DIESEL FUEL

Diesel fuel in general is any liquid fuel used in diesel engines. The most
common is a specifc fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil, but
alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such
as biodiesel, biomass to liquid (BTL) or gas to liquid (TL) diesel, are
increasingly being developed and adopted. To distinguish these types,
petroleum!derived diesel is increasingly called petro!diesel. "ltra!lo#
sulfur diesel ("L$D) is a standard for defning diesel fuel #ith substantially
lo#ered sulfur contents. %s of &''(, almost every diesel fuel available in
the "nited $tates of %merica, )anada and *urope is the "L$D type. +n the
",, diesel is commonly abbreviated D*-., standing for Diesel Engined
Road Vehicle, #hich carries a ta/ premium over equivalent fuel not for
road use .The #ord 0diesel0 is derived from the erman inventor -udolf
Diesel #ho in 123& invented the diesel engine.
DIESEL ENGINE
Diesel engines are a type of internal combustion engine. -udolf
Diesel originally designed the diesel engine to use coal dust as a fuel. 4e
also e/perimented #ith various oils, including some vegetable oils, such
as peanut oil, #hich #as used to po#er the engines #hich he e/hibited at
the 13'' 5aris */position and the 1311 6orld7s 8air in 5aris.
USES OF DIESEL FUEL
In Mobile Applications
Truc9s
Locomotives
%nd no# passenger cars
$hips
Stationary Applications
5o#er generation
5ump sets in agriculture
REFINERY CAPACITY
+ncreased consumption of diesel fuel #ill increase crude oil
consumption because diesel oil density is more.
-efnery energy consumption decreases slightly as diesel production
increases (according to one estimate).
But to cater to increased diesel production, e/isting facilities must be
e/panded and #ill increase costs (so lo#er diesel cost beneft #ill be
lost).
But there could be a reduced crude oil usage #ith increased diesel
production.
e !a"e t#o types o$ %iesel $&els'
1. 4igh speed diesel (4$D) used in automotive applications and
&. Light diesel oil (LD:) used in stationary applications.
Diesel fuel properties are in;uenced by the source of the crude oil and the
method of refning.
Properties o$ Diesel F&el
+t is found that
$pecifc gravity, ;ash point, viscosity, sulfur content, and carbon residue
increase #ith increase in service severity.
The cetane number (#hich measures the fuel<s ignition quality)
decreases #ith increase in service severity. There is also a decrease in
volatility #ith increase in service severity.
5roperties are, ho#ever, inter!related and it is di=cult to isolate the
e>ect of any single variable
+t is found that the self!ignition temperature of the normal para=n<s
decreases as the length of the chain increases.
$ince the cetane rating of the fuel is a measure of the ignition
characteristics of the fuel, it can be concluded that the heavier members
of the para=n family have higher cetane ratings.
+n fact, cetane, )
1?
4
@A
(he/adecane) is the primary reference fuel in the
cetane scale #ith an arbitrary cetane rating of 1'' #hile other normal
para=n<s have cetane ratings that vary almost linearly #ith the length of
the chain.
OCTANE (ERSUS CETANE RATING
+t is generally observed that there is an inverse relationship of octane and
cetane ratings. 6il9es, in 13A', gave the follo#ing relationship bet#een
the cetane number B)CD and the motor octane number BE:CDF
)C G ?' ! '.HIE:C
C)ARACTERISTICS OF )YDROCAR*ONS AS DIESEL FUELS
$.C
o.
eneral 8ormula 4ydrocarbon )haracteristics
1. n!para=n<s )
n
4
&nJ&
($traight
chain)
Lo# specifc gravity K high
cetane number
& +so!para=ns )
n
4
&nJ&
(Branch
chain)
$ame sp.gr. %s 1 but lo#er
cetane no. K B.5.
@ )yclo!para=ns

)
n
4
&n
4igher sp.gr. than 1 but lo#er
cetane number
A BenLenes )
n
4
&n!?
4igher sp.gr K B.5. but lo#er
cetane no. than 1!@
H Caphthalene<s )
n
4
&n!1&
4ighest sp.gr K B.5. K lo#est
cetane no.
