Process for the production of a lubricating oil additive having anti-wear properties.

Abstract: A lubricating oil additive which provides anti-wear properties to a lubricating oil, being the reaction product of 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole and a mixture of unsaturated mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides. The additive is preferably formed by reacting a mixture of unsaturated mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides with diethanolamine to provide an intermediate reaction product and reacting the intermediate reaction product with 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole.

Description: This invention relates to a process for the production of lubricating oil additive having anti-wear properties and to a lubricating oil composition containing the additive. More specifically, this application relates to an additive reaction product prepared in a reaction between a mixture of mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides pre-reacted with diethanolamine and 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole. The mixture of mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides is first reacted with diethanolamine to form an intermediate reaction product which is then reacted with the 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole. Current commercial lubricating oil anti-wear additives can contain phosphorus and zinc. While these additives provide effective anti-wear protection, they exhibit problematic side effects. During operation of an internal combustion engine, lubricating oil enters the combustion chambers by means such as clinging to cylinder walls as the piston makes its down stroke. When phosphorus containing lubricating oil compositions enter the combustion reaction, phosphorus enters the exhaust stream and acts to poison the catalytic converter, thus shortening its life. In addition, the presence of zinc contributes to the emission of particulates in the exhaust. There is a need therefore to provide a lubricating oil additive which does not contain phosphorus or zinc. Applicants have discovered a lubricating oil anti-wear additive which does not contain these elements and which provides superior anti-wear protection as compared to typical phosphorus and zinc containing additives. US-A-4584114 (Mobil Oil) describes unsaturated ester-mercapto thiadiazole adducts, most particularly the reaction of 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMTD) with unsaturated esters such as oleyl oleate, pentaerythritol tetraoleate and Jojoba oil. The adducts are effective multifunctional friction reducing and copper strip passivating additives for various lubricants. US-A-4301019 (Mobil Oil) describes the reaction of mercaptothiadiazole with hydroxyl-containing unsaturated esters. Various mono- and di- glycerides are described as being useful. The products are useful as friction reducing additives in lubricants. The present invention provides a lubricating oil additive with anti-wear properties produced by the steps comprising: reacting a mixture of unsaturated mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides of formula: where R 1 , R 2 and R 3 comprise hydrogen or hydrocarbyl radicals, having the formula: where R 4 is a C 6 to C 24 hydrocarbon, with diethanolamine to provide an intermediate reaction product comprising a second mixture of mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides and esters and amides of fatty acids; and reacting the intermediate reaction product with 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole. A lubricating composition comprising a lubricating oil and the additive of the present invention is also contemplated. The additives of the invention impart anti-wear properties to lubricating oil compositions without introducing phosphorus into the exhaust gases where it can poison the catalytic converter. Mixtures of unsaturated mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides can be naturally occurring, e.g., coconut oil, sunflower oil, lard, palm oil, or can be synthesized by reaction of glycerol with fatty acids, e.g., oleic acid. Although we describe the first component as a mixture of mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides, pure mono-, di-, or tri-glycerides would be effective as well. However, the naturally occurring oils are mixtures, and the synthesis described above produces a mixture. It would not be economically feasible to isolate pure mono-, di-, or tri-glycerides. Typical mixtures of unsaturated mono-, di-; and triglycerides employed according to the present invention include glycerol oleates, and preferably glycerol monooleate, glycerol linoleate and glycerol linolenate. The second major reactant, 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole, is represented by the formula: and can be purchased from R. T. Vanderbilt of Norwalk, Connecticut. According to this invention, one or a mixture of unsaturated mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides is first reacted with diethanolamine (DEA) to provide an intermediate product comprising unsaturated mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides and esters and amides of fatty acids. The unsaturated mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides are reacted with DEA in a molar ratio between 1 : 1.5 and 1 : 4, preferably between 1 : 1.5 and 1 : 3, and more preferably between 1: 1.5 and 1 : 2, say 1 : 1.8. The reaction is conducted at a temperature of between 120°C and 150°C with stirring for 2 to 6 hours, under a nitrogen atmosphere with trace amounts of water are distilled out of the reaction mixture. The product is cooled and filtered. It is postulated that the DEA and mixture of unsaturated mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides react to form an intermediate product mixture as follows: where R 7 , R 8 and R 9 comprise hydrogen or hydrocarbyl radicals having the formula: where R 4 is a C 6 to C 24 hydrocarbon, and where R 5 and R 6 comprise hydrocarbyl radicals having the formula: where R 4 is a C 6 to C 24 hydrocarbon. The intermediate product mixture is then reacted with DMTD in its broadest embodiment, the ratio of double bond equivalents in the mixture of mono-, di-and tri-glycerides to moles of 2,5 dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazoles is between 4:1 bis 0.5:1. The lubricating oil composition of the present invention may be made by any procedure suitable for making lubricating oil compositions. Typically, the additive is added to the lubricant by simply mixing the components together at a temperature of 65°C, producing a lubricant with increased wear resistance. The lubricating oil component of the lubricating oil compositions can typically include one or any combination of the following: hydrocarbon oils, such as those having naphthenic base, paraffinic base, mixed base mineral oils; oils derived from coal products; synthetic oils, such as alkylene polymers including polypropylene and polyisobutylene having molecular weights of between 250 and 2500; and the like. The type of lubricant can vary depending upon the particular application or properties desired. The additive of the present invention may be added to the base lubricating oil in any minor, effective, wear inhibiting amounts. The additive can be added to the base lubricating oil in amounts of 0.025 to 5 wt.% based on the weight of the lubricating oil. Preferably the additive is added at a concentration of 0.05 wt.% to 2 wt.%, and more preferably at a concentration of 1 to 1.5 wt. %. The additive may be added separately, or as a component of an additive package which contains other additives. The lubricant composition can contain, if desired, any other materials useful in lubricants. Such other materials include, among others, one or more of the following: dispersants; pour point depressants; detergents; viscosity index improvers; anti-foamants; anti-wear agents; demulsifiers; other anti-oxidants; other corrosion inhibitors; and other materials useful in lubricants. Preferred optional additives or additive packages include TLA-3604™, a product of the Texaco Additive Company. The amount of such materials may be any desired amounts which provide the desired properties. The following examples illustrate the preparation of the reaction product of this invention. Example I 364.7 g of an ester/amide derived from coconut oil containing 0.10 mole equivalent double bond were combined in a 2 liter 3-neck flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer, thermocouple, thermometer, condenser and nitrogen inlet tube, with 15.0 g (0.10m) DMTD. Nitrogen was bubbled into the mixture at 100ml/min. and the mixture was stirred at 130°C under a nitrogen atmosphere for three hours. The product was cooled and filtered. Yield = 319 g Theory: 380 g Tests Found Theory %N 3.3 2.9 %S 2.18 2.5 Example II [COMPARATIVE] Into a 2 liter 3-neck flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer, thermocouple, thermometer, condenser and nitrogen inlet tube were added 336.0 g mixed mono-, di- and triglyceride esters of oleic acid containing 1.0 mole equivalent double bond which was reacted with 37.5 g (0.25m) DMTD at 130°C bubbling nitrogen at 100ml/min. and stirring under a nitrogen atmosphere for 3 hours. The product was cooled and filtered. Yield = 334 g Theory: 374 g Tests Found Theory %S 5.71 6.4 %N 1.8 1.9 Example III [COMPARATIVE] Into a 2 liter 3-neck flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer, thermocouple, thermometer, condenser and nitrogen inlet tube were added 336.0 g mixed mono, di- and triglyceride esters of oleic acid containing 1.0 mole equivalent double bond which was reacted with 75.0 g (0.50m) DMTD at 130°C bubbling nitrogen at 100 ml/min. and stirring under a nitrogen atmosphere for 3 hours. The product was cooled and filtered. Yield = 366 g Theory: 411 g Tests Found Theory %S 10.4 11.7 %N 3.4 3.4 The products were evaluated for anti-wear properties in a Roxana® Four-Ball Wear Tester. The four ball wear test machine uses four balls arranged in an equilateral tetrahedron. The lower three balls are clamped securely in a test cup filled with lubricant and the upper ball is held by a chuck which is motor driven, causing the upper ball to rotate against the fixed lower balls. Load is applied in an upward direction through a weight/lever arm system. Heaters allow operation at elevated oil temperatures. At the end of a run, the diameter of the scars on the three stationary balls are measured and averaged. The relative scar diameters from different test lubricants provides a relative measure of anti-wear properties. Tests were run using 12.7 mm. chrome alloy steel balls at 600 rpm, 40 kg. load and (93°F) 34°C for 30 minutes. Test results are reported in terms of mm. average wear scar diameter. The test samples were prepared using an SAE 30 base blend containing dispersant, detergent and antioxidant, and adding a pro-wear contaminant and anti-wear agents. The pro-wear contaminant added represents one found in engine service and is used at a dosage which enables good discrimination between anti-wear additives in a short test. To demonstrate its effectiveness, the performance of the new additive in the wear test was compared to that of a known, effective zinc dithiophosphate (ZDTP) anti-wear additive, as shown in Table 1. The smaller the wear scar diameter, the better the anti-wear agent. FOUR BALL WEAR RESULTS Run No. Additive Concentration (weight%) Four Ball Wear Test (Wear Scar Diameter mm.) 1 Typical ZDTP 1.4 0.42 2 " 0.5 0.61 3 Example I 2.0 0.35 4 " 1.5 0.31 5 " 1.0 0.31 6 Example II 2.0 0.35 7 " 1.5 0.40 8 " 1.0 0.56 9 Example III 2.0 0.35 10 " 1.5 0.35 11 " 1.0 0.39 12 Mixed mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides 2.0 0.44 13 " 1.5 0.48 14 " 1.0 0.53 15 Base blend with no AW agent --- 0.65 It is clear from the results of TABLE I that the products of the invention are strong anti-wear agents. In addition, the additives of the present invention performed better than a typical ZDTP anti-wear agent.

