Diesel fuel is a very complex mixture of thousands of individual compounds with carbon numbers between 9 and 23 (the number of carbon atoms per hydrocarbon molecule). Most of these compounds are members of the paraffinic, napthenic or aromatic classes of hydrocarbons (HC). These three classes have different chemical and physical properties. The different relative proportion of these three classes is one of the factors that make one diesel fuel different from another. It influences fuel properties and affects its performance. Up until 35 years ago, refineries used only about 50% of a barrel of crude oil to make distillates such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel. The remainder of the barrel of crude oil went to “residual oil”. Today, as a result of different refining techniques and additive packages, the refinery uses 90% or more of the same barrel of crude, which clearly has consequences for fuel stability. More than 90% of the debris on filter elements and the sludge in your fuel tank i
Many automobiles and boats, as well as almost all eighteen-wheelers, are powered by diesel fuel, a petroleum-based fuel which is similar to gasoline. While a gasoline and oxygen mixture is ignited in the engine cylinder by a spark from the spark plug, diesel fuel is ignited by compression. The piston in a diesel engine travels up the cylinder, compressing the air. At the top of the stroke, atomized diesel fuel is injected into the cylinder, and ignites in the heat created from the friction of this compression. Diesel fuel is about 18% heavier than gasoline and consists mainly of hydrocarbons that range from C10 to C24, meaning 10 to 24 carbon atoms with various configurations of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon atoms. Gasoline, on the other hand, is usually in the C7 to C11 range, while kerosene, used for jet engine fuel, is weighted just between diesel and gasoline in the C12 to C15 range. The higher the number of carbon atoms, the heavier the product. Before shipment from the pe
Diesel fuel is made from hydrocarbons that are derived from crude oil (petroleum) through the refining process. There are hundreds of hydrocarbons in petroleum. Hydrocarbons include any molecules that just contain hydrogen and carbon, both of which are fuel molecules that can be burnt (oxidized). Petroleum is refined to break apart the complex mixture of hydrocarbons into various products. To do so petroleum is separated into fractions whose distinguishing feature is their different boiling points.
What is BioDiesel? Can I really run my vehicle on soy beans? What’s the difference between a gasoline vehicle and a diesel vehicle? Can any diesel run on BioDiesel? Aren’t “diesels” dirty, smoky and noisy? What’s so special about Soy BioDiesel? Where do you get the fuel? Is BioDiesel safe to transport and store? What if I can only get BioDiesel locally Can I use BioDiesel all year long…even in winter? Do I have to switch to petroleum diesel in winter? I’ve heard that BioDiesel will clog your fuel filter…why is that? Is BioDiesel safe for my engine? Is the use of BioDiesel covered by my warranty? What does BioDiesel cost? Why would anyone pay more to use BioDiesel? Is BioDiesel a sustainable fuel? How can BioDiesel have 78% less CO2 than a fossil fuel? How come BioDiesel only reduces CO2 by 78%? This sounds like “Global Warming”. If we reduce CO2 won’t that hurt our economy? I’ve never heard of BioDiesel. How come? Can we produce enough soy BioDiesel to get us off of oil? Where can