Synergistic Fuel Additive for Silver Corrosion and Sulfur Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refinery processing units often fail to remove trace contaminants, leading to gasoline not meeting silver corrosion specifications, which in turn results in increased sulfur content, violating EPA regulations and incurring costly penalties.
Innovation Solution
A synergistic fuel additive composition comprising a sulfur additive and a non-sulfur containing additive, with a ratio of 1:1 to 1:100, specifically formulated to reduce sulfur content by at least 50% while maintaining silver corrosion specifications, using a sulfur additive and non-sulfur containing fatty acids like dodecenyl succinic acid or anhydride.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If alkyl dithiothiadiazole is used as a silver corrosion inhibitor, then silver corrosion specification is met, but sulfur content increases above EPA regulations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the single additive into two separate components: a sulfur-containing corrosion inhibitor (alkyl dithiothiadiazole) and a sulfur-scavenging additive (fatty acid or anhydride). This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently - one provides corrosion protection while the other removes excess sulfur, resolving the contradiction between meeting corrosion specifications and maintaining low sulfur content.
Solution Approach 2:
The fatty acid or anhydride acts as an intermediary substance that reacts with the sulfur-containing corrosion inhibitor to form a sulfur-scavenging complex. This intermediary mechanism allows the sulfur to be sequestered in a non-harmful form, enabling the corrosion inhibitor to function without contributing excessive sulfur to the fuel, thus resolving the contradiction between corrosion protection and sulfur content control.
2Reliability
If refinery processing units remove trace contaminants, then silver corrosion specification is met, but processing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by adding the dual-function additive composition to the fuel before distribution and sale. Rather than requiring complex refinery processing units to remove trace contaminants, the additive pre-treats the fuel to ensure corrosion specification compliance, simplifying the overall processing system while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The additive composition performs self-service by containing both the corrosion inhibitor and sulfur-scavenging components in a single package. The fatty acid or anhydride automatically scavenges sulfur from the corrosion inhibitor and any trace contaminants in the fuel, eliminating the need for additional complex processing units and reducing operational complexity.
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 fuel additive significantly reduces sulfur content in gasoline, meeting regulatory standards and avoiding costly penalties by providing a synergistic effect that decreases sulfur addition to less than 5 ppm, ensuring compliance with silver corrosion specifications.
Implementation Method 1
a synergistic fuel additive composition comprising a sulfur additive and a non-sulfur containing additive, wherein the ratio of the sulfur additive to the non-sulfur additive is about 1:1 to about 1:100
Implementation Method 2
R1 and R2 are independently selected from a 4-20 carbon alkyl thiol forming disulfide bond
Data Source
AI summary
A synergistic fuel additive composition, the composition having a sulfur additive; and a non-sulfur containing additive, wherein the ratio of the sulfur additive to the non-sulfur additive is about 1:1 to about 1:100. A method of reducing sulfur content in a fuel composition, the method provides adding a fuel additive to a fuel composition, the fuel composition having a silver corrosion inhibitor, the fuel additive having: a sulfur additive and a non-sulfur containing additive, wherein the ratio of the sulfur additive to the non-sulfur containing additive is from about 1:1 to about 1:100; wherein the fuel additive provides less than 5 ppm of sulfur addition to the fuel composition; and wherein the fuel composition does not cause silver corrosion.