Acid-free quaternized nitrogen compounds and use thereof as additives in fuels and lubricants

Abstract

The present invention relates to novel acid-free quaternized nitrogen compounds, to the preparation thereof and to the use thereof as a fuel and lubricant additive, more particularly as a detergent additive, as a wax antisettling additive (WASA) or as an additive for reducing internal diesel injector deposits (IDID); to additive packages which comprise these compounds; and to fuels and lubricants thus additized. The present invention further relates to the use of these acid-free quaternized nitrogen compounds as a fuel additive for reducing or preventing deposits in the injection systems of direct-injection diesel engines, especially in common-rail injection systems, for reducing the fuel consumption of direct-injection diesel engines, especially of diesel engines with common-rail injection systems, and for minimizing power loss in direct-injection diesel engines, especially in diesel engines with common-rail injection systems.

Description

[0001]The present invention relates to novel acid-free quaternized nitrogen compounds, to the preparation thereof and to the use thereof as a fuel and lubricant additive, more particularly as a detergent additive, as a wax antisettling additive (WASA) or as an additive for reducing internal diesel injector deposits (IDID); to additive packages which comprise these compounds; and to fuels and lubricants thus additized. The present invention further relates to the use of these acid-free quaternized nitrogen compounds as a fuel additive for reducing or preventing deposits in the injection systems of direct-injection diesel engines, especially in common-rail injection systems, for reducing the fuel consumption of direct-injection diesel engines, especially of diesel engines with common-rail injection systems, and for minimizing power loss in direct-injection diesel engines, especially in diesel engines with common-rail injection systems.STATE OF THE ART [0002]In direct-injection diesel ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0247]The inventive additive is outstandingly suitable as a fuel additive and can be used in principle in any fuels. It brings about a whole series of advantageous effects in the operation of internal combustion engines with fuels. Preference is given to using the inventive quaternized additive in middle distillate fuels, especially diesel fuels.

[0248]The present invention therefore also provides fuels, especially middle distillate fuels, with a content of the inventive quaternized additive which is effective as an additive for achieving advantageous effects in the operation of internal combustion engines, for example of diesel engines, especially of direct-injection diesel engines, in particular of diesel engines with common-rail injection systems. This effective content (dosage) is generally 10 to 5000 ppm by weight, preferably 20 to 1500 ppm by weight, especially 25 to 1000 ppm by weight, in particular 30 to 750 ppm by weight, based in each case on the total amount of fuel.

[0249]Middle distillate fuels such as diesel fuels or heating oils are preferably mineral oil raffinates which typically have a boiling range from 100 to 400° C. These are usually distillates having a 95% point up to 360° C. or even higher. These may also be so-called “ultra low sulfur diesel” or “city diesel”, characterized by a 95% point of, for example, not more than 345° C. and a sulfur content of not more than 0.005% by weight or by a 95% point of, for example, 285° C. and a sulfur content of not more than 0.001% by weight. In addition to the mineral middle distillate fuels or diesel fuels obtainable by refining, those obtainable by coal gasification or gas liquefaction [“gas to liquid” (GTL) fuels] or by biomass liquefaction [“biomass to liquid” (BTL) fuels] are also suitable. Also suitable are mixtures of the aforementioned middle distillate fuels or diesel fuels with renewable fuels, such as biodiesel or bioethanol.

[0250]The qualities of the heating oils and diesel fuels are laid down in detail, for example, in DIN 51603 and EN 590 (cf. also Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 5th edition, Volume A12, p. 617 ff.).

[0251]In addition to the use thereof in the abovementioned middle distillate fuels of fossil, vegetable or animal origin, which are essentially hydrocarbon mixtures, the inventive quaternized additive can also be used in mixtures of such middle distillates with biofuel oils (biodiesel). Such mixtures are also encompassed by the term “middle distillate fuel” in the context of the present invention. They are commercially available and usually comprise the biofuel oils in minor amounts, typically in amounts of 1 to 30% by weight, especially of 3 to 10% by weight, based on the total amount of middle distillate of fossil, vegetable or animal origin and biofuel oil.

[0252]Biofuel oils are generally based on fatty acid esters, preferably essentially on alkyl esters of fatty acids which derive from vegetable and / or animal oils and / or fats. Alkyl esters are typically understood to mean lower alkyl esters, especially C1-C4-alkyl esters, which are obtainable by transesterifying the glycerides which occur in vegetable and / or animal oils and / or fats, especially triglycerides, by means of lower alcohols, for example ethanol or in particular methanol (“FAME”). Typical lower alkyl esters based on vegetable and / or animal oils and / or fats, which find use as a biofuel oil or components thereof, are, for example, sunflower methyl ester, palm oil methyl ester (“PME”), soya oil methyl ester (“SME”) and especially rapeseed oil methyl ester (“RME”).

Problems solved by technology

Moreover, these engines achieve a very high torque even at low speeds.

In modern common-rail diesel engines, under particular conditions, for example when biodiesel-containing fuels or fuels with metal impurities such as zinc compounds, copper compounds, lead compounds and other metal compounds are used, deposits can form on the injector orifices, which adversely affect the injection performance of the fuel and hence impair the performance of the engine, i.e. especially reduce the power, but in some cases also worsen the combustion.

Following the technical teaching of WO 2006 / 135881, the presence of the stoichiometric amounts of acid, which is additionally absolutely necessary to balance the charge for the quaternized imide detergent therein, is found to be particularly disadvantageous.

In order to reduce the acid content of the imide therein, or in order to entirely remove acid, additional process measures would be required, which would make the preparation of the product more complex and hence would make it much more expensive.

On the other hand, however, it is known that acids can cause corrosion problems in fuel additives (cf., for example, Sugiyama et al; SAE International, Technical Paper, Product Code: 2007-01-2027, Date Published: Jul. 23, 2007).

The epoxide-quaternized additive provided according to WO 2006 / 135881 is therefore afflicted with significant application risks a priori owing to the considerable corrosion risk which exists.

Furthermore, the product has distinct disadvantages with regard to motor oil compatibility and low-temperature properties.

In the injection systems of modern diesel engines, deposits cause significant performance problems.

It is common knowledge that such deposits in the spray channels can lead to a decrease in the fuel flow and hence to power loss.

Deposits at the injector tip, in contrast, impair the optimal formation of fuel spray mist and, as a result, cause worsened combustion and associated higher emissions and increased fuel consumption.

In contrast to these conventional “external” deposition phenomena, “internal” deposits (referred to collectively as internal diesel injector deposits (IDID)) in particular parts of the injectors, such as at the nozzle needle, at the control piston, at the valve piston, at the valve seat, in the control unit and in the guides of these components, also increasingly cause performance problems.

Conventional additives exhibit inadequate action against these IDIDs.

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