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Blending of Diesel Fuel With Vegetable Additives

Diesel blending
Blending of Diesel Fuel

Every year the TV and other mass-media warn us about the global warming, holes in the ozone layer and other ecological problems. Obviously, this is an attempt to attract public attention and start active countermeasures.

Biodiesel and bioethanol as panacea?

Large-scale implementation of the so-called alternative fuels is offered as one component of a package of measures. As envisioned by ecologists, they can reduce the amount of hazardous emissions and, in time, improve the existing situation. “Biodiesel” and “Bioethanol” – these words are used with increasing frequency. Let’s try to figure out what surprises or bonuses are possible with the application of these fuels.

First of all let’s discuss environmental friendliness. As only natural components are used for production of biofuels, their combustion does not create large amounts of emissions compared with the combustion of fossil fuels. Second, let’s specify such biofuel property as biodegradability. If released into the environment, biofuel not only creates no pollution, but almost completely decays within a month due to microorganisms. Fossil fuel even in a small quantity spoils large amounts of water, pollutes soil and causes mass mortality of animals.

But something is Rotten in the State of Denmark. The main problem of biofuels application is that they cannot be used in existing internal combustion engines. For example, ethanol is a harmful for engine surfaces and fuel system. Biodiesel parameters also differ from parameters of fossil diesel fuel. Yes, you can say that straight biofuels nevertheless can be used at one’s own risk. Let’s chance it. But in this case no automotive manufacturer will give you warranty on their products. The logical question is “Do we need these problems?”

There are two possible ways out of this situation. First, development of revolutionary new engine specially designed for application of straight biofuels. Frankly speaking, these engines have already been created and more research is in progress. But mass implementation of them in foreseeable future is unlikely.

The other way does not stipulate changes of existing design of internal combustion engines and involves application of blended fuels. The main idea is this: vegetable additives are added in small amount into fossil diesel fuel and gasoline. In this case, they change the properties of original fuel insignificantly and the engine can work as usual. This is not a complete solution of ecological problems, but it’s a good start on the way to gradual transition.

In the USA, В2 and В20 grades of diesel fuels are successfully used. They consist of a blend of diesel and biodiesel fuels. In the former case vegetable additive amounts to 2%, and in the latter to 20%. In the European Union there are Е10 and Е20 fuel grades. Their components are gasoline and ethanol. Percentage is determined likewise from the name.

Production of blended fuels

Even the name of “blended fuel” implies that the key role in its production is played by mixing. Even a brief review of the existing methods of blending shows that most of them are unable to ensure stabilityof a product for more than 30 days. Obviously, this is not enough. Especially taking into account the fact that many transportation companies prefer bulk purchasing of fuel to protect themselves from market fluctuations.

With this in mind, GlobeCore has developed USB blending plants. The main feature of this product is the application of several physical processes including injection and hydrodynamic shock. The combination ensures high quality blending of fuels, which do not separate for at least 180 days.

Production of Blended Fuels

Fuel blending
Blended Fuels

Although blending fuel issue is relatively young, it increasingly attracts attention of both young and experienced automobilists. Having heard the phrase “blending fuel”, they try to find out what it is and whether it is possible to use it in their cars.

Let’s try to sort everything out. Appearance of blending fuels became possible due to the shortage of oil reserves in most countries. One of the possible alternatives is the introduction of alcohols as biolfuel. Currently the market of bioethanol worlwide shows annual growth of 20-25%. According to forecasts of industry experts, industrial production of this fuel may achieve 120 billion liters by 2020.

In most cases bio-ethanol acts as an additive to gasoline. Blending fuels, obtained on the base of these two components are marked by Е letter followed by a figure showing the percentage of ethanol. For example, grades of blending fuels Е5 and Е7 contain 5 and 7 percent of ethanol respectively. Application of this fuel does not require any changes of the automobile engine, unlike Е85, Е95 and Е96. Smooth use of the above fuels requires fuel supply and ignition system adjustment.

Wider implementation of ethanol into fuel industry can reduce dependence of a country on foreign oil imports and the amount of hazardous emissions.

