Use of nitrogen compounds quaternised with alkylene oxide and hydrocarbyl-substituted polycarboxylic acid as additives in fuels and lubricants

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of quaternized nitrogen compounds as a fuel and lubricant additive or kerosene additive, such as in particular as a detergent additive, for decreasing or preventing deposits in the injection systems of direct-injection diesel engines, in particular in common rail injection systems, for decreasing the fuel consumption of direct-injection diesel engines, in particular of diesel engines having common rail injection systems, and for minimizing the power loss in direct-injection diesel engines, in particular in diesel engines having common rail injection systems; the invention further relates to the use as an additive for petrol, in particular for operation of DISI engines.

1 : A method for preparing a fuel composition, a lubricant composition or a kerosene composition, comprising:
 adding to a fuel, a lubricant or a kerosene, a reaction product comprising a quaternized nitrogen compound or of a fraction thereof obtained from the reaction product by purification;   wherein:   the reaction product is obtained by reacting a quaternizable nitrogen compound comprising at least one quaternizable amino group with a quaternizing agent which converts the at least one quaternizable, amino group to a quaternary ammonium group; and   the quaternizing agent is a hydrocarbyl epoxide that is in combination with a free hydrocarbyl-substituted polycarboxylic acid.   
     
     
         2 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the reaction product reduces the fuel consumption of a direct injection diesel engine. 
     
     
         3 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the reaction product is added to a gasoline fuel and reduces the level of deposits in the intake system of a gasoline engine. 
     
     
         4 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the reaction product is added to a diesel fuel and reduces and/or prevents deposits in an intake system. 
     
     
         5 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the quaternizable nitrogen compound is selected from the group consisting of:
 at least one alkylamine of the following formula 3:
   R a R b R c N  (3);
 
 where at least one of R a , R b  and R c  radicals is a straight-chain or branched, saturated or unsaturated C 8 -C 40 -hydrocarbyl radical and the other radicals are identical or different, straight-chain or branched, saturated or unsaturated C 1 -C 6 -hydrocarbyl radicals; or 
 where R a , R b  and R c  radicals are identical or different, straight-chain or branched, saturated or unsaturated C 8 -C 40 -hydrocarbyl radicals; 
   at least one polyalkene-substituted amine comprising at least one quaternizable, amino group;   at least one polyether-substituted amine comprising at least one quaternizable, amino group; and   at least one reaction product of a hydrocarbyl-substituted acylating agent and a compound comprising a nitrogen or oxygen atom and further comprising at least one quaternizable amino group; and   a mixture thereof.   
     
     
         6 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the quaternizing agent comprises an epoxide of formula 4: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         where the R d  radicals are the same or different and are each a H or a hydrocarbyl radical, the hydrocarbyl radical being an aliphatic or aromatic radical comprising 1 to 10 carbon atoms. 
       
     
     
         7 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the quaternizing agent comprises a free acid which is a hydrocarbyl-substituted C 3 -C 28 -dicarboxylic acid. 
     
     
         8 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbyl substituent of the hydrocarbyl-substituted polycarboxylic acid has a number-average molecular weight (M n ) of 85 to 20 000 or comprises a polyalkylene radical having a degree of polymerization of 2 to 100, or 3 to 50 or 4 to 25. 
     
     
         9 : The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the quaternizable nitrogen compound is a compound of formula 3 where at least two of the R a , R b  and R c  radicals are the same or different and are each a straight-chain or branched C 10 -C 20 -alkyl radical and the other radical is C 1 -C 4 -alkyl. 
     
     
         10 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the quaternizing agent is a lower alkylene oxide that is in combination with a polyalkenyl-substituted dicarboxylic acid. 
     
     
         11 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the fuel is selected from the group consisting of a diesel fuel, a biodiesel fuel, a gasoline fuel, and an alkanol-containing gasoline fuel. 
     
     
         12 : A quaternized nitrogen compound in a reaction product obtained by the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 : A process for preparing a quaternized nitrogen compound according to  claim 12 , comprising:
 reacting a quaternizable nitrogen compound comprising at least one quaternizable tertiary amino group with a quaternizing agent which converts the at least one tertiary amino group to a quaternary ammonium group;   wherein the quaternizing agent is a hydrocarbyl epoxide that is in combination with a free hydrocarbyl-substituted polycarboxylic acid.   
     
     
         14 : An additive concentrate comprising, in combination with at least one selected from the group consisting of a diesel fuel additive, a gasoline fuel additive a lubricant additive, at least one quaternized nitrogen compound prepared by the process according to  claim 13 . 
     