IMPORTANT C)ARACTERISTICS OF DIESEL FUEL
1. +noc, c!aracteristics-requires high cetane number
&. Startin. c!aracteristics-requires high volatility but #ill give lo#er
po#er
@. S/o,in. an% O%or-high volatility #ill give better mi/ing and lo#er
smo9e but also lo#er po#er
A. Corrosion an% ear-due to presence of sulfur and ash
H. Ease o$ )an%lin.-should have lo# pour point and viscosity for
ease of handling but high ;ash and fre point for safety and fre
haLard.
01 Density2 !eat o$ co/b&stion an% cleanliness1
ANILINE POINT
This is an appro/imate measure of the aromatic content of a hydrocarbon
fuel. +t is defned as the lo#est temperature at #hich a fuel oil is
completely miscible #ith an equal volume of aniline. %niline is an aromatic
compound and aromatics are more miscible in aniline than are
para=ns.4ence, the lo#er the aniline point, the higher the aromatics
content in the fuel oil. The higher the aromatics content, the lo#er the
cetane number of the fuel.
The aniline point can thus be used to indicate the probable ignition
behavior of a diesel fuel.
CETANE IMPRO(ERS
These are compounds that readily decompose to give free radicals and
thus enhance the rate of chain initiation in diesel combustion. They
promote fast o/idation of fuels and thus improve their ignition
characteristics. )hemical compounds such as al9yl nitrates, ether nitrates,
dinitrates of polyethylene glycols and certain pero/ides are #ell 9no#n
cetane improvers. +n general, ho#ever, in vie# of their lo# cost and ease
of handling, most commercial signifcance has been attached to di>erent
primary al9yl nitrates.
PETROLEUM DIESEL
5etroleum diesel, also called petro!diesel, or fossil diesel is produced from
the fractional distillation of crude oil bet#een &'' M) (@3& M8) and @H' M)
(??& M8) at atmospheric pressure, resulting in a mi/ture of carbon chains
that typically contain bet#een 2 and &1 carbon atoms per molecule.
USE AS CAR FUEL
Diesel!po#ered cars generally have a better fuel economy than equivalent
gasoline engines and produce less greenhouse gas emission. Their greater
economy is due to the higher energy per!litre content of diesel fuel and
the intrinsic e=ciency of the diesel engine. 6hile petrodiesel7s higher
density results in higher greenhouse gas emissions per litre compared to
gasoline, the &'NA'O better fuel economy achieved by modern diesel!
engined automobiles o>sets the higher per!litre emissions of greenhouse
gases, and a diesel!po#ered vehicle emits 1'!&' percent less greenhouse
gas than comparable gasoline vehicles. Biodiesel!po#ered diesel engines
o>er substantially improved emission reductions compared to petro!diesel
or gasoline!po#ered engines, #hile retaining most of the fuel economy
advantages over conventional gasoline!po#ered automobiles. 4o#ever,
the increased compression ratios mean that there are increased emissions
of o/ides of nitrogen (C:
/
) from diesel engines. This is compounded by
biological nitrogen in biodiesel to ma9e C:
/
emissions the main dra#bac9
of diesel versus gasoline engines.
REDUCTION OF SULFUR EMISSIONS
+n the past, diesel fuel contained higher quantities of sulfur. *uropean
emission standards and preferential ta/ation have forced oil refneries to
dramatically reduce the level of sulfur in diesel fuels. +n the "nited $tates,
more stringent emission standards have been adopted #ith the transition
to "L$D starting in &''? and becoming mandatory on Pune 1, &'1' (see
also diesel e/haust). ".$. diesel fuel typically also has a lo#er cetane
number (a measure of ignition quality) than *uropean diesel, resulting in
#orse cold #eather performance and some increase in emissions.
EN(IRONMENT )A3ARDS OF SULFUR
4igh levels of sulfur in diesel are harmful for the environment because
they prevent the use of catalytic diesel particulate flters to control diesel
particulate emissions, as #ell as more advanced technologies, such as
nitrogen o/ide (C:
/
) adsorbers (still under development), to reduce
emissions. Eoreover, sulfur in the fuel is o/idiLed during combustion,
producing sulfur dio/ide and sulfur trio/ide, that in presence of #ater
rapidly convert to sulfuric acid, one of the chemical processes that results
in acid rain. 4o#ever, the process for lo#ering sulfur also reduces
the lubricity of the fuel, meaning that additives must be put into the fuel
to help lubricate engines. Biodiesel and biodieselQpetrodiesel blends, #ith
their higher lubricity levels, are increasingly being utiliLed as an
alternative. The ".$. annual consumption of diesel fuel in &''? #as about
13' billion litres (A& billion imperial gallons or H' billion "$ gallons).
