Fuel additive for improved performance in direct fuel injected engines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9458400-B2
Application number	US-201414270738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2014
Priority date	Nov 2, 2012
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

A fuel composition for a direct fuel injected gasoline engine comprising, a method for improving performance of fuel injectors and a method for cleaning fuel injectors for an internal combustion gasoline engine. The fuel composition includes a major amount of fuel and a minor, effective amount of a quaternary ammonium salt having a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) weight loss of greater than 50 wt. % at 350° C. The amount of quaternary ammonium salt present in the fuel is sufficient to improve performance of the direct fuel injected engine having combusted the composition compared to the performance of such engine having combusted a fuel composition that does not contain the quaternary ammonium salt.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel composition for a direct fuel injected internal combustion gasoline engine comprising: a major amount of fuel and from about 5 to about 200 ppm by weight of a quaternary ammonium salt having a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) weight loss of greater than 50 wt.% at 350° C., wherein the quaternary ammonium salt present in the fuel is sufficient to improve performance of the direct fuel injected engine having combusted said composition compared to the performance of said engine having combusted a fuel composition that does not contain said quaternary ammonium salt, and wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is a compound of the formula

wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is selected from a hydrocarbyl group containing from 1 to 25 carbon atoms, wherein at least one and not more than three of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is a hydrocarbyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and at least one of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is a hydrocarbyl group containing from 8 to 25 carbon atoms, M − is selected from the group consisting of carboxylates, nitrates, nitrides, nitrites, hyponitrites, carbonates, and mixtures thereof, wherein the carboxylate is not an oxalate or formate.

2. The fuel composition of claim 1 , wherein each hydrocarbyl group is independently linear, branched, substituted, cyclic, saturated, unsaturated, or containing one or more hetero atoms.

3. The fuel composition of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbyl groups are selected from alkyl, alkenyl, and hydroxyl-subsitituted hydrocarbyl groups.

4. The fuel composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of quaternary ammonium salt in the fuel ranges from about 10 to about 150 ppm by weight based on a total weight of the fuel.

5. The fuel composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of quaternary ammonium salt in the fuel ranges from about 30 to about 100 ppm by weight based on a total weight of the fuel.

6. The fuel composition of claim 1 , wherein said improved engine performance comprises a reduction in long term fuel trim (LTFT) of greater than about 20%.

7. The fuel composition of claim 1 , wherein said improved engine performance comprises a reduction in long term fuel trim (LTFT) of at least 30%.

8. The fuel composition of claim 1 , wherein said improved engine performance comprises a reduction in long term fuel trim (LTFT) of at least 40%.

9. The fuel composition of claim 1 , wherein said improved engine performance comprises a reduction in long term fuel trim (LTFT) of at least 50%.

10. A method of improving the injector performance of a direct fuel injected internal combustion gasoline engine comprising operating the engine on a fuel composition comprising a major amount of fuel and from about 5 to about 200 ppm by weight based on a total weight of the fuel of a quaternary ammonium salt having a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) weight loss of greater than 50 wt. % at 350° C., wherein the quaternary ammonium salt present in the fuel improves the injector performance of the engine is provided by a reduction in long term fuel trim (LTFT) % of greater than 20%, and wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is a compound of the formula

wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is selected from a hydrocarbyl group containing from 1 to 25 carbon atoms, wherein at least one and not more than three of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is a hydrocarbyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and at least one of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is a hydrocarbyl group containing from 8 to 25 carbon atoms, M − is selected from the group consisting of carboxylates, nitrates, nitrides, nitrites, hyponitrites, carbonates, and mixtures thereof, wherein the carboxylate is not an oxalate or formate.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein each hydrocarbyl group is independently linear, branched, substituted, cyclic, saturated, unsaturated, or containing one or more hetero atoms.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the hydrocarbyl groups are selected from alkyl, alkenyl, and hydroxyl-subsitituted hydrocarbyl groups.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the amount of quaternary ammonium salt in the fuel ranges from about 10 to about 150 ppm by weight based on a total weight of the fuel.

14. The fuel composition of claim 10 , wherein the amount of quaternary ammonium salt in the fuel ranges from about 30 to about 100 ppm by weight based on a total weight of the fuel.

15. A method of operating a direct fuel injected gasoline engine comprising combusting in the engine a fuel composition comprising a major amount of fuel and from about 5 to about 200 ppm by weight based on a total weight of the fuel of a quaternary ammonium salt having a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) weight loss of greater than 50 wt. % at 350° C., wherein the quaternary ammonium salt comprises a compound of the formula

wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is selected from hydrocarbyl groups containing from 1to 25 carbon atoms, wherein at least one and not more than three of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is a hydrocarbyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and at least one of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is a hydrocarbyl group containing from 8 to 25 carbon atoms, M − is selected from the group consisting of carboxylates, nitrates, nitrides, nitrites, hyponitrites, carbonates, and mixtures thereof, wherein the carboxylate is not an oxalate or formate.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein each hydrocarbyl group is independently linear, branched, substituted, cyclic, saturated, unsaturated, or containing one or more hetero atoms.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the hydrocarbyl groups are selected from alkyl, alkenyl, and hydroxyl-subsitituted hydrocarbyl groups.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the amount of quaternary ammonium salt in the fuel ranges from about 10 to about 150 ppm by weight based on a total weight of the fuel.

19. The fuel composition of claim 15 , wherein the amount of quaternary ammonium salt in the fuel ranges from about 30 to about 100 ppm by weight based on a total weight of the fuel.

Assignees

• Afton Chemical Corp

Inventors

• Fang Xinggao

Classifications

• C10L1/2225

  hydroxy containing (C10L1/221 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C10L1/2222 Primary

  (cyclo)aliphatic amines; polyamines (no macromolecular substituent 30C); quaternair ammonium compounds; carbamates (C10L1/221 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C10L2200/0423

  Gasoline · CPC title

• C10L2270/023

  for gasoline engines · CPC title

• C10L10/18

  use of detergents or dispersants for purposes not provided for in groups C10L10/02 - C10L10/16 · CPC title