Environmentally preferred fluids and fluid blends

Abstract

The invention concerns fluids that have a low reactivity with respect to ozone formation, blends thereof, and the replacement of conventional industrial solvents with said fluid or fluid blends in order to reduce troposheric ozone formation.

We claim:  
     
         1 . In a non-combustion process utilizing a process fluid comprising a first fluid wherein at least some of said first fluid evaporates into the atmosphere, the improvement comprising replacing at least a portion of said first fluid with a second fluid selected from dimethyl carbonate, methyl pivalate, or a mixture thereof, thereby decreasing ozone formation from atmospheric photochemical reactions.  
     
     
         2 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said process fluid acts as a solvent, carrier, diluent, surface tension modifier, or any combination thereof, in said process.  
     
     
         3 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said process fluid does not contain a halocarbon.  
     
     
         4 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said decreasing ozone formation is based on a calculation using an OFP scale.  
     
     
         5 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said decreasing ozone formation is based on a calculation using the relative MIR scale, using an ROG=3.93.  
     
     
         6 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said process is a stationary industrial process.  
     
     
         7 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said replacing results in at least one of the following improvements: 
 i) an OFP at least 10% less than the OFP of the process fluid prior to said replacing;    ii) the flash point or a weighted average flash point of the process fluid increasing to above −6.1° C.;    iii) an increase in toxicity level of the process fluid to at least 2000 mg/kg;    iv) a measureable decrease in the formation of particulates having a diameter less than 2.5 microns produced by said process;    v) a change in the evaporative rate of the process fluid into the range of 0.1 to 12 relative to normal butyl acetate;    vi) a decrease in the decomposition of the process fluid based on reactions with acid catalysts present in said fluid.    
     
     
         8 . The process according to  claim 7 , further comprising at least two of said improvements i)-vi).  
     
     
         9 . The process according to  claim 7 , further comprising at least three of said attributes i)-vi).  
     
     
         10 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said replacing results in a blend of fluids, and wherein said blend has a flash point or a weight average flash point of at least greater than 15° C.  
     
     
         11 . The process according to  claim 10 , wherein said blend has a flash point or a weight average flash point of at least greater than 60° C.  
     
     
         12 . The process according to  claim 4 , wherein said replacing results in a reduction in the OFP of the process fluid by at least 10%.  
     
     
         13 . The process according to  claim 12 , wherein said reduction is at least 25%.  
     
     
         14 . The process according to  claim 12 , wherein said reduction is at least 50%.  
     
     
         15 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said process is a coating process comprising coating a substrate with a composition comprising at least one fluid which is intended to evaporate.  
     
     
         16 . The process according to  claim 15 , providing a painted substrate.  
     
     
         17 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said first fluid replaced is selected from toluene, xylenes, methanol, ethanol, n-butanol, n-pentanol, isopropyl alcohol, diacetone alcohol, sec-butanol, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, butyl acetate, isobutyl isobutyrate, isoamyl isobutyrate, propylene glycol methyl ether acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, C 5 -C 10  linear ketones, cyclic ketones, halocarbons, methyl t-butyl ether; and mineral spirits.  
     
     
         18 . The process according to  claim 1 , the improvement comprising replacing at least some of said first fluid with dimethyl carbonate.  
     
     
         19 . The process according to  claim 1 , the improvement comprising replacing at least some of said first fluid with methyl pivalate.  
     
     
         20 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said first fluid replaced has an evaporative rate ranging from that of MEK to that of n-butyl acetate, and after said replacing the process fluid has an evaporative rate ranging from that of MEK to that of n-butyl acetate.