Production of blended fuels

General process of blended fuel production includes emulsification of low-octane gasoline with ethanol. As a result, the blend has a higher octane number. Specific value of this parameter depends on volume of injected ethanol, in practice it ranges from 8 to 20%.

To make blended fuel, the four stages, described below, must be consequently followed:

  1. preparation of initial components;
  2. continuous batching and dispersion of ethanol in gasoline;
  3. sampling of products and analysing to determine qualitative parameters;
  4. certification of finished products.

What equipment is the best for liquid blending?

GlobeCore would like to address petroleum storage depots, oil refineries, filling stations, bunkering and transporting companies to our USB series blending units. This equipment is designed specifically for blending of nearly all liquids.

If standard technologies are applied, the storage time of blended fuels does not exceed 30 days, while its complete residence time, for example, at filling stations is 40-50 days at the minimum. Application of USB units by Globecore helps to close this gap and to obtain a product which does not break down for at least 180 days.

This result is achieved due to application of several physical principles simultaneously: Venturi effect, cavitation, acoustic effect, etc.

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE MOST POPULAR USB MODELS

Parameters

USB-5/3

USB-5/5

USB-18/3

USB-18/5

USB-40/3

USB-60/3

USB-60/5

USB-100/3

USB-100/5

Capacity, m3/hour

5

5

18

18

40

60

60

100

100/150

Number of blended fluids

2…3

2…5

2…3

2…5

2…3

2…3

2…5

2…3

2…5

Consumption of the main component, m3/hour

3.5

3.5

11

11.5

30 (40)

50 (57)

50.0

100

100

Consumption of additives, m3/hour
* inlet I

0.25..2.5

0.25..2,5

0.25..2.5

2..7

0.5..3.5

0.5..3,5

0.1..1.0

0.4…4

3…30
* inlet II

0.1..1.0

0.1..1.0

0.1..1.0

0.5..3.5

0.1..1.0

0.1..1.0

0.0..0.02

0.4…4

3…30
* inlet III

–

–

–

0.5..3.5

–

–

0.25..2.5

–

0.05…0,5
* inlet IV

–

–

–

0.15..0.65

–

–

0.5..6.3

–

0.4…5

Supply pressure, MPa

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

Power consumption, kW

2.7

2.7

15

118

36

45

45

55

55

Delivery head, m, мах

up to 10

up to 10

up to 10

up to 10

up to 10

up to 10

up to 10

up to 10

up to 10

Overall dimensions, mm
**length

500

500

500

500

700

700

1000

2000

2000
**width

300

300

500

600

900

1200

1500

1400

1400

Production of Antifreeze

Articles
Production of Antifreeze

Antifreeze is a substance that is massively used by car owners for cleaning their windshields in the cold season.  Despite the apparent complexity of antifreeze manufacturing process it is quite simple and, if desired, the product can be made even at home.

This requires alcohol, purified water, ethylene glycol, fragrances, surfactants and dyes.  These are the original components used by modern manufacturers of antifreeze.

The choice of alcohol is largely determined by which substances are approved for use in the automotive chemical production in a particular country. Water must be pre-cleaned and must not have any sediment.  As for color, there is no need to reinvent the wheel.  You can decide on a traditional light-blue hue.

Antifreeze production technology includes the following successive steps:

  1. water purification;
  2. mixing of all ingredients;
  3. heating of the mixture;
  4. bottling of the finished product.

When working with small fluid volumes at home there should not arise any problems at any of the stages.  In the case of industrial antifreeze production, the second stage is probably most important.  Mixing a large amount of raw materials is not so simple, considering that it is necessary to ensure that it does not break down into individual components during the subsequent storage and use for its intended purpose.  Therefore, the choice of equipment for blending should be approached very carefully and attentively.

For our part we can recommend the USB-type plants developed by GlobeCore. This equipment is designed for mixing of several components and obtain highly stable mixtures.

When using conventional methods of blending, known to date, antifreeze tends to break down when adding individual component parts.

The peculiarity of the proposed facility is the usage of injection method and hydrodynamic shock can ensure stability of the resulting product for at least 180 days.

