WO2003097772A1 - Fuel for internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

A fuel for internal combustion engine that is preferable from the viewpoint of environmental protection and that enables minimizing corrosion of the internal combustion engine. The fuel for internal combustion engine comprises 50 to 75 wt.% of alcohol components composed of isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol and 25 to 49.9 wt.% of hydrocarbon components, and exhibits a flash point of -20ºC or below. With respect to this fuel wherein alcohols are contained in high concentration, it is preferred that the concentration of alcohol components be in the range of 50 to 60 wt.% and the concentration of hydrocarbon components in the range of 40 to 49.9 wt.%. With respect to the alcohol components, it is preferred that the concentration of isopropyl alcohol be in the range of 15 to 30 wt.%, the concentration of isobutyl alcohol in the range of 15 to 25 wt.% and the concentration of n-butyl alcohol in the range of 7 to 20 wt.%.

Description

 Description Fuel for internal combustion engines Technical field

 The present invention relates to a fuel for an internal combustion engine, particularly to an environmentally friendly and low-pollution fuel for an internal combustion engine. Background art

 Gasoline is widely used as fuel for internal combustion engines, for example, fuel for internal combustion engines mounted on automobiles. When gasoline is used as fuel, CO x (carbon oxides), NO x (nitrogen oxides), SO x (sulfurized oxides), etc. are generated during combustion, and these generated CO x and NOSO x are exhausted. Released into the atmosphere along with the gas, causing air pollution.

 Under these circumstances, in recent years, attention has been paid to twisting materials for internal combustion engines containing a high concentration of alcohol components, and various fuels containing alcohol have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. The one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 880 is known. This fuel contains 48 to 58% by weight of an alcohol component such as methyl alcohol and isobutyl alcohol, and has the following characteristics because it contains such an alcohol component. First, alcohol contains oxygen in its molecules, so the amount of CO (carbon oxide) and HC (hydrocarbon) generated during combustion is small, and therefore, the amount of CO and HC contained in exhaust gas is low. The amount is small. Second, alcohols have low sulfur content and, therefore, low levels of SOx in exhaust gas. And these characteristics make it an environmentally friendly fuel. Third, the high octane value of the fuel makes it suitable for spark ignition type internal combustion engines.

However, the twisting material described above contains a large amount of methyl alcohol as an alcohol component, for example, about 40% by weight. In recent years, internal combustion engines for automobiles are often formed of aluminum due to the trend toward lighter weight. Aluminum is corrosive to methyl alcohol, and twists containing such a high concentration of methyl alcohol If the material is used for a long time, some of the internal combustion engine, for example, the cylinder head, may be corroded.

 An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel for an internal twisted engine that is environmentally friendly and that can suppress corrosion to an internal combustion engine. Disclosure of the invention

 The present invention comprises 50 to 75% by weight of an alcohol component of isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and η-butyl alcohol, and 25 to 49.9% by weight of a hydrocarbon component, and has a flash point of 1 to 2%. A fuel for an internal combustion engine characterized by being at a temperature of 0 ° C or less.

 In the fuel for the twisting engine of the present invention, isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol are used, and the content of these alcohol components is 50 to 75% by weight. Isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol have lower carbon content in their components than methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol.

It is an alcohol having a large number of (C), and therefore has low corrosiveness to aluminum and can suppress internal combustion engine corrosion. When these alcohol components is less than 5 0% by weight, this corresponds to a number hydrocarbon component Li, therefore, NO x during combustion, CO x is likely to occur, NO _x contained in the exhaust gas, It has a lot of CO and is not environmentally friendly. On the other hand, if the content of these alcohol components exceeds 75% by weight, the amount of alcohol components is too large, and therefore the calorific value during combustion is small, the horsepower of the internal combustion engine does not come out, and the performance of automobiles decreases. . Further, since the flash point of this fuel is 120 ° C. or less, desired low-temperature starting characteristics can be obtained.

 In a fuel containing such a high concentration of alcohol, the alcohol component of isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol is 50 to 60% by weight, and the hydrocarbon component is 40 to 49.9% by weight. % Is desirable. The hydrocarbon component includes a wholly aromatic component such as benzene and xylene and a non-aromatic component.

In the present invention, among the alcohol components, isopropyl alcohol is 15 to 30% by weight, isobutyl alcohol is 15 to 25% by weight, and n- It is characterized in that the content of butyl alcohol is 7 to 20% by weight.

