Diesel Fuel
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Diesel Fuel Basics
What Is Diesel Fuel, And Where Does It Comes From? by Alex Marcus key, and often overlooked, component in the world of reliable diesel engines is the stuff that actually makes the engines run. Along with a good supply of cool air, diesel fuel is an important component of the total diesel propulsion equation. Back in 1876, in Pico Canyon, California, primitive stills were used to boil crude oil at a prodigious rate of 25–40 barrels a day. By way of comparison, in the U.S. today we consume approximately 18.8 million barrels of oil daily. Despite this enormous increase in production and use, distillate oil is still the same complex, organic compound it was back in 1876. Active compounds, distillate fuels are still subject to aging, degradation, and contamination. So despite the technological advances in engine and application technology, diesel fuel remains one of the weak links in overall system reliability. Just what is diesel fuel, and where does it come from?
A
Generally, the more sophisticated a refinery, the better its ability to upgrade crude oil into high-value products. But whether simple or complex, all refineries perform three basic steps in the crude oil distillation process: separation, conversion and treatment.
Separation: Heavy On The Bottom, Light On The Top
Not terribly different from the early “cooking” methods, modern separation involves piping oil through hot furnaces. The resulting liquids and vapors are discharged into distillation towers, tall, narrow columns that give refineries their distinctive skylines. Inside these towers, the liquids and vapors separate into components or fractions according to weight and boiling point. The lightest fractions, including gasoline and liquid petroleum gas (LPG), vaporize and rise to
n eprin itioe, Inc. R 9 Ed zin 19k9er Maga Fall Ma sa ge
te d
th wi
pe
rm
iss
ion
.
T H E H O LY P L AC E
©
9 99
s Pa
Diesel Fuel Basics
What Is Diesel Fuel, And Where Does It Comes From? by Alex Marcus key, and often overlooked, component in the world of reliable diesel engines is the stuff that actually makes the engines run. Along with a good supply of cool air, diesel fuel is an important component of the total diesel propulsion equation. Back in 1876, in Pico Canyon, California, primitive stills were used to boil crude oil at a prodigious rate of 25–40 barrels a day. By way of comparison, in the U.S. today we consume approximately 18.8 million barrels of oil daily. Despite this enormous increase in production and use, distillate oil is still the same complex, organic compound it was back in 1876. Active compounds, distillate fuels are still subject to aging, degradation, and contamination. So despite the technological advances in engine and application technology, diesel fuel remains one of the weak links in overall system reliability. Just what is diesel fuel, and where does it come from?
A
Generally, the more sophisticated a refinery, the better its ability to upgrade crude oil into high-value products. But whether simple or complex, all refineries perform three basic steps in the crude oil distillation process: separation, conversion and treatment.
Separation: Heavy On The Bottom, Light On The Top
Not terribly different from the early “cooking” methods, modern separation involves piping oil through hot furnaces. The resulting liquids and vapors are discharged into distillation towers, tall, narrow columns that give refineries their distinctive skylines. Inside these towers, the liquids and vapors separate into components or fractions according to weight and boiling point. The lightest fractions, including gasoline and liquid petroleum gas (LPG), vaporize and rise to