiment of the inventive composition that included 50 wt. % copper, 28 wt. % zinc, 6 wt. % molybdenum, 4 wt. % tungsten, 6 wt. % vanadium, 3 wt. % tin, and 2 wt. % silver. The tractor was parked, the engine worked at 1820 rev/min for the duration of this experiment. The measurements were taken for 1 hour, first without the inventive composition, and then with it, on a hot engine; consumption of fuel was measured gravimetrically. Volume values were obtained with the help of specific density 0.830 kg/l. One hour consumption of fuel by the tractor without the inventive composition amounted to 6.782 kg (8.171 l), and 5.477 kg (6.598 l) with the composition, i.e. demonstrating 18.9% decrease of fuel consumption.

Example 4

(27) Two vehicles were selected for the pilot project, used by a company in operational activities to deliver water in the usual way without changing operational factors. The cars performed delivery on their usual routes, which determined the frequency of the same trips and had the same routes both before and after the installation of additional equipment.

(28) The load of a car also has the same average value for these routes; the volume of goods before and after the installation of additional equipment were not kept.

(29) The efficiency of the composition was determined by comparing the fuel consumption of refueling to refueling with the determination of the average fuel consumption per and after the installation of additional equipment. The inventive composition tested in this example was the same composition as in Examples 1-3, namely, a composition that included 50 wt. % copper, 28 wt. % zinc, 6 wt. % molybdenum, 4 wt. % tungsten, 6 wt. % vanadium, 3 wt. % tin, and 2 wt. % silver. The results are presented in Table 3 below.

(30) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Road fuel consumption tests of Ford Transit and MAN LE 8.180: Fuel consumption Inventive Distance, Consumption, reduction Vehicle Composition km 1 per 100 km effect Ford Not Present 4199 12.78 12.86% Transit van, 2.4 L Present 3880 12.2 diesel MAN LE Not Present 2250 18.91 8.7% 8.180, 4.6 L diesel Present 3690 17.34

Example 5

(31) Here demonstrated are the results of measurements taken on a passenger car, Peugeot 308, having a 1.6 L diesel engine (see Table 4, below).

(32) Fuel consumption and levels of emission were measured while driving under various driving cycles according to Liu et al., 2017 (Emission Characterization of In-Use Diesel and Gasoline Euro 4 to Euro 6 Passenger Cars Tested on Chassis Dynamometer Bench and Emission Model Assessment, Liu, Yao, Martinet, Simon, Louis, Cedric, Pasquier, Anas, Tassel, P., Perret, Pascal, September 2017, Aerosol and Air Quality Research 17 (9), DOI: 10.4209/aaqr.2017.02.0080), with and without the inventive composition according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(33) Except for the Road cycle, all other driving conditions demonstrate improvement in fuel consumption and lowering of emissions when the solid composition is used.

(34) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Road fuel consumption and emission tests of Peugeot 308, 1.6 L Inventive CO.sub.2 CO NO.sub.x PM FC Cycle Composition (g/km) (mg/km) (mg/km) (mg/km) (1/100 km) Artemis Urban without 167.4 147 170.9 30.64 6.36 with 154.1 97.8 91.6 1.21 5.86 Road without 105.2 11.5 11.9 0.03 4.0 with 105.4 3.5 32.3 1.42 4.0 Motorway without 164.6 18.9 505.3 12.9 6.25 with 153.6 5.6 117.3 2.13 5.83 WLTC without 118.1 121.8 84.4 4.22 4.49 with 114.2 76.3 70.3 0.0 4.34

Example 6

(35) This example presents data relating to fuel savings and emission reduction for several vehicles using another exemplary embodiment of the composition according to the present invention. This exemplary embodiment of the composition included 37 wt. % Cu (copper), 21 wt. % Zn (zinc), 10 wt. % Mo (molybdenum), 8 wt. % W (tungsten), 9 wt. % V (vanadium), 9 wt. % Sn (tin), and 5 wt. % Ag (silver).

(36) The results of measurements showed a decrease of soot, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emission, and a decrease in fuel consumption, but the decreases were less significant in comparison to the decreases achieved by the more preferable composition used in Examples 1-5.

(37) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 List of vehicles and means of transportation on which the embodiment of the composition including 37 wt. % copper, 21 wt. % zinc, 10 wt. % molybdenum, 8 wt. % tungsten, 9 wt. % vanadium, 9 wt. % tin, and 5 wt. % silver was tested. Productivity Type and make of vehicle, Fuel type 1/100 km & 1/hour means of transport Gasoline 20 Chevrolet Lacetti (1.8 L) Diesel 20 Ford Transit Connect van (2.0 L) Diesel 40 Scania G410 truck (12.74 L)

Example 7

(38) This example presents data relating to fuel savings and emission reduction for several vehicles using another exemplary embodiment of the composition according to the present invention.

(39) This exemplary embodiment of the composition included 60 wt. % Cu (copper), 33 wt. % Zn (zinc), 2 wt. % Mo (molybdenum), 1 wt. % W (tungsten), 1 wt. % V (vanadium), 1 wt. % Sn (tin), and 1 wt. % Ag (silver).

(40) The results of measurements showed a decrease of soot, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emission, and a decrease in fuel consumption, but the decreases were less significant in comparison to the decreases achieved by the more preferable composition used in Examples 1-5.

(41) Notably, the decrease of soot, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emission, and the decrease in fuel consumption, but the decreases were somewhat more significant in comparison to the decreases in emissions and fuel consumption achieved by the composition used in Example 6.

(42) TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 List of vehicles and means of transportation on which the embodiment of the composition including 60 wt. % copper, 3 3 wt. % zinc, 2 wt. % molybdenum, 1 wt. % tungsten, 1 wt. % vanadium, 1 wt. % tin, and 1 wt. % silver was tested. Productivity Type and make of vehicle, Fuel type 1/100 km & 1/hour means of transport Gasoline 20 Ford Transit minivan (2.4 L) Diesel 20 Volkswagen Touareg (2.5 L) Diesel 40 RENAULT MAGNUM 500 truck (12.7 L)

(43) While this invention has been described above by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.