 According to the present invention, isopropyl alcohol is 15 to 30% by weight, isobutyl alcohol is 15 to 25% by weight, and n-butyl alcohol is 7 to 20% by weight. By using the above-mentioned components, these alcohol components can be stably maintained in the fuel, and desired driving performance, acceleration performance, and the like can be obtained as a fuel for automobiles. The weight percentage of these three alcohols, ie, the weight ratio of isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol, is (1.8 to 2.2): (1.3 to 1.7): It is more preferably 1, and by doing so, it becomes a high-performance fuel for automobiles.

 Further, the present invention is characterized in that it contains an MTBE component of 6.0% by weight or less.

 According to the present invention, since the content of MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) is 6.0% by weight or less, it is possible to provide an environmentally friendly fuel with less harmful substances. The lower the MTBE content is, the better the environment is, and it is preferable that the content is 0.3% by weight or less.

 Further, in the present invention, of the hydrocarbon components, the total aromatic component is 0.2 to 1.0% by weight, and the non-aromatic component is 48.9 to 49.7% by weight. By making the hydrocarbon component such a component, the characteristics as an automotive fuel can be maintained even if the alcohol component is made to have a high concentration. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the fuel for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention will be described.

This internal combustion engine fuel contains a high concentration of an alcohol component and a hydrocarbon component, and the alcohol component is formed by blending isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol. Since alcohol such as isopropyl alcohol is used as the alcohol component, in other words, alcohol having more carbon atoms than methyl alcohol, it has low corrosiveness to aluminum and can suppress corrosion of internal combustion engines. This alcohol component is 50 to 7 Contains 5% by weight. When the alcohol component is less than 50 wt%, hydrocarbon component number of Li contained in the fuel Correspondingly, therefore, NO _x, is C Ox likely to occur during combustion, N Ox in the exhaust gas, C Ox increases. On the other hand, if the content of these alcohol components exceeds 75% by weight, the amount of alcohol components is too large, and therefore, the calorific value during combustion is small, and the horsepower of the internal combustion engine is not obtained. If used, the driving performance, especially the acceleration performance, will decrease. From the above, it is preferable that this alcohol component is 50 to 60% by weight based on the fuel. Of these alcohol components, 15-30% by weight of isopropyl alcohol is contained in the fuel, 15-25% by weight of isobutyl alcohol is contained in the fuel, and 7-20% by weight of n-butyl alcohol. %included. By using these three types of alcohol components as described above, the alcohol component can be kept stable and the performance as an automotive fuel can be maintained. can do. Also, the weight ratio of these three alcohols, ie, the weight ratio of isopropyl alcohol (X), isobutyl alcohol (Y) and n-butyl alcohol (Z), is X: Y: Z = (1.8 to 2.2): (1.3 to 1.7): 1 is preferable.

 The hydrocarbon component of this twist contains an aromatic component (aromatic compound) and a non-aromatic component (non-aromatic compound). The aromatic component is benzene, toluene, xylene, etc. An aromatic component having 8 and an aromatic component having 9 or more carbon atoms are also included. Such hydrocarbon components are contained in an amount of 25 to 49.9% by weight with respect to the fuel. By including such a content, even if a high concentration of alcohol component is contained, the characteristics as a fuel for automobiles can be obtained. And can be used as a gasoline alternative fuel. This hydrocarbon component is preferably between 40 and 49.9% by weight in relation to the alcohol component.

 Of these hydrocarbon components, the total aromatic component is preferably 0.2 to 1.0% by weight and the non-aromatic component is preferably 48.9 to 49.7% by weight. By using a suitable component, the characteristics as an automotive fuel can be maintained.

This fuel contains 6.0 weight percent MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether). % Or less is included. While MT BE has the function of increasing the octane value of fuel, it emits SOx when burned, which is not environmentally desirable. By reducing its content to 6.0% by weight or less, fuel consumption can be reduced while taking environmental considerations into account. Can improve the octane number. The octane number can be sufficiently increased by adjusting the various components of the fuel. In this case, the MTBE content can be reduced to 0.1% by weight or less, and further reduced to substantially zero ( Zero) is also possible.

