Terpolymer Cold Flow Additives for Fuel Oil Filter Blockages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cold flow improvers for mineral oils and middle distillates face challenges in maintaining effectiveness at low temperatures and preventing filter blockages, especially when stored or used under ambient conditions without preheating, due to their poor solubility and handling issues at sub-zero temperatures.
Innovation Solution
Development of terpolymers made from ethylene, propene, and vinyl or acrylic esters with specific molecular structures and branching, which are designed to be highly soluble and effective as cold flow improvers, even at concentrations of at least 20% by weight, and can be easily mixed into fuel oils at temperatures below 0°C without causing filter impairment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers are used as cold flow improvers, then the cold flow properties of fuel oils are improved, but the additives remain undissolved at low temperatures causing filter contamination and blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the molecular parameters of the polymer by incorporating specific amounts of short chain branches (1-9 CH3/100 CH2-Groups) and comonomers (propene, butene, isobutylene, hexene, 4-methylpentene, octene, diisobutylene or norbornene) to optimize the balance between crystallinity for cold flow improvement and solubility for handling at low temperatures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite polymer structure combining ethylene sequences (for cocrystallization with paraffins), vinyl ester sequences (for solubility and handling), and short chain branches (for improved flowability). This composite structure achieves both cold flow improvement effectiveness and good handling properties at low temperatures
2Ease of operation
If short chain branches are increased to improve the flowability of ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers, then the handling properties are improved, but the effectiveness as cold additives significantly decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precisely controls the parameter of short chain branch content to 1-9 CH3/100 CH2-Groups, which is a specific range that optimizes the balance between flowability improvement and cold additive effectiveness, avoiding the significant effectiveness loss that occurs with higher branch content
3Ease of operation
If branched comonomers such as isobutylene or 4-methylpentene are incorporated to improve solubility, then the flowability is improved, but the effectiveness as cold additive decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent limits the total comonomer content (propene, butene, isobutylene, hexene, 4-methylpentene, octene, diisobutylene or norbornene) to 0.5 to 10 mol%, which optimizes the balance between solubility/flowability improvement and cold additive effectiveness, preventing the significant effectiveness reduction that occurs with higher comonomer incorporation
4Ease of operation
If additives are stored and used under ambient conditions without preheating, then the handling convenience is improved, but the additives remain undissolved causing filter blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the polymer parameters including vinyl ester content (8-21 mol%), short chain branches (1-9 CH3/100 CH2-Groups), and comonomer content (0.5-10 mol%) to achieve a material that remains soluble and effective at low ambient temperatures without requiring preheating, thus maintaining both handling convenience and dissolution performance
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 terpolymer additives significantly improve the cold flow properties of fuel oils, maintaining effectiveness and preventing filter blockages at low temperatures, with a pour point as low as -30°C, and can be used directly in cold conditions without preheating, outperforming prior art additives in terms of CFPP reduction and handling characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
These are semi-crystalline polymers whose mode of action is explained by the cocrystallization of their poly(ethylene) sequences with the n-paraffins that precipitate from the middle distillates when they cool.
Implementation Method 2
Another task of flow improvers is the dispersion of the paraffin crystals, i.e. delaying or preventing the sedimentation of the paraffin crystals
Data Source
AI summary
Additives for improving the cold properties of fuel oils. The invention relates to terpolymers of ethylene, at least one ethylene unsaturated ester and propene, which a) contain 12.0 to 16.0 mol% of structural units derived from at least one ethylene unsaturated ester, b) contain 1.0 to 4.0 propene-derived methyl groups per 100 aliphatic carbon atoms, and c) have less than 6.5 end-derived methyl groups per 100 CH2 groups, and their use as cold additives for middle distillates.