ULSD 10 PPM

Diesel fuel refers to any liquid fuel particularly intended for use in engines, where fuel ignition occurs without the need of a spark plug as a consequence of compression of the inflow air mixture followed by fuel injection. Diesel fuel is standardised in several nations. Diesel fuel is often easier to refine from petroleum than gasoline, and it includes hydrocarbons with boiling points ranging from 180–360 degrees Celsius (356–680 °F).

There are minimum and maximum values which the fuel must meet in order to be classed as EN 590 gas oil. The typical column lists values for these parameters, all of which lie within the specification limits and which can be expected for deliveries of this grade of fuel.  These parameters include density at 15°C (typically at this temperature it will have a density of 0.856kg/m3 with a minimum of 0.82kg/m3 required), a typical 0.1% carbon residue value (where the maximum permitted for this grade is 0.3%). The table also shows that the minimum flashpoint (the lowest temperature at which the fuel produces vapour that is an ignitable mixture in air near the surface of the liquid) is 56°C, while typically you can expect A2 Class gas oil to have a flashpoint of more than 62°C. Other important parameters that this grade of gas oil needs to meet are the cold filter plugging point in winter and summer (the highest temperature at which point the oil will start to gel and cause filter blocking issues). Class A2 gas oil needs to stay fully mobile down to a maximum of -4°C (the typical plugging point is -8°C in summer) and -12°C in winter (typically A2 gas oil maintains full fluidity until -15°C).

Composition and Properties

Although EN590 covers numerous fuel characteristics, water content is the most relevant contaminant for fuel maintenance. To comply with EN590, fuel can contain no more than 200mg of water per kg of fuel.

This is an extremely demanding standard. 200mg of water per kg of fuel represents just 0.02% water contamination. Because modern biodiesel blends absorb water naturally (i.e. they are hygroscopic) it is practically impossible to adhere to the standard without regular testing and the use of a water extraction process such as a polishing system or regular tank cleaning.

Basic knowledge of gasoline products

Gasoline is generally a water-white transparent liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in spark-ignition engine (i.e., gasoline engine), with a density of between 0.720 to 0.775 g/cm³ and a special aroma. It is divided into aviation gasoline and automotive gasoline by purpose. Gasoline sold in gas stations is generally automotive gasoline and automotive ethanol gasoline (E10). The current standard for automotive gasoline products in China is GB 17930 Code of Gasoline for Motor Vehicles, in which the gasoline is graded into 89#, 92#, 95# and 98#. The current standard for automotive ethanol gasoline (E10) is GB 18351 Code of Ethanol Gasoline for Motor Vehicles (E10), in which the ethanol gasoline is graded into 89#, 92#, 95# and 98#. The gradings of aforementioned types of gasoline are both based on research octane number.

Requirements of gasoline used for motor vehicles

1. Good anti-knock properties;

2. Proper evaporation;

3. Good anti-oxidation stability;

4. Good corrosion resistance and environment-friendly properties.

Items for gasoline quality assessment

Items for gasoline quality assessment include: anti-knock properties (research octane number, motor octane number, and anti-knock index), sulfur, vapor pressure, olefins, aromatics, benzene, corrosion, boiling range, etc.

How to choose different grades of gasoline?

Different grades of gasoline should be matched with the compression ratio of the engine. Low-grade gasoline used in the engine with high compression ratio may lead to knock of the engine, and longtime knock may cause faults such as piston sintering and piston ring breakage, accelerating the damage of engine components. If high-grade gasoline is used in engines with low compression ratio, although engine knock can be avoided, the ignition time might be changed, increasing carbon deposition in the cylinder and even shortening life of the engine with long-term use.

Basic knowledge of diesel products

Diesel is a water-white, light yellow or tan liquid. The diesel generally sold at gas stations is automotive diesel, which is primarily used as a fuel in compression-ignition engine. The current standard for automotive diesel products is GB 19147-2016 Code of Diesel for Motor Vehicles, in which diesel is graded into 5#, 0#, -10#, -20#, -35# and -50# based on their freezing points.

Requirements of light diesel used for diesel engines

The working process of diesel engine is essentially different from that of gasoline engine. Therefore, its quality requirements of fuel are also different from that of its gasoline counterpart. The requirements of diesel used for diesel engines are:

1. Good combustion performance;

2. Good fluidity at low temperature;

3. Proper evaporation;

4. Good stability;

5. Appropriate viscosity;

6. Good lubricity;

7. Good corrosion resistance.

Items for quality assessment of light diesel

Items for quality assessment of light diesel include: cetane number, oxidation stability, sulfur, chroma, acidity, ash, copper strip corrosion test, freezing point, cold filter plugging point, flash point, boiling range, lubricity, etc.

How to choose different grades of diesel for motor vehicles?

According to GB 19147-2016 Code of Diesel for Motor Vehicles, the following principles shall be followed when selecting different grades of diesel:

1. 5# light diesel is suitable for areas where the probability of the lowest temperature lower than 8℃ is no more than 10%;

2. 0# light diesel is suitable for areas where the probability of the lowest temperature lower than 4℃ is no more than 10%;

3. -10# light diesel is suitable for areas where the probability of the lowest temperature lower than -5℃ is no more than 10%;

4. -20# light diesel is suitable for areas where the probability of the lowest temperature lower than -14℃ is no more than 10%;

5. -35# light diesel is suitable for areas where the probability of the lowest temperature lower than -29℃ is no more than 10%;

6. -50# light diesel is suitable for areas where the probability of the lowest temperature lower than -44℃ is no more than 10%.

Diesel Trading Parameters