Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
  • C10L—FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
  • C10L3/00—Gaseous fuels; Natural gas; Synthetic natural gas obtained by processes not covered by subclass C10G, C10K; Liquefied petroleum gas

Definitions

• the present invention relates to hydrocarbons including gas for use in cutting and/or welding torches, internal-combustion engine fuels and high temperature heating gas and oil fortified by the addition of a double additive or conditioner.
• Kessler U.S. patent No. 3,591,355, issued July 6, 1971 proposed the addition of a double additive to torch gas, composed of a liquid alkanol such as methanol and a mixture of alkanes such as pentane and isopentane.
• White U.S. patent No. 3,989,479, issued November 2, 1976 also proposed the addition of methanol and British patent specification No. 569,108, accepted May 4, 1945, proposed the addition of ammonia.
• This British patent also recommended increasing the amount of propane in producer gas, water gas, Mond gas and other commercially available gas mixtures in which methane predominated.
• the Medsker patent proposed a mixture of methyl borate and hexane as an additive for a gaseous fuel.
• the principal torch gas used heretofore has been acetylene which is comparatively expensive, difficult to store and to transport, requires the use of almost pure oxygen with it and forms persistently adherent scoria when used for cutting ferrous metal.
• a disadvantage of using tetraethyl lead is that the lead has been discharged into the air, and lead is physically harmful, so that its use in gasoline for internal-combustion engines has been phased out.
• Methyl tertiary butyl ether by itself has been used as an additive for unleaded gasoline as an octane booster and to reduce harmful emission products.
• a principal object of this invention is to provide fortified hydrocarbon such as torch gas having characteristics superior to those of acetylene, especially for cutting ferrous metal, and also for welding. Such object also includes providing fortified hydrocarbon having characteristics superior to those of hydrocarbon fortified only by the addition of methyl ethyl ketone.
• a particular object is to provide a torch gas which will have high flame temperature and intense heating capability.
• a further object is to provide torch gas that can be stored and transported easily and economically.
• Another object is to provide a torch gas having a base gas which is readily available in almost the entire world, can be provided more economically and is easy to fortify for enhancing its attributes.
• Another object is to provide a gas that can be used by torches for cutting under water at considerable depths.
• An additional object is to provide a gas that can be used for torch cutting more economically because it will combine effectively with oxygen containing a higher proportion of adulterating gases which cannot be used with acetylene.
• the foregoing objects can be accomplished by utilizing liquefied petroleum gas fortified with methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) alone or enhanced with tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) or with methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
• MEK methyl ethyl ketone
• TSA tertiary butyl alcohol
• MTBE methyl tertiary butyl ether
• a further object of this invention is to provide fortified hydrocarbon for purposes other than torch gas, such as high-temperature heating gas or oil for heating industrial furnaces such as for melting metals for pouring, and blast furnaces.
• This further object can be accomplished by utilizing liquid petroleum gas, natural gas or liquid hydrocarbon, such as diesel oil or fuel oil, fortified with MEK alone or enhanced with TBA or MTBE.
• liquid petroleum gas natural gas or liquid hydrocarbon, such as diesel oil or fuel oil, fortified with MEK alone or enhanced with TBA or MTBE.
• Still another object is to fortify liquid hydrocarbon, especially gasoline, for use as an internal-combustion engine fuel to deter detonation and promote uniformity of combustion.
• This still further object can be accomplished by adding to the gasoline MEK alone or enhanced with TBA or MTBE as an additive.
• Liquefied petroleum gas is the preferred base gas for the fortified torch gas of the present invention because of its high butane and propane content.
