Polyacrylate Antifoam Components for Diesel Fuel Foam Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Diesel fuel tends to foam during filling, reducing the volume capacity of tanks, and existing antifoam options in the North American market are limited to nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen-based chemistries, excluding effective silicone and fluorinated antifoams due to regulatory restrictions.
Innovation Solution
Development of poly(acrylate) polymers formed by polymerizing (meth)acrylate monomers with specific alkyl esters, balancing solubility and surface tension properties to effectively reduce foam in diesel fuels without using silicone or fluorine-based compounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If silicone or fluorinated antifoams are used, then foam reduction effectiveness is improved, but regulatory compliance deteriorates due to restrictions on these chemistries in North American diesel applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by using hydrocarbon-based polyacrylate polymers with specific alkyl ester combinations (C1-C4 for solubility, C5-C12 for surface tension) to achieve effective foam reduction while complying with North American regulatory restrictions that prohibit silicone and fluorinated chemistries in diesel applications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite antifoam formulation by combining multiple monomer types (solubility monomers like ethyl acrylate and surface tension monomers like 2-ethylhexyl acrylate) to produce a polyacrylate polymer that achieves both regulatory compliance and effective foam reduction performance
2Reliability
If polyacrylate polymer concentration is increased, then foam reduction performance is improved, but fuel composition complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the polymer concentration parameter to a specific range (2-100 ppm by weight) where effective foam reduction is achieved without excessive complexity or cost, balancing performance with practical fuel formulation constraints
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 poly(acrylate) polymers significantly reduce foam generation in diesel fuels, improving tank filling efficiency by maintaining the required balance of solubility and surface tension, outperforming some known silicon-containing antifoams.
Implementation Method 1
balancing solubility and surface tension properties to effectively reduce foam in diesel fuels
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
There is disclosed an antifoam component which includes at least one poly(acrylate) copolymer for use in a diesel fuel. Poly(acrylate) polymers prepared by polymerizing a (meth)acrylate monomer comprising C1 to C30 alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid ("multifunctional monomer") are also disclosed. Other poly(acrylate) polymers prepared by polymerizing (i) a (meth)acrylate monomer comprising C1 to C4 alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid ("solubility monomer"); (ii) a (meth)acrylate monomer comprising C5 to C12 alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid ("surface tension monomer"); and (iii) optionally at least one additional monomer comprising a solubility monomer, a surface tension monomer, a monomer comprising C1 to C30 alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid ("multifunctional monomer"), or combinations thereof are also disclosed.