A review of performance testing by a global supplier of fuel detergents indicates growers can save fuel and reduce emissions by including additives at fill-up, regardless of their choice of petroleum, bio- or renewable-diesel.
Since the national “clean up” of diesel fuel by refiners in 2006, which reduced sulfur content of nearly 90% of all diesel fuel used on and off-road, the fuel additive market has exploded — and rightfully so.
Reducing sulfur to 15 or fewer parts per million created Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD), but it also removed the natural lubricity of the fuel which in turn increased wear on fuel injectors and high-pressure pumps in modern diesel engines. Blenders have had a field day since providing their own brand of solution to the “stiction” problem, and shelves at farm equipment stores, the local NAPA and big-box automotive sections are now flooded with many choices to cure the “ills of ULSD.”
Detractors term many of these blends “Snake Oil.”
Mary Dery, a Ph.D chemist and Performance Additives Technical Director with Innospec Special Chemical Co., takes issue with the Snake Oil claim, particularly when it targets diesel fuel detergent additives. Innospec has extensive testing in the U.S., Europe and South America evaluating products aimed at improving diesel engine performance and maintenance schedules.
In short, Dery says ULSD has increased problems with fuel system filter plugging, cold weather fuel gelation, and the formation of fuel tank sludge.
“All these problems add up to injector fouling and increased down-time for diesel particulate filter regeneration periods,” she explains. “Simultaneously fouled injectors increase overall emissions in the exhaust stream.”
Dery says Innospec’s labs have shown diesel fuel additives improve fuel economy by an average of 6% (ranging from 1-17%) and can reduce overall emissions by nearly 80% when paired with bio-diesel or renewable diesel. The chemicals can also effectively clean fouled injectors. Her rebuttal to claims of Snake Oil include:
- Farm trials with a 100 horsepower John Deere 5100E with severely fouled fuel injectors and 1,800 operating hours showed after 100 hours running treated fuel significant reductions of injector deposits and a 30% reduction in NOX emissions.
- In on-road testing with a Mercedes Sprinter van treated fuel extended the DPF regeneration interval by 77% compared with untreated ULSD, while at the same time cutting fuel consumption by 1%.
- In underground mining applications Innospec ran 24 vehicles 4 months on untreated ULSD, then switched them to treated fuel for 4 months. The results showed the treated fuel reduced fuel consumption by 5% and included a 14% drop in CO emissions.
Overall, Derry says fuel detergents can:
- Clean injectors and keep engines running as designed, reducing criterion emissions.
- Extend DPF loading time, increase fuel economy, and lower CO2 emissions.
- Clean fouling associated with renewable diesel deposits.
