Effects of fuel components on the performance of conductivity improvers in hydrocarbons

The aims of this work were (a) to investigate the way in which fuel additives and naturally occurring fuel components affect the performance of the conductivity improvers and (b) to understand the nature of the intermolecular interactions involved. Solutions have been studied by measuring the electrical conductivity of solutions of conductivity improvers chiefly in the pure alkanes, heptane and dodecane. The parameters studied were (a) the conductivity response to additions of other additives or compounds of similar structure (these include antioxidant, icing inhibitor and corrosion inhibitor) and (b) the conductivity response to additions of compound types similar to those which are naturally occurring (these include aromatics, organo-nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen compounds). Interpretation of data has to take into account adsorption processes occurring in the measuring cells. The results demonstrate that strong proton donor-acceptor interactions correlate with antagonistic effects on the performance of the conductivity improver. Such effects may be important at extremely low concentrations of strong proton donor molecules. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.