• Both the n -butane and isobutane isomers of butane are usually present in LPG, but a substantial amount of butane may have been removed from LPG sold as fuel because of the demand from industry for butane derivatives, in which case the LPG is composed largely of propane. It is, however, desirable that there be a reasonable proportion of butane in the LPG, such as from 5% to 40%.
• the base gas could be propane or butane alone or any mixture of these gases or propylene.
• the additive or conditioner used to fortify the base gas is methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), otherwise known as 2-butanone, having the formula CH3COCH2CH3 which may be enhanced with tertiary butyl alcohol or tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), having the formula (CH3)3COH or methyl tertiary butyl ether, otherwise known as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) having the formula (CH3)3COCH3.
• MEK is a liquid with a boiling point of 70.6 degrees C. and a specific gravity of 0.805 at 20 degrees C.
• TBA is a waxy solid which melts at 25.6 degrees C. and has a specific gravity of 0.779 at 26 degrees C.
• MTBE is a colorless liquid having a boiling point of 55 degrees C. and a freezing point of -110 degrees C. and has a specific gravity of 0.74.
• LPG must be stored under pressure to keep it in a liquid state, but relatively heavy pressurized storage tanks and handling equipment for LPG is commercially practical and customary.
• LPG mixed with oxygen is not very effective for torch cutting and welding, not nearly as effective as acetylene gas mixed with substantially pure oxygen, but by enriching the base LPG with MEK alone or enhanced with TBA or MTBE as an additive the flame temperature is considerably increased and the heating capability is greatly improved.
• the amount of additive used will depend on the extent to which it is desired to improve the characteristics of the base gas, but the amount preferably would be 6% to 20% MEK of the base gas by weight, preferably 10% to 15%, or 3% to 10% MEK enhanced with 1% to 3% TBA or MTBE of the base gas by weight, preferably 5% of MEK and 3% of TBA or MTBE.
• MEK MEK enhanced with 1% to 3% TBA or MTBE of the base gas by weight, preferably 5% of MEK and 3% of TBA or MTBE.
• fortifying torch gas such as LPG
• an amount of TBA or MTBE up to 3% of the LPG by weight could be mixed with 15% of the LPG by weight of MEK, but sufficientlv beneficial results are usually obtained by the use of 2% of TBA or MTBE of the hydrocarbon base mixed with MEK in the amount of 10% of the LPG by weight.
• the ratio of 20% of TBA or MTBE to MEK by weight is preferred, so that TBA or MTBE in the amount of 1% of the hydrocarbon base by weight ban be mixed with MEK in the amount of 5% of the hydrocarbon base by weight.
• TBA or MTBE in the amount of 0.5% of the internal-combustion fuel by weight mixed with MEK in the amount of 2.5% or 3% of the internal-combustion engine fuel by weight provides sufficient improvement in performance of the internal-combustion engine fuel.
• MEK is a liquid at normal temperatures.
• the TBA may be melted by subjecting its container to warm water such as at a temperature of 40 degrees C. to 45 degrees C., and the TBA liquid is then simply mixed with the MEK liquid before the additive liquid is mixed with the hydrocarbon.
• MTBE liquid can be mixed with the MEK liquid before the additive liquid is mixed with the hydrocarbon.
• the additive is a liquid at normal temperatures and is supplied to the storage tank in which the LPG is to be stored or transported. It is quite practical to supply the additive to standard 55-gallon drums.
• the additive may be supplied in conjunction with a catalyst, preferably activated carbon in the form of powder, granules or pellets.
• a catalyst preferably activated carbon in the form of powder, granules or pellets.
• the activated carbon is amorphous, preferably having been produced from coal or petroleum coke.
• Alternative catalysts that can be used are platinum, cupric oxide and granular silver carried by a suitable carrier.
• the amount of activated carbon used is not critical, but it should be placed in the bottom of a storage container to facilitate mixing of the additive with the hydrocarbon base gas when it ie supplied to the container under pressure. An amount of such catalyst between 1% and 5% of the weight of the additive would be satisfactory.
• the resulting mixture of base gas and additive or conditioner will be azeotropic so that the fortified torch gas will be homogeneous when it is released from the storage container to the torch.