 Fuel containing such a high concentration of alcohol is blended so as to have a flash point of not more than 20 ° G. By setting such a flash point, the low-temperature flammability characteristics are maintained and the internal combustion engine Low temperature startability can be improved. Also, the fuel is blended so that the octane number is 94.0 or more. By setting the octane number to such, the fuel can be made a high-performance fuel.

 This fuel can be conveniently used as a fuel for an internal combustion engine of an automobile, and can obtain desired operating characteristics (acceleration performance, low-temperature start-up performance, anti-knocking property), and improve the internal combustion engine for gasoline. It can be used as a gasoline alternative fuel without any problems.

 Example 1 As Example 1, the fuels of the components shown in Table 1 were blended, and the driving performance of the vehicle was evaluated using an internal combustion engine for automobile gasoline (made of aluminum) instead of gasoline, and the exhaust gas components were examined. Was.

 Table 1 Alcohol components 56.0% by weight

 Isopropyl alcohol 25.0% by weight

 Π-butyl alcohol 12.0% by weight

 Isobutyl alcohol 18.8% by weight

 M T B E 0.1% by weight or less

 Hydrocarbon component 44 4% by weight

 0.8% by weight of wholly aromatic components

 Non-aromatic component 43.2% by weight

 Flash point T.C.C.- 20 ° C or less

Octane number 9 5. 9 Further, as Example 2, a twisting material having the components shown in Table 2 was blended, and in the same manner as in Example 1, the driving performance of the automobile was evaluated using the internal combustion engine for a gasoline vehicle, and the exhaust gas component was also evaluated. Examined.

 Table 2

実施例 1及び 2の燃料を自動車に用いた場合、 いずれも、 燃料としてガソリン を用いた場合と同様の運転性能が得られ、 低温始動性が良好で、 充分な加速性能 が得られるとともに、 運転中においてノッキングが発生しなかった。 また、 排出 される排気ガス中の成分を調べたところ、 燃料としてガソリンを用いた場合と比 較して、 C O (—酸化炭素） が約 1 1 0に、 H C (炭化水素） が約 1 / 4に抑 えられ、 ガソリンに比して環境に優しい燃料であることが実証された。 そして、 この運転実験を 1年間行ったが、 1年経過後においても運転性能に変化が見られ ず、 所望の運転性能が維持された。 産業上の利用可能性

When the fuels of Examples 1 and 2 were used in an automobile, the same driving performance as when gasoline was used as the fuel was obtained, the cold startability was good, and sufficient acceleration performance was obtained. No knocking occurred in the inside. In addition, when the components in the exhaust gas were examined, CO (carbon oxide) and HC (hydrocarbon) were reduced to about 110 and 1/1, respectively, compared to the case of using gasoline as fuel. 4 and proved to be environmentally friendly fuel compared to gasoline. Then, this driving experiment was performed for one year, but after one year, no change was observed in the driving performance, and the desired driving performance was maintained. Industrial applicability

According to the internal combustion engine fuel of the present invention, isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, and n-butyl alcohol having a large number of carbon atoms are used. Can be. Also, since these alcohol components are 50 to 75% by weight, the drivability of automobiles It is possible to reduce NOx and COx in exhaust gas while maintaining performance, and to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline. Further, since the flash point is lower than or equal to 120 ° G, desired low-temperature starting characteristics can be obtained.

Claims

The scope of the claims 1. The alcohol component of isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol should be 50 to 75% by weight, and the hydrocarbon component should be 25 to 49.9% by weight, and the flash point should be below 20 ° C. A twisting material for an inner flint engine.  2. The fuel for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the alcohol component is 50 to 60% by weight, and the hydrocarbon component is 40 to 49.9% by weight. 3. Among the alcohol components, isopropyl alcohol is 15 to 30% by weight, isobutyl alcohol is 15 to 25% by weight, and n-butyl alcohol is 7 to 20% by weight. Fuel _c for internal combustion engines according to item 1 or 2 4. I isopropyl alcohol, I Seo weight ratio of butyl alcohol and n- butyl alcohol (1 8-2 2..): (.. 1 3-1 _7): claims, characterized in that a 1 3. Fuel for internal twisting engines according to 3.  5. The fuel for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the fuel contains an MTBE component of 6.0% by weight or less.  6. The hydrocarbon component, wherein the total aromatic component is 0.2 to 1.0% by weight and the non-aromatic component is 48.9 to 49.7% by weight. 6. The fuel for an internal combustion engine according to any one of 5.