Posted: 8/23/2012 9:57:22 AM EDT
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Does ULSD diesel fuel need a stabil type product for storage?
If so, is stabil what you use or something else? FYI, I searched this site and Googled it, but I only came up with brand name sites nothing in forums. |
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In before the PRI-D guys. Never used the stuff, but people here seem quite taken with it. It will be the stuff I try if/when I start keeping any diesel longer term. Anything I've had gets used within a month or two, so I've never bothered. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I use NOTHING.
I store diesel for up to five years using NOTHING and I've had great results: Fuel looks good, burns good, works as advertised. Fill a GOOD air-tight jerrycan (like the D.O. ones) up with fuel so there isn't a big dead-air space, put in plenty of NOTHING and seal the can... 
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Just to echo the words above, we used to use a fungicide(sp?) in our data center genset tanks in FLPosted Via AR15.Com Mobile WOW. I can imagine an open vented tank, Florida heat, Gulf humidity... anything uninhibited could possibly grow! my shed is a nightmare in the summer for heat and humidity, but I will be using my AB jerry cans. Thanks for the feedback. |
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Stored in a sealed steel drum, diesel will last at least 18 years without any deterioration, personally observed.
If your sealed steel barrel is well painted, and stored dry on a pallet, out of direct sunlight, I would EXPECT it to still be usable after 100 years. |
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Just to echo the words above, we used to use a fungicide(sp?) in our data center genset tanks in FLPosted Via AR15.Com Mobile WOW. I can imagine an open vented tank, Florida heat, Gulf humidity... anything uninhibited could possibly grow! Yeah, it used to be a nightmare until we upgraded the tanks. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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As others said, the key is to keep water and air out of the fuel.
See Chevron's "Technical Review, diesel fuels" chapter 7. http://www.chevronwithtechron.com/products/documents/Diesel_Fuel_Tech_Review.pdf Fuel Stability Additives Some refiners add one or more additives to improve fuel stability, either as a regular practice or on an “as needed” basis. The transition to ultra-low sulfur diesel (15-ppm sulfur max), which is more stable, has significantly reduced the need for this type of additive. Fuel instability results in the formation of gums that can lead to injector deposits or particulates that can plug fuel filters or the fuel injection system. The need for a stability additive varies widely from one fuel to another. It depends on how the fuel was made – the crude oil source and the refinery processing and blending. Stability additives typically work by blocking one step in a multi-step reaction pathway (see page 37). Because of the complex chemistry involved, an additive that is effective in one fuel may not work as well in another. If a fuel needs to be stabilized, it should be tested to select an effective additive and treat rate. Best results are obtained when the additive is added immediately after the fuel is manufactured. S15 diesel fuels will probably be more thermally stable, but may be prone to peroxide formation during storage. Antioxidants One mode of fuel instability is oxidation. Oxidation takes place when oxygen, in the small amount of dissolved air, attacks reactive compounds in the fuel. This initial attack sets off complex chain reactions. Antioxidants work by interrupting the chain reactions. Hindered phenols and certain amines, such as phenylenediamine, are the most commonly used antioxidants. They typically are used in the concentration range from 10 to 80 ppm. Stabilizers Acid-base reactions are another mode of fuel instability. The stabilizers used to prevent these reactions typically are strongly basic amines and are used in the concentration range from 50 to 150 ppm. They react with weakly acidic compounds to form products that remain dissolved in the fuel and do not react further. Metal Deactivators When trace amounts of certain metals, especially copper and iron, are dissolved in diesel fuel, they catalyze (accelerate) the reactions involved in fuel instability. Metal deactivators tie up (chelate) these metals and neutralize their catalytic effect. They are typically used in the concentration range from 1 to 15 ppm Dispersants Multi-component fuel stabilizer packages may contain a dispersant. The dispersant doesn’t prevent the fuel instability reactions; however, it does disperse the particulates that form preventing them from clustering into aggregates large enough to plug fuel filters or injectors. Dispersants