HOW DO DIESEL-FUEL IGNITION IMPROVERS WORK

A wide-ranging study of the effect of free-radical initiators, especia lly i-octyl nitrate and di-t-butyl peroxide, on the spontaneous igniti on of diesel fuel is reported. The important kinetic processes induced by these additives occur in the gas phase, and not in the liquid drop lets. Di-t-butyl and i-octyl nitrate peroxide work in different ways: the nitrate is involved in the ignition process itself, whereas the pe roxide competes for sulfur-containing inhibitors in the fuel.