What problems occur with stored diesel fuel?
Diesel fuel is naturally unstable. Its quality and chemistry are continuously degraded by transportation and storage from the refinery to the end user, oxidation, heat, water, and micro-organism contamination. Even when diesel fuel is still clear and bright, microscopic fuel components will polymerize over time and form larger clusters of organic compounds. Eventually fuel filters will clog due to the accumulated gum, tar, and wax compounds formed in the fuel. Additionally, polymerization effects the hydrocarbon’s volatility characteristics such as flash point and cetane number. If these qualities should drop out of the required specification, the fuel will not ignite properly and cause increased engine wear, carbon deposits, reduced horsepower, abnormal smoke, and damaged fuel injectors. What effect does the ethanol have in gasoline? Ethanol is an alcohol made from corn, grain, sugar cane, switch grass cellulose, and other common farm produce. The state of Florida allows a maximum of
