Patent ID: 6761745
Filing Date: 2004-07-13
Classification: C10L

Abstract:
A method of reducing the vapor pressure of a C3-C12 hydrocarbon-based motor fuel composition for a conventional spark ignition internal combustion engine comprising combining:(a) a hydrocarbon component comprising C3 to C12 hydrocarbon fractions; (b) an ethanol component comprising fuel grade ethanol, said ethanol component comprising 0.1% to 20% of the composition by volume; (c) an oxygen-containing component comprising at least one of (1) an alkanol having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms; (2) a ketone having from 4 to 9 carbon atoms; (3) a dialkyl ether having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms; (4) an alkyl ester of an alkanoic acid, said alkyl ester having 5 to 8 carbon atoms; (5) a hydroxyketone having 4 to 6 carbon atoms; (6) a keto ester of an alkanoic acid, said keto ester having 5 to 8 carbon atoms or (7) an oxygen-containing heterocyclic compound having 5 to 8 carbon atoms selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl acetate, dimethyltetrahydrofuran, teframethyltetrahydrofuran, methyl tetrahydropyran, 4-methyl-4-oxytetrahydropyran, and mixtures thereof, and said oxygen-containing additive comprises 0.05% to 15% of the total volume of the motor fuel composition; and (d) at least one C6-C12 saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon, unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon, alicyclic saturated hydrocarbon, alicyclic unsaturated hydrocarbon, or fraction of hydrocarbons boiling at 100-200Â° C., said fraction of hydrocarbons obtained in distillation of oil, bituminous coal resin or products yielded from processing of synthesis-gas, so that said motor fuel composition (i) comprises not more than 0.25% by weight of water according to ASTM D 6304 and not more than 7% by weight of oxygen according to ASTM D 4815; and (b) has a ratio between components (b)/{(c)+(d)} from 1:200 to 200:1 by volume.