A different approach
Most conventional fuel additives are predominantly hydrocarbon based - derived from petroleum sources. IFT's revolutionary formulations rely entirely upon unique natural product based surfactant physical chemistry.
When IFT's dynamic additives are blended with gasoline and distillate-based fuels, the composition and make-up of the finished fuel are positively enhanced without affecting the fuels' standard specifications. The improved combustion, added lubricity and detergency of the additized fuel are proven to deliver:
IFT has worked diligently to create a series of different formulations, DiesoLiFT 10™, DiesoLiFT EM1™, GasoLiFT 10™, and KeroLiFT 10™, enabling these key scientific principles to be applied across a broad range of end uses, ranging from marine and land transportation to stationary power generators.
In addition, the effectiveness of IFT's additives has been repeatedly confirmed through testing at many independent performance laboratories, including the world-renowned Southwest Research Institute in the United States and Pro-Drive Testing Facilities in the United Kingdom.
Surfactants at work in IFT technology
Surfactants (surface active agents) are a class of chemical compounds, which share properties of soaps and detergents. Their main characteristic of interest is that their chemical structures contain regions, which have affinities for different chemical environments.
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For instance, the oleophobic region of the molecule does not want to be in an oily environment, while the oleophilic region of the molecule has an affinity towards oily environments.
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Due to their dual-affinity character, surfactants align themselves so that each region of their structure is in its preferred chemical environment. This means that surfactants often settle in boundaries or interfaces between different chemical environments or phases.
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When surfactant molecules are present in a mass of hydrocarbon fuel, they align themselves with their oleophobic (polar) regions together, with their oleophilic hydrocarbon tails pointing out into the mass of hydrocarbon fuel. The stable structure formed is called a micelle.
The dual affinity characteristics of surfactants account for many of the beneficial effects of IFT's fuel enhancing additive formulations, including:
The Key Dimensions of IFT Science
Lubricity
Lubricity is the measure of a fuel's ability to lubricate engine parts and fuel system. Fuels with poor lubricity, such as low-sulfur fuels, can cause an excessive amount of engine wear, leading to higher maintenance costs.
The surfactant molecules in IFT's additive formulations attach themselves, or adsorb, to the surfaces of the fuel system and engine. They coat these surfaces, protecting them from wear, and act as a friction modifier, improving the lubricity of the fuel.
Reduced wear on the system will lower maintenance costs on the engine, injectors, and pump. Increased lubricity will also deliver improved efficiency.
In an independent HFRR Lubricity Test according to ISO 12156, DiesoLiFT 10™ was proven to improve the lubricity of diesel fuel by 35.4% at the recommended dose rate.
Detergency
The detergent characteristic of surfactants will act to constantly clean the fuel system and engine. Detrimental deposits (from dirt and sludge) in the fuel are prevented, which keeps engine parts and tanks clean and allows the engine to run at superior efficiency at all times.
Reduced Surface Tension
The greatest effect provided by IFT's additive formulations is the reduced overall surface tension of the fuel. This effect is created by the surface active nature of the active molecules in DiesoLiFT™ additives.
Reduced surface tension allows for greater atomization of fuel in combustion, resulting in a more complete burn with improved power. Reduced surface tension allows the entire engine to continuously maximize the potential of the mass of fuel that is burned, resulting in a significant fuel economy increase.
Toxic Emissions
Environmentally harmful emission of carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (UHCs), and particulate matter (PM) is the direct result of incomplete combustion of fuel in the engine. The improved atomization of fuel treated with IFT's additives serves to create more complete combustion. In consequence, the amount of harmful CO, UHCs, and PM emission is significantly reduced.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxides (NOX) are created by the combustion of fuel in the engine. They are greenhouse gases that contribute to dangerous global warming.
Due to the increased fuel efficiency and economy delivered by IFT additives, less fuel mass is burned for the same power output as untreated fuel. Since less fuel is burned for the same power output, less CO2 and NOX are released into the atmosphere as a result.
IFT's additives also allow stable utilization of ethanol in fuels. Since ethanol is derived from biomass, this can lower net CO2 emissions even further.
Co-Solvency of Water
As a result of IFT's surfactant physical chemistry, water molecules can be distributed throughout the fuel in a stable and homogeneous manner, preventing detrimental phase separation and enhancing uniform combustion. Once tank bottoms are drained out, the co-solvency property of IFT additives prevent water bottoms from forming, eliminating the need to pump out and clean the tank if it has been contaminated by water.
Microbial Contamination / Anti-Foaming
Use of IFT additives in fuel storage tanks and fuel systems has been proven to prevent microbial contamination. If water is present in the fuel and causes phase separation, aerobic and anaerobic bacterial and fungal growths may occur in the aqueous phase. This will lead to harmful contamination of the fuel by the suspended organic matter and foam that develops, which can also block filters when drawn through the fuel system.
The co-solving effect of IFT additives prevents phase separation from occurring in the first place, eliminating the opportunity for microbial growth in the fuel. This will reduce the need for expensive biocides to treat contaminated fuel.
Corrosion Inhibition
IFT additives are natural corrosion inhibitors. When the surfactant molecules adsorb to the sides of the fuel system, they create a protective coating on the interior of the engine and fuel system (which also accounts for some added lubricity). In addition, the ability to co-solve free water in the fuel prevents phase separation, which prevents corrosion that occurs as a result of the formation of the aqueous phase.
Reduced Maintenance
The combined effects of increased lubricity, detergency, corrosion inhibition, and cleaner burn resulting from the use of IFT additive technology, have ultimately proven to extend the service life of the engine while significantly reducing maintenance costs.
Oxidation / Biodiesel Stability and Deposit Control
Use of biodiesel creates issues for the resulting fuel blend that need to be addressed with fuel additives. Specifically, oxidation stability and deposit control are two common fuel problems that are exacerbated by the introduction of biodiesel.
A recently released report from BfB Laboratories (Gembloux, Belgium) compared the effect of a variety of additives, from various world-renowned fuel additive companies, on oxidation stability and deposit reduction in biodiesel blends. At the conclusion of all testing at BfB Laboratories, IFT’s DiesoLiFT EM1™ proved to be the among the best for improving oxidation stability and reducing deposits in biodiesel blends.
A summary of this testing can be downloaded here.