• an acetylene torch oxygen that is in substantially pure form, such as at least 99% oxygen by volume. Satisfactory cutting temperatures can be provided by mixing with the fortified base gas of the present invention less pure oxygen such as oxygen having a purity of approximately 95%, the adulterant being nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other gas components of air. Even when oxygen of 90% purity is used, the flame temperature of base LPG of approximately 5,000 degrees F. can be raised to approximately 5,800 degrees F. to 6,000 degrees F. by use of the base LPG fortified by MEK and MTBE according to the present invention. Such impure oxygen can be produced economically by compressing air to about 4,000 psi, chilling it to minus 360 degrees F. which liquefies the air and then allowing the temperature of the liquefied air to rise gradually while venting the container to release the nitrogen component of the liquefied air which vaporizes at minus 320 degrees F. leaving the oxygen in liquid form.
• An advantage of using the fortified base gas of the present invention over acetylene for cutting ferrous metal is that a clean precise kerf is obtained.
• Oxyacetylene cutting produces a hard scoria persistently adherent to the work which increases the heating required and usually must subsequently be chipped off the work.
• Utilization of the fortified torch gas of the present invention produces a soft friable scoria which is sloughed off the work and out of the kerf as the cutting progresses to leave a narrower clean kerf with virgin metal along opposite margins of the kerf.
• a particular advantage which the fortified torch gas of the present invention has is that it can be used for flame cutting under water to a depth of 300 feet.
• the use of the oxyacetylene torch is limited to 20 feet under water because at pressures to which it would be necessary to subject the gas to enable it to be dispensed to the cutting torch at greater depths the acetylene will explode. Consequently, the only alternative that has been available for cutting under water at depths greater than about 20 feet prior to use of MEK as an additive to hydrocarbon gas has been the use of a carbon arc, the action of which is slow and the use of which is dangerous.
• the invention can be used for high-temperature hydrocarbon heating gas, such as LPG or natural gas and high-temperature hydrocarbon heating liquids, such as boiler fuel oil, stove oil or other oil used in such industrial processes as smelting or other metal melting such as required for foundry casting, or for steam generating.
• the additive can be within the range of 2% to 10% of the hydrocarbon by weight. If the amount of additive is greater than 5%, a catalyst such as powdered activated carbon should be used to facilitate thorough mixing of the additive with the hydrocarbon.
• hydrocarbon gas such as LPG for soldering, brazing or light metal cutting
• the additive including MEK alone or enhanced with TBA or MTBE is mixed with the gas.
• an amount of additive within the range of 2% to 5% by weight is adequate, and such an amount can be mixed sufficiently intimately with the hydrocarbon gas without the use of a catalyst.
• MEK alone or enhanced by TBA or MTBE additive is for fortifying internal-combustion engine fuel, such as automotive gasoline, aviation gasoline or diesel oil.
• internal-combustion engine fuel such as automotive gasoline, aviation gasoline or diesel oil.
• the additive functions as an antiknock agent as well as improving the uniformity of combustion and accelerating the rate of combustion, which consequently enhances the power-producing characteristics of the fuel.
• the range of additive used would be 0.5% to 6% of the hydrocarbon by weight but preferably within the range of 1% to 4% by weight.
• an amount of TBA or MTBE can be mixed with the MEK up to 20% by weight of the amount of MEK, but the total amount of TBA or MTBE should not exceed 3% of the hydrocarbon base by weight in order to maintain azeotropic characteristics of the fortified hydrocarbon.
• MEK is an effective additive for hydrocarbon without TBA or MTBE, but not as effective, and that TBA or MTBE without MEK is not an effective additive.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Liquid Carbonaceous Fuels (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Publications (1)

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Cited By (2)

Citations (1)

• 1992
  • 1992-07-24 EP EP92306807A patent/EP0524835A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1992-07-24 NZ NZ24371492A patent/NZ243714A/en unknown

Patent Citations (1)

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