Episode 059 - Back To School - Diesel Cold Weather Treatment

In this episode of the Fuel Pulse Show, host Erik Bjornstad continues the "back to school" series, focusing on preventing winter gelling problems in ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. He discusses two main solutions: anti-gel chemical packages and kerosene dilution.

Bjornstad explains how cold flow improvers work by keeping wax crystals dispersed and suspended in the fuel. He compares the costs and effectiveness of both methods, providing guidance on when and how often to treat stored fuel based on temperature forecasts. The episode emphasizes the importance of proactive treatment to avoid operational shutdowns due to fuel gelling, especially given increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.

Listen to the Full Episode:

What You'll Learn:

• The basics of winter gelling problems in ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel
• Two main solutions for preventing gelling: anti-gel chemical packages and kerosene dilution
• How cold flow improvers work to keep wax crystals dispersed in fuel
• Cost considerations for both anti-gel treatments and kerosene dilution
• When and how often to treat stored fuel based on temperature forecasts
• The importance of monitoring temperature trends for effective fuel treatment
• Considerations for retreating fuel during the winter season
• The potential consequences of not treating fuel and the value of proactive measures

Ideas Worth Sharing:

Here are three notable quotes from the podcast episode:

• "Now, we wouldn't be talking about all these problems if there weren't solutions to help with them. The common options to prevent gelling problems from happening that we see out there in the world, the real world, so to speak."
• "Treating your fuel to protect against gelling is relatively inexpensive to do compared to the financial cost of having a gelling problem that shuts down operations of whatever kind of engine you're in charge with."
• "We've all seen that the weather is more and more unpredictable in recent years, and you don't want to get caught unprepared."

Resources:

• Cold flow improver
• Erik Bjornstad: LinkedIn

Show Notes:

00:00:00 - Introduction to the Fuel Pulse Show and topic overview
00:00:40 - Recap of previous discussions on winter gelling problems in diesel fuel
00:01:13 - Introduction to two main solutions: anti-gel chemical packages and kerosene dilution
00:01:40 - Explanation of cold flow treatment and how it works
00:03:00 - Discussion on keeping wax crystals suspended in fuel
00:04:00 - Introduction to kerosene dilution method
00:05:00 - Cost considerations for anti-gel treatments and kerosene dilution
00:07:00 - Comparison of costs between anti-gel and kerosene methods
00:08:00 - Guidance on when to treat stored fuel
00:09:00 - Importance of temperature forecasts and trends
00:10:00 - Considerations for retreating fuel during the season
00:11:00 - Conclusion and recommendations for protecting stored diesel fuel