US 20050044778A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0044778A1 Orr (43) Pub. Date: Mar. 3, 2005 (54) FUEL COMPOSITIONS EMPLOYING Publication Classification CATALYST COMBUSTION STRUCTURE (51) Int. CI.' ........ C10L 1/28; C1OL 1/24; C1OL 1/18; (76) Inventor: William C. Orr, Denver, CO (US) C1OL 1/12; C1OL 1/26 Correspondence Address: (52) U.S. Cl. ................. 44/320; 44/435; 44/378; 44/388; HOGAN & HARTSON LLP 44/385; 44/444; 44/443 ONE TABOR CENTER, SUITE 1500 1200 SEVENTEENTH ST DENVER, CO 80202 (US) (57) ABSTRACT (21) Appl. No.: 10/722,127 Metallic vapor phase fuel compositions relating to a broad (22) Filed: Nov. 24, 2003 Spectrum of pollution reducing, improved combustion per Related U.S. Application Data formance, and enhanced Stability fuel compositions for use in jet, aviation, turbine, diesel, gasoline, and other combus (63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 08/986,891, tion applications include co-combustion agents preferably filed on Dec. 8, 1997, now Pat. No. 6,652,608. including trimethoxymethylsilane. Patent Application Publication Mar. 3, 2005 US 2005/0044778A1 FIGURE 1 CALCULATING BUNSEN BURNER LAMINAR FLAME VELOCITY (LFV) OR BURNING VELOCITY (BV) CONVENTIONAL FLAME LUMINOUS FLAME Method For Calculating Bunsen Burner Laminar Flame Velocity (LHV) or Burning Velocity Requires Inside Laminar Cone Angle (0) and The Gas Velocity (Vg). LFV = A, SIN 2 x VG US 2005/0044778A1 Mar. 3, 2005 FUEL COMPOSITIONS EMPLOYING CATALYST Chart of Elements (CAS version), and mixture, wherein said COMBUSTION STRUCTURE element or derivative compound, is combustible, and option 0001) The present invention is a CIP of my U.S. appli ally has a minimum heating value of 4,000 Kcal/kg, and cation Ser. No. 8/986,891 (Fuel Compositions Exhibiting wherein vapor phase combustion occurs. AS noted, in the Improved Fuel Stability, filed Dec. 8, 1997) and relates to a aforementioned Applications and herein, an ECS metallic is broad spectrum of pollution reducing, improved combustion a metallic capable of increasing burning Velocity and/or performance, and enhanced Stability fuel compositions for reducing combustion temperature. It is any non-lead metal use in jet, aviation, turbine, diesel, gasoline, and other lic (or non-metallic) which may be employed in the practice combustion applications. More particularly, the present of this invention. Said metallic may be employed with invention relates to fuel compositions employing certain hydrogen or a hydrocarbon fuel, absent an ECS compound. co-combustion agents, including trimethoxymethylsilane. 0006. As set forth herein “ECS metallic" can be read as any non-lead metallic (and non-metallic as Set forth below), FIELD OF THE INVENTION or any organic or inorganic derivative thereof, which accom plishes the vapor phase combustion object of this invention. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AS set forth in the disclosure below ECS metallic contem plates any metallic or non-metallic accomplishing this 0002 Growth in environmental concerns related to pol object. An ECS metallic need not contain ECS structure (e.g. lutants generated by hydrocarbon based fuels, especially high kinetic energy free radicals), albeit said ECS structure emissions related to greenhouse gases, has given raise to the is preferred. A “non-lead element or derivative” herein shall need to find new fuels and methods of combustion capable also be read as “ECS metallic.” of reducing Such emissions, namely carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide (NXO), NOx, methane, ozone, CFCs, halons and 0007. It is noted, a principal ECS metallic of the afore Similar gases. Increases of nitrous oxide gases occurring mentioned PCT applications was manganese, chiefly meth post exhaust catalyst have recently been discovered. Similar ylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl. Due to recent to CFCs, nitrous oxides are about a 1000 times more potent concerns over the neurotoxicity of manganese combustion than CO2 in their adverse effect. It has been found the effect products, and the potential neurotoxicity of other combus of the exhaust catalyst, itself, may actually tend to increase tion metal oxides, a need exists to find a high energy, the concentrations of nitrous oxides. Thus, there is a current non-manganese, non-neurotoxic replacement ECS metallic need to reduce overall nitrous oxide emissions and addition or group of metallicS capable of achieving vapor phase ally find a means reducing the effect the exhaust catalyst has combustion. upon increasing Said emissions. EXAMPLEA 0003) International Patent Applications, PCT/US95/ 0008 A fuel composition containing hydrogen or a 02691, PCT/US95/06758, and PCT/US96/09653, incorpo hydrocarbon fuel and at least one organic or inorganic rated in their entirety herein by reference, Speak to a new compound containing a