9/3/2019

Fuel Additives

Fuel additives are chemical substances added in small quantities as a rapid,
economic and easy mean for:
 Improving fuel performance properties.
 Control fuel quality during production, distribution and storage.
 Control emissions.
 FUEL ADDITIVES CLASSIFICATION
 Additives providing oxidation stability
Fuel Additives  Antioxidants: minimize oxidation and gum formation during storage
 Metal Deactivators: deactivate trace metals that can accelerate oxidation
 Additives influencing fuel combustion
 Octane Boosters
 Cetane Improvers
 Additives used in distribution
 Corrosion/Rust inhibitors: minimize rust throughout the gasoline supply chain
 Dyes & Markers
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 Demulsifies & Dehazares

Fuel Additives (Cont.) Fuel Additives (Cont.)

 FUEL ADDITIVES CLASSIFICATION (Cont.)  Additives and their functions

 Additives to protect vehicle fuel system  Detergent and dispersant: Keep the engine clean, keep the sludge in
 Detergents and dispersants: controls the deposition of carbon in engine suspension.
 Lubricity improvers: improves lubricity and reduces wear  Antioxidant: prevents formation of sludge and deposits; slows down the rate of
 Corrosion /Rust inhibitors: prevents corrosion/rust on ferrous and non-ferrous oxidation of the hydrocarbons.
surfaces  Corrosion/Rust inhibitor: Prevents corrosion/rust on ferrous and non ferrous
 Need for additive surfaces.
 Primarily due to  Foam inhibitors: Minimizes foam formation.
 lower fuel quality  Lubricity additive: improves lubricity and reduces wear.
 Greater engine demand  Octane boosters: improves octane number of the gasoline.
 Benefits of Additive use
 Utilization of lower grade crude
 Enhanced fuel stability
 Fuel economy
 Drivability ease
 Longer engine life
 Lower exhaust emission 3
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Fuel Additives (Cont.) Fuel Additives (Cont.)

OXIDATION AND ANTIOXIDANT ADDITIVES:
Hydrocarbon Oxidation Products:

 Hydrocarbon degradation process induced by:  Oxidation during storage and in use in an engine

 Oxygen  Olefins and diolefins more susceptible to oxidation

 Heat  Organic acids

 Organic esters
 Metal surface, metal ions
 Alcohols
 Irradiation (ultraviolet, daylight)
 Alkyl nitrites
 Impurities (e.g. free radicals from fuel combustion)
 Nitroalkanes
 May lead to:
 Aldehydes
 Viscosity increase
 Ketones
 Sludge formation

Antioxidant Chemistry:
 Formation of organic acids leads to corrosion
 Antioxidants extend storage life but can’t destroy gum already formed.
 Foam
 Essential to add at refinery end to control initiation of oxidation.
 Color darkening  Examples: Hindered aryl phenols, Alkyl-aryl phenylene diamines, substituted amino
phenols, imidazolines, tetra alkyl primary amines.
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Fuel Additives (Cont.) Fuel Additives (Cont.)

Metal Deactivators:
ADDITIVES IN FUEL DISTRIBTUION (Cont.):

 Trace level of metal compounds, e.g., Cu catalyze the oxidation.  Corrosion and Rust Inhibitors:
 Lead to formation of gums.  To protect storage tanks, pipelines and tanks from corrosion and rust.
 Metal deactivators make the metal inactive.  Chemicals Used:
 N.N’–disalicylidene -1,2-propanediamine o Dimeric acids and carboxylic acid derivatives

 Dosage: 4-12 ppm o Alkylphosporic acids amine salts

ADDITIVES IN FUEL DISTRIBTUION: o Mannich amines (diethylene triamine, poly (oxy propylene) diamine)
o Sulphonic acid salts
 Dyes and Markers:
 Demulsifiers and Dehazers:
 As per legal requirements.
 Free /dissolved water in fuel during processing and distribution.
 To distinguish brands.
 Dissolved water can separate by sudden drop in temperature and appear as
 To check adulteration/theft.
haze.
 Low treat rates: 2-100 ppm  Antihaze additives having surfactant properties minimize haze/emulsion
 Marker may not give color to fuel, but are detected by reaction with another formation.
chemical /other means.
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Fuel Additives (Cont.) Fuel Additives (Cont.)

ADDITIVES TO PREVENT VEHICLE FUEL SYSTEM:
Biocide Additives: To be used to inhibit the bacterial growth during storage in contact
 Deposit Formation: with water. Eg.: cyclic imines (pyrrolidine hexamethyleneimine), imidazolines.
 Fuel contains cracked compounds.
 High temperature leads to free radicals.

Antistatic additives:
 Sticky mass & deposit precursors.
 Generally, hydrocarbons have very low electrical conductivities.
 Affect drivability and fuel consumption.
 Manipulation of these fluids creates electrostatic charges that can result in fire or
 Detergents prevents these deposits and can also clean up existing deposits,
explosions.
Eg.: Alkanol amines, imidazolines.
 Dispersants improve behavior in fuel injectors; suspends soot (carbon  Cetylvinylether-vinylpyrrolidone copolymer used as antistatic additive.

residue); Eg.: polyisobutylene connected to a amine group (maleic

anhydride).

Antiicing Additive: Minimize ice formation in carburetors during cold weather.

ANTIKNOCK ADDITIVES:
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 Oxygenates (discussed earlier) 10

Fuel Additives (Cont.) Fuel Additives (Cont.)

LOW TEMPERTATURE FLOW PROBLEM:
DIESEL LUBRICITY ADDITIVE:

 Diesel from paraffinic crudes has poor low temperature flow performance.  The need:
 higher cloud/ pour points results in  The sulfur level in diesel is being brought down due to the environmental
 filter plugging reasons.
 inability to start  Lowering of sulfur by hydroprocessing leads to removal of certain polar
 In India, diesel of 18 oC, 6 oC and 0 oC pour point are being used. components from diesel which are associated with deterioration of lubricity of
 Extent of flow problem depends upon
diesel.
 Fuel hydrocarbon type
 Lower fuel lubricity can cause failure in injection pumps.
 Wax molecular weight/distribution
 No effect on lubricity of diesel when landed with S compounds.
 Storage temperature/time.
 Flow Improvers:  Lubricity is enhanced on formulating diesel at different dosages of aromatics.
 Ash less polymers (Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, alkyl methacrylate
polymers/copolymers, alkyl fumerate-maleate polymers)
o Function by interacting with wax crystals and modifying their growth pattern.
o Additives also inhibit growth of wax crystals.
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o Make crystal smaller and less prone to agglomeration.

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Fuel Additives (Cont.)

Additives used in Diesel Fuels:

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