Biodiesel now cheaper than petrodiesel here!

[xcel]

Hi All:

If only the new turbo diesel engines emissions controls (DPF) allowed a higher percentage Bio mix

Wayne

[CRT1]

Originally Posted by xcel

Hi All:

If only the new turbo diesel engines emissions controls (DPF) allowed a higher percentage Bio mix

Wayne

What is the ratio limit on the new engines?

What do the B99 guys do when the weather gets cold? What is the resonalble and safe lowest temperature you can run that stuff at?

[xcel]

Hi CRT1:

Some modern diesel emissions systems limit Bio to B5 while others allow B20. The HD trucks are all now B20 capable.

B99 gels just a few degrees above freezing at which point it becomes useless so its something any diesel owner has to be very concerned with. Then again Diesel a is an improvement over diesel b in term so gelling resistance in cold weather and mandatory for colder climates in the winter months.

Maybe Mike or Dan can give us the lowdown on the Diesel a and b differences in terms of energy content, cetane and pour points before I go look it up myself

Wayne

[seftonm]

Diesel #1 is very similar kerosene. Good resistance to gelling but poor lubricity properties which kills the high pressure injection system.

Diesel #2 is what all the on-road diesels that I know of need. In colder temperatures, it is prone to gelling. I have read that winter diesel #2 blends actually contain some diesel #1 to prevent gelling.

[WriConsult]

I can't speak too much about #1 vs #2 ... I think around here it's almost always #2.

As far as B99 goes, it will gel as you get down into the lower 30s. In our climate we get down a few degrees +/- freezing quite a bit, so our local pumps carry B50 from November through March, instead of B99.

We have had our fuel gel on a couple of occasions when we'd bought B99 in October and the tank lasted us well into November (easy to do, since a tank can be good for 600+ miles), then it got down around freezing and we couldn't start the car in the morning.

With B50 we've had no trouble starting in temps down to the upper teens. That's as cold as it ever gets here, so I don't know the lower limit for B50. I suspect that if you're in a "real winter" climate where it can get to the single digits or colder, you'd probably want to limit yourself to B20 in the dead of winter.

[seftonm]

Manitoba has a mandate for 2% biodiesel. I think it was set at that as it is expected that the blend will range from B5 in summer to B0 in winter, averaging around B2.