C)EMICAL COMPOSITION
Diesel is immiscible #ith #ater.
5etroleum!derived diesel is composed of about (HO saturated
hydrocarbons (primarily para=ns including n, iso, and cyclopara=ns), and
&HO aromatic
hydrocarbons (including naphthalenes and al9ylbenLenes). The average
chemical formula for common diesel fuel is )
1&
4
&@
, ranging appro/imately
from )
1'
4
&'
to )
1H
4
&2
.
ALGAE2 MICRO*ES2 AND ATER CONTAMINATION
There has been much discussion and misunderstanding of algae in diesel
fuel. %lgae need light to live and gro#. %s there is no sunlight in a closed
fuel tan9, no algae can survive. But some microbes can survive and feed
on the diesel fuel.
These microbes form a colony that lives at the interface of fuel and #ater.
They gro# quite fast in #armer temperature. They can even gro# in cold
#eather #hen fuel tan9 heaters are installed. 5arts of the colony can
brea9 o> and clog the fuel lines and fuel flters.
ROAD )A3ARD
5etrodiesel spilled on a road #ill stay there until #ashed a#ay by
su=ciently heavy rain, #hereas gasoline #ill quic9ly evaporate. %fter the
light fractions have evaporated, a greasy slic9 is left on the road #hich
can destabiliLe moving vehicles. Diesel spills severely reduce tire grip and
traction, and have been implicated in many accidents. The loss of traction
is similar to that encountered on blac9 ice. Diesel slic9s are especially
dangerous for t#o!#heeled vehicles such as motorcycles.
SYNT)ETIC DIESEL
$ynthetic diesel can be produced from any carbonaceous material. This
include biomass, biogas, natural gas, coal and many others. The ra#
material is gasifed into synthesis gas #hich after purifcation is converted
by the 8ischer!Tropsch process to a synthetic diesel.
The process is typically referred to as biomass!to!liquid (BTL), gas!to!
liquid (TL) or )oal!to!liquid ()TL) depending on the ra# material used.
5ara=nic synthetic diesel generally have a near Lero content of sulfur and
very lo# aromatics content, reducing unregulated emissions of to/ic
hydrocarbons, emissions of nitrous o/ides and emissions of 5E.
Biodiesel made from soybean oil
8atty!acid methyl ester or 8%E*, perhaps more #idely 9no#n
as biodiesel is obtained from vegetable oil or animal fats (bio!lipids) #hich
have been transesterifed #ith methanol. +t can be produced from many
types of oils, the most common being rapeseed oil (rapeseed methyl
ester, -E*) in *urope and soybean oil (soya methyl ester, $E*) in the
"$%.
TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE
Diesel fuel is #idely used in most types of transportation. The gasoline!
po#ered passenger automobile is the maRor e/ception.
RAILROAD
Diesel displaced coal and fuel oil for steam po#er vehicles in the latter
half of the &'th century, and is no# used almost e/clusively for
combustion engine of self!po#ered rail vehicles (locomotives and railcars).
IMPORTANCE OF RAILROAD DIESEL ENGINE OIL
1. % railroad lubricant possesses al9alinity, e/pressed as total base
number (TBC), to neutraliLe acids that are formed
&. in service. The t#o #idely accepted methods for measuring TBC of an
oil are %$TE D&23? and D??A. The di>erence
@. bet#een these t#o methods is highlighted in terms of #hat they
actually measure, and their relative merits for fresh and
A. used oils. The importance of TBC retention is illustrated #ith
laboratory o/idation and bench engine test data #here a
H. beneft is seen for oils based on the salicylate detergent system
compared to oils based on other detergents. +n the conte/t
?. of the recently defned LE:% eneration H, TBC depletion and other
used oil data from the feld are discussed for
(. salicylate!based 1@ and 1( TBC oils. The impact of LE:% eneration H
requirements on fresh oil TBC is considered.