Modern hydrodynamic (inline) mixing plants have proven themselves in industrial use as cost-effective, accurate and sustainable means of production of high-quality non-freezing liquids with optimal cost.  The achievable cost savings and increase of profitability, compared to a conventional technology of components mixing in special vessels, can accelerate the return on investment up to 60% per year and provide a return on the project for a period of one year or less.

Fuel saving additives

Additive blending

Additives are special substances added to gasoline to improve it. There is usually an additive for each type of fuel properties. This article deals with fuel economy additives.

The product may come in the form of liquid of capsules. Fuel saving additives include several active components increasing the octane number. Some of the widely used additives are lead tetraethyl, alcohols, naphthalene, acetone, manganese compounds etc.

lead tetraethyl reduces smoke and noise. Alcohols increase octane number and improve combustion. Naphthalene improves quality of the fuel and improves mileage.

Special equipment should be used in oil refining to mix additives with fuel. Most of the modern methods of mixing do not ensure the required homogeneity and stability of the oil product. This results in stratification and separation in storage.

GlobeCore’s USB units are free from this drawback. These units can mix up to five liquid components. The process occurs in the hydrodynamic mixer, for all components simultaneously, with output to general blending collector, according to blend formula.

The design of the USB units allows the use of injection method and hydrodynamic shock to increase the octane number of gasoline without separation of the blend for at least 180 days.

Some of the advantages of GlobeCore technologies are:

  • precise portioning;
  • fast mixing;
  • no need to use mixing tanks for product homogenization.

GlobeCore’s USB unit is a reliable product for oil refineries and filling stations interested in improving the quality of their gasoline.

Increasing fuel cetane number

Fuel blending

We often hear the words “high quality diesel fuel». What are the criteria which define fuel quality? Cetane number is the most important parameter. It defines the ability of the fuel to ignite. In essence, it indicates the rate at which the pressure grows in piston engines when fuel ignites from pressure.

Higher cetane number means faster ignition, uniform growth of pressure and regular smooth engine running.

The theoretical range of cetane number is 0 to 100. Zero is the cetane number of alphamethylnaphtalene, 100 is the cetane number of hexadecane (cetane).

The logical question is can cetane number be increased? Large amounts of low quality diesel are often kept in storage. They could be used as fuel without damage to the engine and fuel system.

Additives are used for practical increase of cetane number. The most popular are thionitrites, amyl nitrates, acetic peroxide.

Cetane number is increased by using amyl nitrite. If 1.5% of the substance is added to diesel fuel with cetane number of 26 to 55, the parameter grows by four points on average.

To use additives with large volume of fuel, special equipment is required, since most of the existing mixing methods cannot ensure homogeneity and stability of the finished product.

The USB type blending system by GlobeCore is designed for mixing of any two to five liquid streams, in particular, low quality diesel fuel with additives. This equipment is designed for oil refineries and filling stations.

A feature of the unit is that the use of injection and hydrodynamic shock allows to increase cetane number of diesel fuel and keep the mix stable to at least 180 days.

Modern hydrodynamic (stream) systems have proven themselves to be reliable in industrial operation as economic, precise and stable units for production of high quality motor fuel at optimal cost.

In the process of blending, the flow rate of each component is constantly adjusted to ensure consistent product quality as per the formulation.

The economy and profit margin, compared to the existing mixing methods, allow to accelerate return on investment by 60% per year and make the project reach break even point in less than a year.

Facts about non-freezing windshield wash

Articles

The windscreen is a very important part of any vehicle, through which the driver evaluates the road situation to make decisions. In summer, the glass can be kept clean using regular water, but in winter time this obviously will not work. The windscreen wash system can be ruined by the freezing water.

Special non-freezing liquids are used in the cold season. A good quality of the washing liquid can handle glass cleaning even in cold weather, and efficiently remove dirt, film and ice.

So what are the ingredients of window wash liquids? First of all, they include surfactants, with washing effect. To keep the glass clean, a 1-2% surfactant solution is sufficient. Aromatizers and dyes are also needed. The former remove odors, the latter make the product look better. Water is also important: distilled water is the best choice. Regular tap water does not work, because it will cause sediment of mineral salts and chalk, scratching the windshield glass.

