Method of reducing particulate emissions in internal combustion engines

Abstract

A method of reducing the particulate emissions in an internal combustion engine, said method comprising operating the internal combustion engine with a fuel composition comprising a major amount of hydrocarbons boiling in the gasoline or diesel range and an effective particulate emission-reducing amount of an alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide having from about 3 to 50 moles of alkylene oxide per mole of hydrocarbyl amide.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of reducing the particulate emissions in an internal combustion engine, said method comprising operating the internal combustion engine with a fuel composition comprising a major amount of hydrocarbons boiling in the gasoline or diesel range and an effective particulate emissions-reducing amount of an alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide having from about 3 to 50 moles of alkylene oxide per mole of hydrocarbyl amide.  
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide has from about 3 to 20 moles of alkylene oxide per mole of hydrocarbyl amide.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide has from about 4 to 15 moles of alkylene oxide per mole of hydrocarbyl amide.  
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide is derived from an alkyl or alkenyl amide having from about 4 to 75 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide is derived from an alkyl or alkenyl amide having from about 8 to 22 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the alkyl or alkenyl amide is a coconut oil fatty acid amide.  
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the coconut oil fatty acid amide is obtained by the reaction of coconut oil fatty acid or ester and diethanolamine.  
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the alkylene oxide is selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, pentylene oxide, or mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the alkylene oxide is selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or a mixture thereof.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide is derived from the reaction of a coconut oil fatty acid amide with ethylene oxide or propylene oxide.  
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the fuel composition further comprises a nitrogen-containing detergent.  
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide is present in the fuel in the range of from about 10 to 10,000 ppm by weight.  
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide is present in the fuel in the range of from about 10 to 5,000 ppm by weight.  
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide is present in the fuel in the range of from about 10 to 1,000 ppm by weight.  
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the alkylene oxide-adducted hydrocarbyl amide is present in the fuel in the range of from about 50 to 500 ppm by weight.  
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a port fuel injected spark ignition engine.  
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a direct injection spark ignition engine.  
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a compression ignition engine.  
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the compression ignition engine is a diesel fuel engine.