     
         15 : A fuel composition, a lubricant composition or a kerosene composition comprising, in a majority of a customary fuel or a customary lubricant, a proportion of at least one reaction product comprising a quaternized nitrogen compound, or a fraction thereof obtained from the reaction product by purification;
 wherein:   the reaction product is obtained by reacting a quaternizable nitrogen compound comprising at least one quaternizable tertiary amino group with a quaternizing agent which converts the at least one tertiary amino group to a quaternary ammonium group; and   the quaternizing agent is a hydrocarbyl epoxide that is in combination with a free hydrocarbyl-substituted polycarboxylic acid.   
     
     
         16 : The fuel composition, the lubricant composition or the kerosene composition according to  claim 15 , wherein the quaternizable compound is selected from the group consisting of:
 at least one alkylamine of the following formula 3:
   R a R b R c N  (3);
 
 where at least one of R a , R b  and R c  radicals is a straight-chain or branched, saturated or unsaturated C 8 -C 40 -hydrocarbyl radical and the other radicals are identical or different, straight-chain or branched, saturated or unsaturated C 1 -C 6 -hydrocarbyl radicals; or 
 where R a , R b  and R c  radicals are identical or different, straight-chain or branched, saturated or unsaturated C 8 -C 40 -hydrocarbyl radicals; 
   at least one polyalkene-substituted amine comprising at least one quaternizable, amino group;   at least one polyether-substituted amine comprising at least one quaternizable, amino group; and   at least one reaction product of a hydrocarbyl-substituted acylating agent and a compound comprising a nitrogen or oxygen atom and further comprising at least one quaternizable amino group; and   a mixture thereof.   
     
     
         17 : The fuel composition, the lubricant composition or the kerosene composition according to  claim 15 , wherein the quaternizing agent comprises an epoxide of formula 4: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         where the R d  radicals are the same or different and are each a H or a hydrocarbyl radical, the hydrocarbyl radical being an aliphatic or aromatic radical comprising 1 to 10 carbon atoms. 
       
     
     
         18 : The fuel composition, the lubricant composition or the kerosene composition according to  claim 15 , wherein the quaternizing agent comprises a free acid which is a hydrocarbyl-substituted C 3 -C 28 -dicarboxylic acid. 
     
     
         19 : The fuel composition, the lubricant composition or the kerosene composition according to  claim 15 , wherein the hydrocarbyl substituent of the hydrocarbyl-substituted polycarboxylic acid has a number-average molecular weight (M n ) of 85 to 20 000 or comprises a polyalkylene radical having a degree of polymerization of 2 to 100, or 3 to 50 or 4 to 25. 
     
     
         20 : The fuel composition, the lubricant composition or the kerosene composition according to  claim 17 , wherein the quaternizable nitrogen compound is a compound of formula 3 where at least two of the R a , R b  and R c  radicals are the same or different and are each a straight-chain or branched C 10 -C 20 -alkyl radical and the other radical is C 1 -C 4 -alkyl. 
     
     
         21 : The fuel composition, the lubricant composition or the kerosene composition according to  claim 15 , wherein the quaternizing agent is a lower alkylene oxide that is in combination with a polyalkenyl-substituted dicarboxylic acid. 
     
     
         22 : The fuel composition, the lubricant composition or the kerosene composition according to  claim 15 , wherein the fuel, the lubricant or the kerosene is selected from the group consisting of a diesel fuel, a biodiesel fuel, a gasoline fuel, and an alkanol-containing gasoline fuel. 
     
     
         23 : A method for preparing a fuel composition, a lubricant composition or a kerosene composition, comprising:
 adding to a fuel, a lubricant or a kerosene, a component fraction of a reaction product comprising a quaternized nitrogen compound and a free hydrocarbyl-substituted polycarboxylic acid as a counterion;   wherein:   the reaction product is obtained by reacting a quaternizable nitrogen compound comprising at least one quaternizable amino group with a quaternizing agent which converts the at least one quaternizable nitrogen group to a quaternary ammonium group; and   the quaternizing agent is a hydrocarbyl epoxide that is in combination with a free hydrocarbyl-substituted polycarboxylic acid.   
     
     
         24 : The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the quaternizable amino group is a tertiary amino group. 
     
     
         25 : The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the 0.1 to 4.0 equivalents of the hydrocarbyl epoxide are used per equivalent of the tertiary amino group.