The most important part, which prevents the non-freezing fluid from freezing – alcohol. Ethanol and isopropyl are mostly harmless for humans. Methanol is cheaper, but cannot be used to make washing fluid, being highly toxic. Vapor coming in through ventilation system can poison the driver and passengers. Vertigo, dizziness, visual impairment, neurological and vascular system damage are some of the effects.

One of the most important things is that the declared minimal temperature compoes with the actual one. The fluid must not leave traces after use. It must also not be aggressive to the paint of the vehicle, plastic and rubber parts of the automobile etc.

Fuel saving additives: types and methods of blending

Additive blending

Fuel economy additives are special substances resembling lube oil. They can be added either directly into a vehicle’s fuel tank or into a fuel storage tank. There is a wide variety of fuel additives in the market.

Depending on their function, the additives may be divided into several types. Antifriction additives, as the name suggests, reduce friction between moving parts of the engine. These additives are effective, but not in terms of fuel savings, which is no more than 5%. Restoration additives restore worn internal surfaces in the engine. Those include small cracks in cylinder walls. This helps engine power and compression. Cleaning additives remove carbon deposits and other combustion products. Those additives are added into the oil when the oil is changed or during fuel filter change. Dehydration additives capture moisture to prevent freezing in cold weather. These protect the engine from premature wear, since even a few drops of water can be detrimental to its function.

Fuel saving additives are probably the most numerous additives in the market. Producers claim fuel savings of 15-20%.

When working with large volumes of fuel, introduction of additives requires special equipment. The thing is that most of the existing mixing methods simply cannot ensure consistent product homogeneity, causing quick separation.

GlobeCore’s USB blending unit are different. The blending system can mix any two to five fluids. Those may be low octane gasoline and additives, for instance. The unit’s main feature is that the use of injection and hydrodynamic shock increases the fuel’s octane (or cetane) number, preventing separation for 180 days.

Using the GlobeCore process improves fuel combustion and improves mileage, increasing engine power and preventing wear of the fuel system components.

Non-freezing liquid production: a business plan for success

Articles

While selecting an area for starting a business, the best choice is a product with high demand. The options are plentiful. This article, however, deals with the production of non-freezing liquid. The calculation is simple: the amount of automobiles grows every year, and none can be used in cold season without the product.

This liquid consists of water and various organic substances (glycol, alcohol, glycerin, perfume component). It can be used as antifreeze or as windscreen wash.

Although antifreeze is mostly used in winter, it is easy to readjust the production line for a different, but similar product. For instance, for windscreen or headlight washer, which is also required in summer.

Before setting out to develop a business plan, consider the following: ingredients of the product, material purchases, process technology, equipment and, of course the expected return on investment.

Product ingredients and material purchases

Both antifreeze and windscreen wash are made from practically the same materials. The only difference is the actual contents of ingredients.

To start making windscreen wash, the following materials must be purchased:

  • fragrance;
  • surfactant;
  • alcohol;
  • dyes;
  • water;
  • ethylene glycol.

It should be noted that in theory, the product may be made using other, less expensive components. Savings can be achieved by selecting a less expensive alcohol. It should be remembered that human health is more important than material cost. For instance, methyl alcohol is very toxic; vapors of methyl alcohol can cause severe poisoning if inhaled.

Besides, bottles and labels must be purchased in advance.

Process technology

The process of non-freezing liquid production is comparatively simple, making it lucrative for businesses. In general case, the process can be divided into the following sequence of stages:

  1. water purification;
  2. component mixing;
  3. heating;
  4. bottling;
  5. labeling;
  6. storage.

The technology is not at all influenced by the quantity of the product made. The same process with minor adjustment can be used for production of other fluids used by motorists in their vehicles.

Equipment selection

Every technology requires certain equipment for implementation. The non-freezing fluid is made by:

  • component blending system;
  • bottling machine;
  • labeling machine;
  • buffer tanks.

This is true of the production uses purified water. If tap water is used, a special purification system is required.

GlobeCore’s USB type blending unit works well for component mixing. Regular mixing methods may not offer the required product stability. The liquids in the product may separate. The USB unit is different from its counterparts, since the injection method and the hydrodynamic shock ensure stability of the fluid for long periods of time.

