Oil compositions

Abstract

A composition comprising a major proportion of an oil obtained from methyl esters of animal or vegetable material or both or derivatives thereof, or its mixtures with petroleum-based oils, in admixture with an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer cold flow additive having at least 17 mole % vinyl ester units and containing 5 or more alkyl branches per 100 backbone methylenes. The copolymer improves the low temperature properties of the oil.

1 . A composition comprising an oil obtained from methyl esters of animal or vegetable material or both or derivatives thereof, and an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer cold flow additive having at least 17 mole % vinyl ester units and containing 5 or more alkyl branches per 100 backbone methylenes.  
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , which further comprises one or more of the following: 
 (a) another ethylene-unsaturated ester copolymer;    (b) a comb polymer;    (c) polar nitrogen compounds;    (d) a compound containing a cyclic ring system;    (e) a hydrocarbon polymer;    (f) a polyoxyalkylene compound;    (g) a hydrocarbylated-aromatic pour point depressant; and    (h) alkyl phenol formaldehyde condensates.    
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1 , in which the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer has 17-25 mole % vinyl ester.  
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 1 , in which the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer has 6-8 alkyl branches per 100 backbone methylenes.  
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 1 , in which the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer is an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer having 17-19 mole % vinyl acetate.  
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 1 , in which the major proportion of the oil is a biofuel selected from the group comprising methyl esters of rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, soyabean oil, sunflower oil, olive oil and palm oil.  
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 1 , which includes 1 to 10,000 ppm of cold flow additive by weight per weight of oil.  
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 1 , which further comprises a petroleum based oil.  
     
     
         9 . A method of using an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer cold flow additive having at least 17 mole % vinyl ester units and containing 5 or more alkyl branches per 100 backbone methylenes, to improve low temperature properties of an oil obtained from methyl esters of animal or vegetable material or both or derivatives thereof.  
     
     
         10 . An additive concentrate for blending with an oil obtained from methyl esters of animal or vegetable material or both or derivatives thereof, which additive concentrate comprises an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer cold flow additive having at least 17 mole % vinyl ester units and containing 5 or more alkyl branches per 100 backbone methylenes.  
     
     
         11 . A method of improving low temperature properties of an oil obtained from methyl esters of animal or vegetable material or both or derivatives thereof, which method comprises adding to the oil an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer cold flow additive having at least 17 mole % vinyl ester units and containing 5 or more alkyl branches per 100 backbone methylenes.