Combustion improvers for normally liquid fuels

Abstract

Fuel compositions comprising a major amount of a normally liquid fuel and a minor amount of a hydroxylamine or a salt thereof, more often wherein each hydroxylamino group of the hydroxylamine or salt thereof contains no more than one tertiary alkyl substituent. The hydroxylamine or salt thereof provide improved combustion properties to a wide variety of normally liquid fuels, including hydrocarbon based fuels, oxygenates and synthetic fuels.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A fuel composition comprising a major amount of a normally liquid hydrocarbon based fuel and a minor amount of a hydroxylamine salt.  
     
     
         2 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein each hydroxylamino group of the hydroxylamine salt contains no more than one tertiary alkyl substituent.  
     
     
         3 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  comprising a hydroxylamine salt wherein the hydroxylamine has the general formula  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein each of R a  and R b  is, independently, a member selected from the group consisting of H, a primary hydrocarbyl group and a secondary hydrocarbyl group, and n ranges from 1 to about 30.  
     
     
         4 . The fuel composition of  claim 3  wherein n ranges from 1 to about 4.  
     
     
         5 . The fuel composition of  claim 4  wherein n=1 and each of R a  and R b  is, independently, H or a hydrocarbyl group, containing from 1 to about 25 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         6 . The fuel composition of  claim 5  wherein each of R a  and R b  is, independently, a lower alkyl group.  
     
     
         7 . The fuel composition of  claim 4  wherein each hydrocarbyl group is, independently, a primary alkyl group.  
     
     
         8 . The fuel composition of  claim 7  wherein each primary alkyl group, independently contains from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         9 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  comprising a hydroxylamine salt wherein the hydroxylamine has the general formula  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein each R c  is, independently, H or a hydrocarbyl group, each R d  is, independently, a lower alkylene group and x ranges from 1 to about 29.  
     
     
         10 . The fuel composition of  claim 9  wherein each R c  is, independently, H or a lower alkyl group and each R d  is independently an ethylene or propylene group.  
     
     
         11 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the salt is at least one member of the group consisting of nitrates, sulfates, sulfonates, carbonates and carboxylates.  
     
     
         12 . The fuel composition of  claim 11  wherein the salt is selected from the group consisting of nitrates and carbonates.  
     
     
         13 . The fuel composition of  claim 12  wherein the salt is a nitrate.  
     
     
         14 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the fuel comprises gasoline meeting ASTM Specification D-4814.  
     
     
         15 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the fuel comprises diesel fuel meeting ASTM Specification D-975.  
     
     
         16 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the fuel comprises heating oil meeting ASTM Specification D-396.  
     
     
         17 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the fuel comprises oxygenates.  
     
     
         18 . The fuel composition of  claim 17  wherein the oxygenates comprise at least one member of the group consisting of lower alkanols and ethers.  
     
     
         19 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the fuel comprises a mixture of a hydrocarbon fuel and a lower alkanol.  
     
     
         20 . The fuel composition of  claim 19  wherein the hydrocarbon fuel is gasoline.  
     
     
         21 . The fuel composition of  claim 19  wherein the hydrocarbon fuel is diesel fuel.  
     
     
         22 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the fuel comprises a biomass fuel.  
     
     
         23 . The fuel composition of  claim 22  wherein the biomass fuel comprises vegetable oil.  
     
     
         24 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the fuel is a synthetic fuel.  
     
     
         25 . The fuel composition of  claim 24  wherein the synthetic fuel is obtained by the Fischer-Tropsch process  
     
     
         26 . The fuel composition of  claim 25  wherein the synthetic fuel is a hydrocarbon fuel.  
     
     
         27 . A method for improving the combustion characteristics of a normally liquid hydrocarbon based fuel comprising incorporating therein a combustion improving amount of a hydroxylamine salt.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein each hydroxylamino group of the hydroxylamine salt contains no more than one tertiary alkyl substituent.  
     
     
         29 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  wherein the hydroxylamine or salt thereof is present in amounts ranging from about 50 to about 50,000 parts by weight per million parts by weight of fuel.  
     
     
         30 . A fuel composition comprising a major amount of gasoline meeting ASTM Specification D-4814 and a minor amount of a hydroxylamine or a salt thereof wherein each hydroxylamino group of the hydroxylamine or salt thereof contains no more than one tertiary alkyl substituent.  
     
     
         31 . The fuel composition of  claim 30  comprising a hydroxylamine wherein the hydroxylamine has the general formula  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein each of R a  and R b  is, independently, a member selected from the group consisting of H, a primary hydrocarbyl group and a secondary hydrocarbyl group, and n ranges from 1 to about 30.  
     
     
         32 . The fuel composition of  claim 31  wherein n ranges from 1 to about 4.  
     
     
         33 . The fuel composition of  claim 32  wherein n=1 and each of R a  and R b  is, independently, H or a hydrocarbyl group, containing from 1 to about 25 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         34 . The fuel composition of  claim 33  wherein each of R a  and R b  is, independently, a lower alkyl group.  
     
     
         35 . The fuel composition of  claim 32  wherein each hydrocarbyl group is, independently, a primary alkyl group.  
     
     
         36 . The fuel composition of claim  356  wherein each primary alkyl group, independently contains from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         37 . The fuel composition of  claim 30  comprising a hydroxylamine wherein the hydroxylamine has the general formula  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein each R c  is, independently, H or a hydrocarbyl group, each R d  is, independently, a lower alkylene group and x ranges from 1 to about 29.  
     
     
         38 . The fuel composition of  claim 37  wherein each R c  is, independently, H or a lower alkyl group and each R d  is independently an ethylene or propylene group.  
     
     
         39 . The fuel composition of  claim 30  wherein the fuel comprises a mixture of gasoline and a lower alkanol.  
     
     
         40 . The fuel composition of  claim 30  wherein the gasoline is a synthetic fuel.  
     
     
         41 . The fuel composition of  claim 40  wherein the gasoline is obtained by the Fischer-Tropsch process  
     
     
         42 . A method for improving the combustion characteristics of a gasoline fuel comprising incorporating therein a combustion improving amount of a hydroxylamine or a salt thereof wherein each hydroxylamino group of the hydroxylamine or salt thereof contains no more than one tertiary alkyl substituent.  
     
     
         43 . The fuel composition of  claim 30  wherein the hydroxylamine or salt thereof is present in amounts ranging from about 50 to about 50,000 parts by weight per million parts by weight of fuel.  
     
     
         44 . The fuel composition of any one of claims  1 - 26 ,  29 - 41  and  43 , further comprising at least one component selected from the group consisting of a) dispersants, b) combustion modifiers, c) lubricity agents, d) cold flow improvers, e) fluidizers and (f) surfactants.  
     
     
         45 . The method of any one of claims  27 ,  28  and  42  wherein the improved combustion characteristics comprise at least one of reduced particulate emissions, reduced NO x  emissions, improved fuel efficiency and reduced hydrocarbon emissions.  
     
     
         46 . A method for operating an internal combustion engine or a burner comprising providing to the combustion chamber of said engine or burner during operation thereof, the fuel composition of any one of claims  1  and  30 .