typically are used in the concentration range from 15 to 100 ppm. Contaminant Control This class of additives mainly is used to deal with housekeeping problems in distribution and storage systems. Biocides The high temperatures involved in refinery processing effectively sterilize diesel fuel. However, the fuel may quickly become contaminated if exposed to microorganisms present in air or water. These microorganisms include bacteria and fungi (yeasts and molds). Because most microorganisms need free water to grow, biogrowth is usually concentrated at the fuel-water interface, when one exists. In addition to the fuel and water, they also need certain elemental nutrients in order to grow. Of these nutrients, phosphorous is the only one whose concentration might be low enough in a fuel system to limit biogrowth. Higher ambient temperatures also favor growth. Some organisms need air to grow (aerobic),while others only grow in the absence of air (anaerobic). The time available for growth is also important. A few, or even a few thousand, organisms don’t pose a problem. Only when the colony has had time to grow much larger will it have produced enough acidic byproducts to accelerate tank corrosion or enough biomass (microbial slime) to plug filters. Although growth can occur in working fuel tanks, static tanks, where fuel is being stored for an extended period of time, are a much better growth environment when water is present. Biocides can be used when microorganisms reach problem levels. The best choice is an additive that dissolves in both fuel and water to attack the microbes in both phases. Biocides typically are used in the concentration range from 200 to 600 ppm. A biocide may not work if a heavy biofilm has accumulated on the surface of the tank or other equipment, because it may not be able to penetrate to the organisms living deep within the film. In such cases, the tank must be drained and mechanically cleaned. Even if the biocide effectively stops biogrowth, it still may be necessary to remove the accumulated biomass to avoid filter plugging. Any water bottoms that contain biocides must be disposed of appropriately because biocides are toxic. The best approach to microbial contamination is prevention. The most important preventative step is keeping the amount of water in a fuel storage tank as low as possible, preferably at zero. Demulsifiers Normally, hydrocarbons and water separate rapidly and cleanly. However, if the fuel contains polar compounds that behave like surfactants and if free water is present, the fuel and water can form an emulsion. Any operation which subjects the mixture to high shear forces (such as pumping the fuel) can stabilize the emulsion. Demulsifiers are surfactants that break up emulsions and allow the fuel and water to separate. Demulsifiers typically are used in the concentration range from 5 to 30 ppm. Corrosion Inhibitors Most petroleum pipes and tanks are made of steel and the most common type of corrosion is the formation of rust in the presence of water. Over time severe rusting can eat holes in steel walls, and create leaks. More immediately, the fuel is contaminated by rust particles, which can plug fuel filters or increase fuel pump and injector wear. Corrosion inhibitors are compounds that attach to metal surfaces and form a protective barrier that prevents attack by corrosive agents. They typically are used in the concentrationrange from 5 to 15 ppm. |
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In before the PRI-D guys. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I don't always treat my diesel, but when I do, I use PRI-D. 
What he said. 
But, I keep about 500 gallons on the place between the overhead tank, drums, and jerry cans. I don't treat any of it since I use it regularly and it gets rotated. I do have a bottle in the barn in case the world comes to an end and my consumption slows down to just the tractor and generator. |
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Quoted: Just to echo the words above, we used to use a fungicide(sp?) in our data center genset tanks in FL, but stopped after we improved the storage tanks themselves. Once we went to new sealed tanks the fuel was fine by itself. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile We had the same issue w/ ours. We had a contract w/ the fuel supplier to come pump it out and replace w/ fresh fuel once a year, which was quite expensive! When we upgraded from the 800 to the 1.2 we added a 4200gal double wall "sealed" tank (it has a vent, but w/ a check valve I think). Haven't had a problem so long as we keep it all the way full. I carry a couple of nato cans in the back of my truck that I treated w/ both PRI-D and Powerservice. I only did this because, knowing my luck, it'll be -25*F when I'm trying to dump 8 year old fuel into my truck. At home I've never had a problem w/ untreated fuel. |