Fuel compositions with enhanced cold properties and methods of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11795408-B2
Application number	US-202217678508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2022
Priority date	Jan 27, 2017
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

Methods of making a diesel fuel blend having enhanced cold properties; methods of lowering the cloud point of a mineral middle distillate fuel; and diesel fuel blends including a blend of a renewable fuel and a mineral middle distillate fuel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making a diesel fuel blend having enhanced cold properties, the method comprising:
selecting a renewable fuel component and a mineral middle distillate fuel component having cloud points that differ by no more than a pre-selected temperature value; and
blending the selected renewable fuel component and the selected mineral middle distillate fuel component to form a diesel fuel blend that comprises an amount of iso-paraffins in a C14-C20 range and an amount of n-paraffins in a C14-C20 range such that a ratio of a sum of wt % amounts of the iso-paraffins in the C14-C20 range to a sum of wt % amounts of the n-paraffins in the C14-C20 range is less than or equal to 2.2.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blending is performed so that the ratio of the sum of wt % amounts of the iso-paraffins in the C14-C20 range to the sum of wt % amounts of the n-paraffins in the C14-C20 range is less than 2.2 and is also greater than or equal to 1.1.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the renewable fuel component is a hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component has an isomerization ratio of at least 50%.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component has an isomerization ratio of from 50% to 69%.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the renewable fuel component and a mineral middle distillate fuel component having cloud points that differ by no more than a pre-selected temperature value comprises:
determining a cloud point of a mineral middle distillate fuel and selecting a renewable fuel having properties as follows:
(i) a cloud point that differs by no more than 17° C. from a cloud point of the mineral middle distillate fuel;
(ii) an amount of n-paraffins sufficient to provide a diesel fuel blend containing 10-25 wt % n-paraffins in a C14-C20 range when the renewable fuel is blended with the mineral middle distillate fuel; and
(iii) an amount of isoparaffins in the C14-C20 range sufficient so that the diesel fuel blend has a ratio of a sum of wt % amounts of the isoparaffins in the C14-C20 range to a sum of wt % amounts of the n-paraffins in the C14-C20 range is from 1.1 to 2.2 when the renewable fuel is blended with the mineral middle distillate fuel.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the renewable fuel component and a mineral middle distillate fuel component having cloud points that differ by no more than a pre-selected temperature value comprises:
selecting a mineral middle distillate fuel having properties as follows:
(i) a cloud point that differs by no more than 17° C. from a cloud point of a renewable fuel;
(ii) an amount of n-paraffins sufficient to provide a diesel fuel blend containing 10-25 wt % n-paraffins in a C14-C20 range when the renewable fuel is blended with the mineral middle distillate fuel; and
(iii) an amount of isoparaffins in the C14-C20 range sufficient so that the diesel fuel blend has a ratio of a sum of wt % amounts of isoparaffins in the C14-C20 range to a sum of wt % amounts of the n-paraffins in the C14-C20 range is from 1.1 to 2.2 when the renewable fuel is blended with the mineral middle distillate fuel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-selected temperature value is less than or equal to 17° C. and is greater than or equal to 1.8° C.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the pre-selected temperature value is 1.8° C., 2.3° C., 3.1° C., 3.5° C., 4° C., 5° C., 10.3° C., 10.8° C., 11.6° C., 12.7° C., 13° C., 13.1° C., or 17° C.

10. A diesel fuel blend comprising:
a renewable fuel component and a mineral middle distillate fuel component in which the renewable fuel component and mineral middle distillate fuel component are present in the diesel fuel blend; and
the diesel fuel blend having an amount of n-paraffins in a C14-C20 range and an amount of iso-paraffins in the C14-C20 range such that a ratio of a sum of wt % amounts of the iso-paraffins in the C14-C20 range to a sum of wt % amounts of the n-paraffins in the C14-C20 range is less than or equal to 2.2.

11. The diesel fuel blend of claim 10 , wherein the ratio of the sum of wt % amounts of the iso-paraffins in the C14-C20 range to the sum of wt % amounts of the n-paraffins in the C14-C20 range is less than 2.2 and greater than or equal to 1.1.

12. The diesel fuel blend of claim 11 , wherein the diesel fuel blend also includes fatty acid methyl esters (FAME).

13. The diesel fuel blend of claim 12 , wherein the renewable fuel component is a hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component and a sum volume of the hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component and the mineral middle distillate component in the diesel fuel blend is an amount that is at least 90 vol % and the diesel fuel blend also includes fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) in an amount that is up to 10 vol % of the diesel fuel blend.

14. The diesel fuel blend of claim 12 , wherein the renewable fuel component is a hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component and a sum volume of the hydrotreated renewable middle distillate and the mineral middle distillate component in the diesel fuel blend is an amount that is at least 93 vol % of the diesel fuel blend and the diesel fuel blend also includes fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) in an amount that is up to 7 vol % of the diesel fuel blend.

15. The diesel fuel blend of claim 10 , wherein the renewable fuel component is a hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component, the hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component comprising one or more of: a hydrotreated vegetable oil, a hydrotreated animal fat, a hydrotreated fish fat, a hydrotreated fish oil, a hydrotreated algae oil, a hydrotreated microbial oil, a hydrotreated wood, a hydrotreated plant based oil, a hydrotreated recyclable waste, and a hydrotreated recyclable residue.

16. The diesel fuel blend of claim 15 , wherein the hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component has an isomerization ratio of at least 50% or at least 60%.

17. The diesel fuel blend of claim 15 , wherein the hydrotreated renewable middle distillate component includes a mixture of paraffinic hydrocarbons.

18. The diesel fuel blend of claim 10 , wherein the renewable fuel component and the mineral middle distillate fuel component have cloud points that differ by no more than a pre-selected temperature value that is less than or equal to 17° C. and is greater than or equal to 1.8° C.

19. The diesel fuel blend of claim 18 , wherein the pre-selected temperature value is 1.8° C., 2.3° C., 3.1° C., 3.5° C., 4° C., 5° C., 10.3° C., 10.8° C., 11.6° C., 12.7° C., 13° C., 13.1° C., or 17° C.

20. A fuel blend comprising:
a renewable fuel component and a mineral middle distillate fuel component; and
the fuel blend of the renewable fuel component and the mineral middle distillate fuel component having an amount of n-paraffins in a C14-C20 range and an amount of iso-paraffins in the C14-C20 range such that a ratio of a sum of wt % amounts of the iso-paraffins in the C14-C20 range to a sum of wt % amounts of the n-paraffins in the C14-C20 range is less than or equal to 2.2.

Assignees

• Neste Oyj

Inventors

• Kuronen Markku
• Kiiski Ulla

Classifications

• Y02E50/10

  Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel · CPC title

• C10L2200/0446

  Diesel · CPC title

• C10L2200/0469

  Renewables or materials of biological origin · CPC title

• C10L2270/026

  for diesel engines, e.g. automobiles, stationary, marine · CPC title

• Y02P30/20

  using bio-feedstock · CPC title