Claims: A process for the production of an anti-wear additive comprising (a) reacting one or a mixture of mono-, di- and triglycerides of formula: where R 1 , R 2 and R 3 comprise hydrogen or hydrocarbyl radicals having the formula: where R 4 is a C 6 to C 24 hydrocarbon, with diethanolamine in a molar ratio of from 1:1.5 to 1:4 at a temperature of between 120°C and 150°C, and (b) reacting the product intermediate with 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein R 4 is a C 17 unsaturated hydrocarbon. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mixture of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides comprises a mixture of coconut oil, sunflower oil, lard or palm oil. A process as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of double bond equivalents in the mixture of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides to moles of 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole is between 4:1 and 0.5:1. An anti-wear additive obtainable by a process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4. A lubricating composition comprising a lubricating oil and an additive as claimed in claim 5. A lubricating composition as claimed in claim 6, wherein the additive is present at a concentration of 0.025 to 5 wt%.

Inventors: ANDERSON GREGORY PAUL, DANCY JULIAN HAWES, LOVE DORIS, LUCAS JAYNE MEISELBACH, ANDERSON, GREGORY PAUL, DANCY, JULIAN HAWES, LOVE, DORIS, LUCAS, JAYNE MEISELBACH
Applicants: ETHYL ADDITIVES CORP, ETHYL ADDITIVES CORPORATION
Application year: 1995
Main classification: C10M135
IPC codes: C10N40, C10N30, C10M135, C10M159