Lubricant Compositions With Improved Viscosity Index

This invention relates to the preparation of novel and useful lubricating compositions. More particularly, the invention concerns lubricating oil compositions comprising a base mineral oil and a specified adduct of an amine with a phosphate ester whereby the viscosity index of the oil is substantially improved.

In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,678/9 disclosed the use of rare earth salts of ethyl oleyl acid as viscosity index (VI) improvers. Undesirably, formulations containing these additives proved deficient in storage stability, reporducibility of viscosities and compatibility with conventional lubricating oil additives. Additionally, these salts, being partly inorganic, are not suitable for use in ashless or low metal formulations.

In accordance with the invention, there are provided improved lubricating compositions comprising a major proportion of an oil of lubricating viscosity and from 0.01 to 10 percent by weight thereof of at least one adduct of an amine with a phosphate ester of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R is hydrogen, alkyl having up to 25 carbon atoms and R' is hydrogen or alkyl having up to 7 carbons, except that only one of R or R' can be hydrogen or octyl.

The phosphate ester should be present preferably in 0.1 to 1.0 weight percent of base oil and may be used in proportions of 0.01 to 10.0 weight percent. The amine should be present in an amount stoichiometrically equivalent to phosphate ester and preferably in a proportion such that three moles of amine are present per mole of phosphate. The operable range includes 1.0 to 10.0 moles of amine per mole of phosphate ester.

Both naphthenic and paraffinic distillates can be treated by the method of the invention; for best results, these should be 20 weight or lighter, since relatively larger amounts of adduct are needed in heavy oils. Naphthenic and paraffinic residual stocks, undistilled crudes, extracts from solvent refining also respond to the method of the invention. Oils which have already been subjected to deasphalting, dewaxing, solvent refining, clay contacting, acid treating, hydrogenation, or any combination of the foregoing processes are amenable to the method of the invention.

The adduct may be prepared in concentrated form in any convenient base oil or the amine and phosphate ester may be added to the bulk of the oil to be treated separately. The former method is preferred. If the former method is used, the amine-ester concentrate is best heated to 225.degree.F. before being added to the base oil. This assures complete solution of the amine and phosphate in the concentrate.

The amine is of the general formula: ##STR2## wherein the substituents can be either hydrogen, alkyl or aryl groups having up to 30 carbons atoms. As shown by the data of Table V, below, the nature of the amine is not critical. Thus typical amines include methyl benzyl amine, isobutylamine N-cyclohexylpiperidine and furfuryl amine. Only adducts of ethyl oleyl acid orthophosphate have found to give reproducible blend viscosities.

The unobvious and unexpected results obtained with the invention are disclosed hereinbelow.

In Table I below there are shown the effects of amine-phosphate ester adducts on the viscosity and viscosity index of some representive base oils: a 300 second naphthene distillate a 5 weight solvent neutral oil, a 20 weight solvent neutral oil and a dewaxed (but unrefined) 20 weight wax Distillate.

In all cases, a liquid concentrate of amine and phosphate ester was prepared and added volumetrically to the base oil in question.

Ethyl oleyl acid orthophosphate (3.1 grams) and methyl benzyl amine (3 ml) were combined in 100 ml of 55 Pale Oil* and heated with stirring to 225.degree.F. Ten or twenty milliliter portions of the cooled concentrate were added to the base oil, and the resultant blend stirred at room temperature for a few minutes.

The slight decrease in 100.degree.F. viscosity, which will be noted for the resultant blends, is entirely attributable to the light carrier oil used to prepared the concentrate.

In Table II, below there are summarized the effect of ethyl oleyl acid orthophosphate alone, methyl benzyl amine alone, and the amine-phosphate combination on the viscosities and viscosity indices of 300 SUS at 100.degree.F viscosity naphthene distillate. All were added in light carrier oil; this light oil comprises 5 percent of the resultant blend.

The explanatory data of Table III, shows that other amines of various structural types may be effectively used with ethyl oleyl acid orthophosphate as a viscosity index improver.

A major objection to the use of rare earth salts of dialkyl acid orthophosphates was the widely varying viscosities and viscosity indices obtained from presumably identical blends of salts and base oil. To demonstrate the superiority of the amine-phosphate adduct in this respect, four blends of unrefined, dewaxed 20 weight was distillate were treated with sufficient ethyl oleyl acid orthophosphate methyl benzyl amine adduct to bring about a viscosity index increase of about 50 percent. Two samples were taken from each blend and the viscosities of each of the eight samples determined; these are listed in Table IV. Satisfactory agreement is observed between samples from the same blends and among various blends.

To show shear stability and storage stability solvent neutral oil 5 blend containing the EOAP -.alpha.- methylbenzylamine adduct was studied. It underwent no decrease in 100.degree.F viscosity under the conditions of the 20-pass Fuel Injector Shear Stability Test. Some increase in 210.degree.F. viscosity did result; viscosity index across the test underwent a nominal increase, although both sheared and unsheared blends were too high to calculate in the normal manner. These data are summarized in Table VI.

The SNO-5, EOAP, MBA blend listed in Table V was tested at the end of 6 and 171 days standing at room temperature. Some decrease in 210.degree.F. viscosity occurred after the longer period. Viscosity index remained above 250 in all cases. Data are included in Table VI.

Table VII, below, shows the VI enhancing effect of other adducts according to the invention. As pointed out previously, however, only adducts of ethyl oleyl acid orthophosphate give reproducible blend viscosities. The other adducts, in common therewith, have utility as pour point modifiers, oil thickening agents and as oil spill coagulates.

The adducts of the invention are compatible with conventional lubricating oil additives including anti-oxidants corrosion inhibitors, foam suppressants and the like. Being entirely organic the adducts are suitable in ashless or low metal formulations. They are effective to improve viscosity index at extremely low dosages. Thus, a base stock showed a VI improvement of 55 to 79 with only 590 parts per million of the adducts.

The oil component of this composition can be any mineral oil compatible with carrying out lubricating functions in the various locations where metal to metal contact occurs in the art. The viscosity ranges of the oil of the above composition may vary widely.

The specific viscosity would naturally depend upon the service for which the composition is designed.

The level of these various components in the oil will depend upon the resultant properties desired.