US diesel fuel reformulation: Additive technology in response to changing fuel properties
- Nalco/Exxon Energy Chemicals, Sugar Land, TX (United States)
Rules promulgated by the US Environmental Protection Agency have forced US refiners and importers to radically change their product. While gasoline has held most of the attention, the regulations covering mid-distillates are also extensive, beginning with particulate and emissions standards in the mid-1980`s and ending with the reformulation rules that began in October 1993. The assessment of sulfur and aromatic content as deleterious resulted in the final rules for on-highway fuels which specify a 0.05 wt.% limit on sulfur content and a fuel cetane index {ge} 40 to control aromatics. Fuels not meeting the on-highway requirements are required to be dyed blue (later changed to red) for easy identification. Most refineries have built or converted hydrotreaters to meet low-sulfur demands. Deep hydrotreating, besides reducing sulfur may change many of the physical/performance properties of the new fuel. Issues and concerns have been raised regarding lubricity, conductivity, corrosion protection, fuel detergency, and low temperature handling properties of the on-highway fuel. Cetane number and stability could be predicted to improve. In practice, however, very slight cetane improvement (approximately 1 cetane number) is being realized. Color stability is greatly improved by hydrotreating, but the same improvement in sediment control has not been uniformly observed. While sludge formation is generally reduced, the inherent solvency of the hydrotreated fuel may also be reduced and sediments may still form. Fuel stability additives can effectively control the residual propensity for sediment formation. Hydrotreating also reduces fuel lubricity, conductivity and corrosion protection. This paper will discuss the additive technology that is effective in meeting the industry needs mentioned above resulting from the October, 1993 US diesel reformulation.
- Research Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Technical Management
- OSTI ID:
- 68700
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941022-Vol.2; ON: DE95009411; TRN: 95:003870-0022
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 5. international conference on stability and handling of liquid fuels, Rotterdam (Netherlands), 3-7 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 5th international conference on stability and handling of liquid fuels. Volume 2; Giles, H.N. [ed.]; PB: 514 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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