Differences in diesel fuel

[big94gmc]

I need a quick crash course in terminology pertaining to diesel fuel....

First, what is "No. 2 Diesel"? Are there different grades or names for different diesel fuel types?

I know green dyed diesel is on-highway (taxable), and red dyed diesel is off-highway (non-taxable - or at least governed differently).

I know I'll run into specific terms while doing my research, so I want to elliminate most questions beforehand. Thanks, ya'll.

 

[Pookster]

I duno about green dye.

#1 diesel= Lighter, lower gel point, but less power. (95% of #2)
#2 diesel=heaver, more power

#2, red dyed= Home heating fuel, tax exempted
#2, blue dyed= Tax exmpted, "off road/farm use"
#2 undyed= On road, taxed.

B100=100% biodiesel
B20=20% biodiesel, 80% petro diesel

kerosene is not #1 diesel, but very similiar.
#3 is rarely used (distiliate fuel oil)
No. 5 fuel oil and No. 6 fuel oil are called residual fuel oils or heavy fuel oils
No. 4 fuel oil is usually a blend of distillate and residual fuel oils, such as No. 2 and 6, however, sometimes it is just a heavy distillate. No. 4 may be called classified as diesel, distillate or residual fuel oil. Residual fuel oils are sometimes called light when they have been mixed with distillate fuel oil, while distillate fuel oils are called heavy when they have been mixed with residual fuel oil. Heavy gas oil, for example, is a distillate that contains residual fuel oil.

Almost nobody uses 5/6 anymore.

 

[big94gmc]

Shaweet.... That's good info to know.

What is a "lower gel point"? (Is that were the fuel breaks down into sludge?)

I didn't know what natural color diesel was, I thought green was dyed also to denote it's use. Oops.

Anyone have anything else to share on the subject?

 

[cbbr]

Green is Gov't use IIRC (LEO, Hwy dep, etc.)

 

[colbystephens]

as temps decrease, diesel can gel up - that's the gel point. some additives are sold to further decrease gel point. helpful if you're going up to the mountain or something.

 

[DEMON44]

Its called the cloud point of diesel fuel. the temperature where the parafins in diesel fuel start to solidify. there isn't additives to lower cloud point, diesel #1 has waxes removed to lower the cloud point, and raise Cetane #, but as was said is lower in energy, has decreased lubricating properties for injection pump.

 

[Pookster]

I like to use butter as an example.

There is butter, there's melted butter, and clarified butter.

Clarified butter has a lower gelling point (the point where it starts to solidify) because the fatty solids have been filtered out.

#1 diesel is like clarified butter, #2 diesel is melted butter, and gel point is when the melted butter gets hard. Clarified butter will get hard too, eventually, but not as soon as regular melted butter.

 

[Drey]

I duno about green dye.
#2, red dyed= Home heating fuel, tax exempted
#2, blue dyed= Tax exmpted, "off road/farm use"
#2 undyed= On road, taxed.

Say pookster are you sure about the blue and red? Our farm fuel has been red as long as i can remember.

 

[DEMON44]

up here red dye diesel is "off-road/farm tax exempt" fuel. You need the special license to buy it.

 

[gravdigr]

Up here we have been running the red fuel oil in our diesel equipment for years. According to the fuel guy that fills the tanks the only difference between that and the pump diesel is the fuel oil diesel has more sulphur. In the winter we get a 50/50 mix of fuel oil and kero and have no problems with gelling.

 

[Pookster]

Say pookster are you sure about the blue and red? Our farm fuel has been red as long as i can remember.

They are virtually the same price, both are exempt, but up here in the north east, all home heating fuel is RED.

I have heard of some places pumping the red stuff into places where the blue shoulda been, and because nobody ever checks farm/offroad / home use... nobody cares.

The red is virtually impossible to get rid of. WE're talking even if 1 gallon is in 20, it still shows up with a tinge of red. (they have special fuel optics to check for that).

However, if you get caught, the FEd's authroized the use of home heating fuel for trucks- for Katrina. Do a search on google.