Time for a TDR article on "new" choices for Diesel Fuel

[Tuesdak]

Diesel is Diesel right? No grades to choose from other than marketing for "premium" Diesel... Not true.

It has come to my attention that there is another process for making Biodiesel than traditional FAME biodiesel. It's now at some Diesel pumps and there are questions. I have questions given my past expensive "no core value" bad experience with Bio. Given Ford's denial of warranty for fuel injection system failures: Is the new BioDiesel warranty approved by Cummins/RAM/FCA(Whatever Automaker name they want to use this month) The new stuff under discussion:

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/union-76-renewable-diesel-fuel.271937/#post-2686564

Further covering the state of older Bio that in use everywhere. Point Of Fact I can't even order Red Off-Road Diesel in AZ delivered that isn't "Contaminated" with Biodiesel for generator use.

I don't think many TDR readers are aware of the "traditional FAME biodiesel" being mixed with Diesel fuel. Although commonly used to replace "lube" lost in the sulfur removal process it's also required by LAW in some places. Less than 5% Biodiesel blends are not required to be labeled on the pump in some places.

FAME biodiesel appears to have major disadvantages that are kept hush-hush except for the printing in your RAM Diesel's owner's manual saying 5% Biodiesel blend max. Mainly needing a better/additional water separator to allow use of 20% Biodiesel blends - but only an option on Government Fleet or Cab and Chassis.

Blends higher than 5% are available in places. Diesel is Diesel ... do you actually look at the sticker(s) on the Diesel pump stating a higher Biodiesel blend?

Oil wars are... Time to turn the page from engine oil to the "oil" in the fuel tank!

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

I'm curious of what the actual difference is between this and regular Bio-Diesel are... They're made from the same thing, but the only thing that comes to mind is the process used to add more hydrogen to regular diesel.

I worked for a company that did catalyst change-outs in refineries back in the late 90's. Most big jobs were on hydrocrackers and hydrotreaters. Funny part is they both used the same pre-sulfided catalyst for refining the fuels.

The crackers were used to make the junk heavy oil (asphalt) into lighter fuel oils. The treating process did pretty much the same, but kinda "fine tuned" the fuels after cracking. All this was before ULSD was even a thing.

IMHO, adding some additional hydrogen should improve the Bio-Diesel a great deal over the traditional method and eliminate issues seen from that particularly rough process.

 

[avvblanc01]

Posted a long reply in the original thread you made about it including a statement from Cummins!