Modern hydrodynamic (stream) blenders proved to be economic, precise and reliable units to make high quality non-freezing fluids at optimal cost.

A blending process, which allows to supply all components simultaneously according to the formulation into a mixing collector, from where the product is sent to storage, is used in this blending system. The advantages of this technology is the pricese control of component supply ratio, a significant reduction of blending time and no need to used mixing tanks for homogenization of the product. The supply rate of each components is adjusted in constantly to ensure consistent product quality at the outlet.

Return on investment

Expert assessment shows that non-freezing liquid production reaches the breakeven point very rapidly. Due to USB blending system, money is saved and the profit margin is higher than that in traditional mixing processes, accelerating ROI by 60% annually and making the project pay for itself in one year or less.

It is difficult to specify the exact profit. It depends on production volumes, sales and distribution and pricing in your area.

Fuel saving additives: advantages and methods of mixing

Additive blending

When buying a vehicle, not all people consider fuel economy their first priority. The choice is often based on entirely different things: appearance, size, color, brand etc. Fuel economy could be insignificant if the fuel were cheap. However, the reality today is different. Petroleum products are high enough, and every motorists ponders fuel economy sooner or later. This is especially visible in the first few years, when the vehicle does not yet need repairs and spare parts, and the budget is spent on fuel most of the time.

What are additives?

An additive is a substance added to gasoline to improve it. There are many additives in the market now. Among them are:

  • anti-friction;
  • cleaning;
  • restoring;
  • dehydrating;
  • preserving.

The main idea of using additive is improvement of vehicle operation as well as saving on servicing and repairs.

Fuel economy additives

Fuel economy additives are produced in the form of pills or liquids. If the fuel is low octane and you enjoy speed, straining your engine, there is a risk of detonation combustion, causing engine wear.

The problem is solved quite simply: an octane number raising additive is mixed with the gasoline. This parameter is mostly influenced by the content of paraffin and aromatic hydrocarbons. The reasonable question is why not stock up on high octane fuel to protect oneself from possible price changes. Thing is, the high octane gasoline is more volatile than low octane. It must be fresh. A more reasonable way is to purchase and store low octane fuel and mix it with additives later.

How additives are mixed with fuel?

To mix additives with fuel in bulk volume, special equipment is required. The USB type units are made by GlobeCore for mixing of two to five different fluids, such as low octane gasoline with additives etc, production of composite motor fuels, including vegetable components, bioethanol, and for blending biodiesel with diesel. These systems are designed for oil refining industry and petrol retailers.

Composite fuel mixed using regular methods tends to separate with time. The USB blending system employs injection and hydrodynamic shock to increase the octane number of gasoline and keep the product stable for at least 180 days.

Modern hydrodynamic (stream) units have proven themselves as economic, precise and stable means of production of high quality motor fuels with optimal economic performance. The economy compared to regular mixing in tanks accelerates return on investment up to 60% and allows the project to pay for itself in one year or even less.

The magic cetane number

Diesel blending

Cetane number is one of the main parameters of diesel fuel, which indicates its combustibility. In the physical system, this number indicates the time it takes from the moment of injection into a cylinder to the beginning of fuel ignition. The higher the cetane number, the less the delay of mixture ignition. The scale of this parameter is 0 to 100. According to European standards, 51 is the minimum for diesel fuel.

If the cetane number is less than 40, such fuel is ruinous to the engine. Ignition delay increases sharply, pressure in the combustion chamber rises, piston assembly wear accelerates. At the same time, if the cetane number is too high, problems also arise, such as incomplete combustion, formation of soot, increased fuel consumption and smoke in the exhaust.

Determining diesel fuel cetane number

The most reliable method of cetane number measurement is by using a special calibrate engine. The results are used to calibrate other cetane number measurement devices, such as infrared spectrometers.

Since 2009 the engine method has been modified, based on ignition delay. The new process shows good convergence, repeatability and takes less time (measurement time reduced by 20 minutes).

Cetane number can also be measure by non-engine related methods. However, in this case the result is heavily influenced by the composition of the diesel fuel. In this respect the engine method is better: it allows to correctly measure the cetane number of any fuel.