non-lead element, Selected from the form of combustion known as metallic vapor combustion, group consisting of 1A, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8, IB, 2B, wherein combustion does not take place on the Surface of the 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, or 7A elements of the Periodic Chart of metal, or on and/or within the molten layer of oxide covering Elements (CAS version), wherein said non-lead derivative the metal, typical of heretofore metallic combustion. Rather, compound Simultaneously increases combustion burning combustion is characterized as being highly, with a luminous Velocity and/or reduces combustion temperature, wherein reaction Zone extending Some distance from the metals Said composition is improved over the hydrogen or the Surface or the normal flame front, at a high burning rate, co-fuel alone, optionally showing improved thermal effi wherein metallic oxide particles are formed in the Submicron ciency. Said composition optionally containing an ECS range. OXygenate. 0004. This is a highly expansive brillant type of combus 0009. As noted, in the aforementioned Applications, tion, where for example the laminar flame of a Bunsen Applicant has discovered, under these his combustion con burner shows an extended luminous Zone to extend beyond ditions, the metallic, itself, becomes an integral and power the boundary of the normal flame front. This combustion ful agent in the combustion process, improving combustion yields vastly accelerated flame/exhaust gas Velocities com thermal efficiencies, translating into improved fuel economy, pared to traditional combustion, in turn generating greater net available, work, power generation, thrust, and the like amounts of uSeable free energy. (e.g. increased miles/gal. (kilometers/liter), increased flight 0005 Said PCT Applications disclose fuel compositions range/Kg, increased kilowatts generated/liter), while simul and combustion techniques achieving vapor phase combus taneously reducing hazardous pollutants. tion based on an enhanced combustion structure (“ECS”), 0010. In the context of this invention, Applicant generally which incorporates a free radical generating oxygenate refers to thermal efficiency in both its chemical and compound(“ECS oxygenate”) and a high energy combus mechanical context, e.g. the efficiency of the chemical tible non-lead metallic, preferably an “ECS metallic' con reaction and the amount of useful work generated in the taining ECS Structure. Applicant's metallic together with an System, e.g. free energy. ECS compound yield vapor phase combustion. In the afore mentioned Applications and herein metallic shall mean at 0011 Applicant has found, thermal efficiency, particu least one non-leaded element or derivative organic or inor larly as measured as a function of net useful work generated ganic compound containing Said non-lead element, Selected by the system is increased. Often substantially. from the group consisting of 1A, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 0012 For example, Applicant's has discovered thermal 8, IB, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, or 7A elements of the Periodic efficiency improvements over existing unadjusted fuels and US 2005/0044778A1 Mar. 3, 2005 combustion systems to be on the order of 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 0021. The invention more particularly relates to discov 3.0%, 4.0%, 5.0% to 20%. And, depending upon the cir ery of a class of non-manganese, non-toxic ECS metal and cumstances (e.g. combustion Systems, fuel configurations) metalloid compounds, including a combination thereof, average improvements can range from 2.0% to 5.0%, 5.0% capable of achieving vapor phase combustion, but which do to 10.0% or higher, withmodest improvements ranging from not have manganese's associated neurotoxicity problem. 0.05% to 1.0% to 2.0%. Exceptional improvements will Metallics of particular interest include alkali/alkali earth range from 10%, 25% to 40%, 30% to 80%, or more. metals, Sodium, potassium, boron, aluminum, Silicon and 0013 In the context of this invention “unadjusted' fuels phosphorus. mean conventional existing hydrocarbon fuels concurrent to 0022. The invention resides in the combination of metal this invention, which have not been adjusted to improve lics, metalloids (herein after nonlead element compounds burning Velocity, increase latent heats of vaporization, T-90 “NLECs”) which include combining an ECS metallic with temperatures, mid range distillation temperatures, aromatic and ECS co-combustion metal, metalloid, or carbon catalyst or sulfur contents. These value are variously set forth herein Structurally similar to triemethoxymethylsilane or dimethyl and to the extent they are known in the industry incorporated phosphite. Said catalyst is contemplated in combination with herein by reference. Applicant's