Crosslinked Polymer Additives for Lower Cold Filter Plugging Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuels and combustibles containing paraffinic compounds face challenges with deteriorated flow properties at low temperatures, leading to crystallization and clogging issues, which conventional cold flow improvers struggle to address effectively, especially in fuels derived from complex refining processes and alternative sources.
Innovation Solution
The use of crosslinked homopolymers or copolymers, comprising specific units and crosslinking agents, in combination with cold-thinning additives, to enhance the performance of cold flow improvers and lower the filterability limit temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cold flow improvers (CFIs) are used to prevent paraffin crystallization, then flow properties are improved, but they are insufficient for fuels with complex paraffin distributions from modern refining processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two distinct polymer additives with complementary mechanisms: a CFI (cold flow improver) to inhibit crystal growth and a TLF (temperature lowering factor) additive to modify paraffin crystallization behavior. This composite additive package achieves synergistic effects that improve cold flow performance across diverse fuel compositions including those with complex paraffin distributions from modern refining processes.
2Temperature
If polymer additives are added to lower filterability limit temperature, then fluidity at low temperature is improved, but the effectiveness is limited in fuels derived from complex refining processes and alternative sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical and physical parameters of the additive system by using crosslinked polymers with specific molecular weight ranges and crosslinking densities. These parameter changes enhance the additive's ability to interact with diverse paraffin structures in complex fuels, achieving more effective filterability limit temperature reduction across various fuel types including those from complex refining processes and alternative sources.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The crosslinked polymers significantly reduce the filterability limit temperature by 3-5°C, improving the fluidity and preventing crystallization, even in fuels with complex paraffin distributions.
Implementation Method 1
These compounds tend to crystallize at low temperatures, blocking pipes, lines, pumps and filters
Implementation Method 2
inhibit crystal growth at low temperatures by promoting the dispersion of paraffin crystals
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns the use, for lowering the cold filter plugging point of a fuel composition, of one or more crosslinked polymers comprising at least one unit of the following formula (I): in which R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; E represents -O-CO-, or -CO-O- or -NH-CO- or -CO-NH-; and G represents a C1 to C34 alkyl group; said copolymer having a crosslinking rate of between 0.5 mol% and 30 mol%. The invention also concerns additive compositions containing such a polymer, and fuel compositions with such polymers as additives, in combination with a cold flow improver (CFI) chosen from the copolymers and terpolymers of ethylene and vinyl and/or acrylic ester(s).