Protection of liquid fuels

Abstract

A liquid concentrate comprising essentially: (A) 0.1 to 10 wt. % of one or more amphoteric emulsifying agents; (B) 30 to 95 wt. % of one or more nonionic alkoxylated surfactants; (C) 0 to 20 wt. % of one or more glycol-based solubilizers; and (D) 0 to 65 wt. % of one or more organic solvents; wherein component (B) comprises a mixture of C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylates with different carbon numbers for the alkanol unit species, the carbon numbers for the two C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylates which have the highest share in weight in the mixture being at least 1.5 carbon numbers distant from each other, is useful for reducing or eliminating the formation in a liquid hydrocarbon fuel of ice particles having a weight average particle size greater than 1 μm when said liquid hydrocarbon fuel is cooled to temperatures in the range of from 0 to −50° C.

1 . A liquid concentrate comprising essentially
 (A) 0.1 to 10 wt. % of one or more amphoteric emulsifying agents;   (B) 30 to 95 wt. % of nonionic alkoxylated surfactants;   (C) 0 to 20 wt. % of one or more glycol-based solubilizers; and   (D) 0 to 65 wt. % of one or more organic solvents;   wherein component (B) comprises a mixture of C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylates with different carbon numbers for the alkanol unit species, the carbon numbers for the two C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylates which have the highest share in weight in the mixture being at least 1.5 carbon numbers distant from each other.   
     
     
         2 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 1  comprising
 (A) 0.1 to 10 wt. % of one or more betaine-based emulsifying agents; 
 (B) 30 to 95 wt. % of C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylate surfactants; 
 (C) 0 to 20 wt. % of one or more glycol-based solubilizers; and 
 (D) 0 to 65 wt. % of one or more organic solvents. 
 
     
     
         3 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 2  comprising
 (A) 0.5 to 5 wt. % of one or more fatty (C 8 -C 24 )-amido-(C 1 -C 6 )-alkyl betaine emulsifying agents; 
 (B) 45 to 75 wt. % of C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylate surfactants; 
 (C) 0.5 to 10 wt. % of one or more glycol-based solubilizers; and 
 (D) 5 to 50 wt. % of one or more organic solvents. 
 
     
     
         4 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 1  comprising cocoamidopropyl betaine as component (A). 
     
     
         5 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 1  comprising as component (B) one or more C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylates with 2 to 5 moles of ethylene oxide units on average per mole of alkanol. 
     
     
         6 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 1  comprising as component (B) one or more C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylates with an average degree of methyl branching for the alkanol unit of 3.7 or less. 
     
     
         7 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 1  comprising one or more C 9 -C 14 -alkanol ethoxylates as component (B). 
     
     
         8 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 7  comprising one or more C 9 -C 14 -alkanol ethoxylates with 2 to 12 moles of ethylene oxide units on average per mole of alkanol as component (B) 
     
     
         9 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the carbon number for one of the two C 6 -C 15 -alkanol ethoxylates which have the highest share in weight in the mixture is in the range of 9 to 11 and the other is in the range of 12 to 14. 
     
     
         10 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 1  comprising ethylene glycol as component (C). 
     
     
         11 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 1  comprising one or more C 1 -C 4  alkanols as component (D). 
     
     
         12 . The concentrate as claimed in  claim 11  comprising ethanol as component (D). 
     
     
         13 . The process for manufacturing a concentrate as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that components (A) to (D) are mixed together at a temperature in the range of from −10° C. to 60° C., preferably 0° C. to 40° C. 
     
     
         14 . A stable water-in-oil-emulsion comprising
 (a) a liquid fuel or oil which is immiscible with water;   (b) up to 1 wt. %, preferably up to 0.1 wt. %, based on the amount of (a), water; and   (c) 10 to 10,000 wt. ppm, preferably 10 to 1,000 wt. ppm, based on the amount of (a), of a concentrate as claimed in  claim 1 .   
     
     
         15 . The water-in-oil-emulsion as claimed in  claim 14  which is a water-in-oil-micro-emulsion. 
     
     
         16 . The stable water-in-oil-emulsion or water-in-oil-microemulsion as claimed in  claim 14 , characterised in that the liquid fuel or oil is a jet fuel or kerosene. 
     
     
         17 . The use in a liquid fuel or oil for a turbine engined aircraft of a concentrate as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said liquid fuel or oil is immiscible with water, characterised in that said use is to scavenge free water which exists in or is introduced into the said liquid fuel or oil as a contaminant by forming a stable water-in-oil-emulsion or water-in-oil-microemulsion, thereby to render or retain the said liquid fuel or oil in a usable state. 
     
     
         18 . The use as claimed in  claim 17 , characterised in that the liquid fuel or oil is a jet fuel or kerosene. 
     
     
         19 . A method of scavenging free water which exists in or is introduced as a contaminant into a liquid fuel or oil which is immiscible with water, thereby to render or retain the said liquid fuel or oil in a usable state, which method comprises: adding to a substantially water-free liquid fuel or oil or to a liquid fuel or oil contaminated with free water a concentrate as claimed in  claim 1  in order to form a stable water-in-oil-emulsion or water-in-oil-microemulsion. 
     
     
         20 . The method as claimed in  claim 19 , characterised in that the liquid fuel or oil is a jet fuel or kerosene. 
     
     
         21 . The stable water-in-oil-emulsion or water-in-oil-microemulsion as claimed in  claim 15 , characterised in that the liquid fuel or oil is a jet fuel or kerosene.