Historically, No. 1 diesel was used to improve the wintertime diesel operability characteristics of No. 2 diesel fuel. If you’ve been doing this, it’s time to reconsider.
Over the last several years, many factors have changed, including:
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Methods of extracting crude
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Changes in refining processes
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Reductions in allowable sulfur content
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Improvements in engine technology
But, perhaps the most significant advancement is our understanding of how wax particles in ultra-lowsulfur diesel (ULSD) cause winter operability issues and how we can control them through cold-flow chemistry.
Over the past seven winters at 15 terminals across the Midwest, No. 2 diesel treated with FS SURE-FLO™ was compared to a 70% No. 2 / 30% No. 1 fuel dilution. On average, the dilution with No. 1 lowered the CFPP of No.2 ULSD by only 5.5ºF. Meanwhile, a single treatment of SURE-FLO reduced the CFPP by over 20ºF. A double treatment of SURE-FLO reduces CFPP by over 27ºF. See the chart below.
Fuel treated with FS SURE-FLO outperforms No. 1 fuel dilutions with better economics and without sacrificing fuel efficiency associated with the lower BTU content of No. 1 diesel. Cold-flow improvers like FS SURE-FLO are clearly the better choice.
For more information on utilizing FS SURE-FLO in your wintertime operations, contact your local FS Energy Specialist today.
Common Winter Operability Terms
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Cloud Point: The temperature at which fuel first starts to haze (cloud) due to wax precipitation
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Pour Point: The lowest temperature at which fuel will still flow; the temperature when the fuel becomes solid. For example, room temperature honey is too viscous to pump and would plug a filter. However, it still flows from the jar.
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Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFP P): A measure of the ability of a fuel to be filtered as a function of temperature; the temperature when fuel plugs a filter.