How Good is the Fuel in Your Tank?
This article excerpt was written and submitted by Ralph E. Lewis from Power Research Inc.
Fuel Degradation in Storage - Are You Prepared?
Today as I write, I am sitting just two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean in our Fort Lauderdale, Florida office, atop a 10-story high rise on the Gulf-Intracoastal Waterway. This has me thinking. The tenants of our beach-front high rises, vulnerable to devastating storm surge, have no idea that the emergency services they'll depend upon may not be available—all because of a simple oversight. That neglected item is fuel. The service technicians that work on back-up generator systems tell us that about 70 percent of engine failures are fuel-related. I'm not surprised. Given a little heat, moisture and time, the oxidative process takes over quickly on today's stored fuels, creating gum, resin and varnish—cholesterol for a major engine coronary and power shut down.
A surprising number of engineers responsible for maintaining back-up power supplies for telephone companies, public utilities, hospitals, high rise apartments and condominiums are unaware that fresh fuel can go bad in just a matter of weeks. But you don't have to be left in the dark.
Have your own power generation source for one. Then make absolutely sure your fuel supply is in good condition. To ensure that fuel quality will be good for years requires only a few basic steps.
The problem begins with today's modern fuels. These so-called "clean" fuels typically deteriorate at much faster rates than fuels made 20 years ago. While all fuels suffer from the problem, most at risk are the EPA mandated reformulated gasolines (RFG) that contain oxygenate additives, derivatives of methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol. We've seen gasoline have shelf life as little as a month—particularly if it is subjected to heat and moisture.
Diesel fuels fare a little better, but not much. Most all diesel fuel, including the EPA's mandated low sulfur version, has shelf life of from 3-to-6 months. Again, this varies widely. Recently we tracked diesel fuel produced at a refinery in Texas to its final destination in Florida. When tested at the refinery the same day it was produced, the fuel barely met the specification for stability. After being stored, pumped into a coastal tanker, offloaded at Port Everglades, stored again, delivered to the fuel jobber, and finally to the customer, 23 days had passed. Again the fuel was tested. This "fresh" fuel now tested out of "spec."
In part, this has to do with new processing techniques developed by refiners in recent years. While the new refining methods are more efficient, producing more gasoline per barrel of crude, these fuels are often far less stable than the conventional "straight run" fuels we had before.
To make matters worse, the quality of the crude oil feedstock going into the refinery changes daily with each shipment. Processing equipment must be precisely adjusted to these varying qualities, but it doesn't always happen. This neglect results in poorly processed, less stable fuels. One oil company survey indicates that at least 50 percent of the gasoline sold today is substandard.