Patent ID: 8227651

Claim:
A process for making a high density fuel comprising: providing a catalytic amount of a first catalyst selected from one of a montmorillonite polyacidic clay or a perfluorinated sulfonic acid resin; slurring said first catalyst in hexane under a nitrogen atmosphere; adding β-pinene incrementally to said slurry with stirring to form a first reaction mixture; heating said first reaction mixture to about 100° C.; stirring the heated first reaction mixture until reaction of reactants is substantially complete to form a second reaction mixture; removing the first catalyst from the second reaction mixture; adding a platinum dioxide hydrogenation catalyst to the second reaction mixture under a hydrogen atmosphere; stirring the second reaction mixture to allow contact of reactants until reaction of reactants is substantially complete to form a third reaction mixture containing hydrogenated α-pinene dimer and hydrogenated β-pinene dimer; removing the activated platinum dioxide catalyst from the third reaction mixture; removing the hexane from the third reaction mixture to form a residue; and isolating said hydrogenated α-pinene dimer and hydrogenated β-pinene dimer from the residue to form a high density fuel.