Diesel Properties at colder temperatures

[ARKH Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ARKH]

Hi Guys,

I just thought you might be interested in this.

Here are 3 samples of diesel fuel.

B50 from ABG (small bottle)

B50 from Future Fuels (tall bottle)

ULSD from Shell (large bottle)

I have put them into the fridge (5 degree) and freezer ( minus 5 degree) the check what happens.

Well at 5 degree not much, the B50 from ABG got a little cloudy

At minus 5 degree B50 from ABG was solid, B50 from FF nearly solid and ULSD was same as B50 from FF.

Any comments would be welcome.

[IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/aheintze/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/Caplio%20R1/20060513/Samples%20at%205%20Degree.JPG[/IMG]

[Tony From West Oz Vice Chairperson of WARFA Find all posts View Profile Close Tony From West Oz]

Re: Diesel Properties at colder temperatures

ARKH,Well Done!
This is a good comparison. It is a valid test and indicates that the ULSD is actually good to around 0°C, which is probably as low as it gets in Sydney.
Am I correct in that assumption?
It also shows that the biodiesel may have issues with filter plugging at 5°C or less.

[adamjedgar Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close adamjedgar]

Re: Diesel Properties at colder temperatures

I am about to start running bd in my earthmoving equipment, 4wd and truck. From what i have been told by my supplier, they have 100% bd running in vehicles in the hunter valley throughout the year and there have been no problems with solidification. As yet i am to try this but i will let you all know what happens to my stuff in the next few weeks.

[Robert Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Robert]

Re: Diesel Properties at colder temperatures

I've heard similar things. Australia's climate is really not that bad! I've heard of a few folk using B100 with no probs righ through the winter. However, it does depend on a number of factors, like the feedstock that the bio was made from, whether the vehicle gets garaged etc.
I have also heard of a few cases of filter plugging on bio in the winter in Sydney.
I'm guessing that your supplier is BIA in Rutherford? They use mostly palnt based feedstock and I think that this has better cold flow properties over animal fat (tallow) used by other producers.
It can't hurt to put a little sample in a jar and see what it does. If the jar goes cloudy that morning, you'll have issues. If not, you're fine.

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

Re: Diesel Properties at colder temperatures

As this caused me to think what is my fuel like, I put a dried sample in the fridge for a day or two, it varied between 1 and 5 degrees (which in itself is not good for food) but the bio stayed crystal clear, no change was noticed at all.

All in all I think this is a woderful thing to do and give you confidence in your fuel. As a matter of interest there was initially a little bit if water in the sample and it got quite cloudy at 5 degress, a quick heat/dry in the microwave and some crackling later it was fine. (water was ot originally in the fuel it was in another vessel used to transfer fuel to glass jar.)

Matt

[RossH Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RossH]

Re: Diesel Properties at colder temperatures

Excellent experiment! Well conducted and if BD is be adopted in the wider community then this needs to be thought about and dealt with. Which leads nicely to my question.

What has Shell done to there diesel to make it hold it's shape and what can we do to our B100 to make it more cloud resistent? Do people in colder climates run B20 or B50 in the cooler months? Would a little kero help? Is there a diesel antifreeze commercially available?

Though I live in sunny Queensland I'm likely to travel to much colder locations so now would be a good time to sort it out.

[Terry Syd Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Terry Syd]

Re: Diesel Properties at colder temperatures

On the infopop forum there was discussion about using a bit of ordinary motor oil added to the biodiesel. The various additives in the motor oil help to lower the gel point of biodiesel.

I never did experiment with the idea, but it would be a worth while exercise for someone to do.

If you want to use petrol diesel to winterise your biodiesel, I remember about 10 years ago the Irish did some testing and found that a B50 mix with tallow based biodiesel and petrol diesel was adequate for the Irish climate.

[Bill Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close Bill]

Re: Diesel Properties at colder temperatures

If your biodiesel is Canola based then it should go down below 0C. Otherwise you should blend the biodiesel with petrodiesel (about B50) until the weather warms up.