Quality petroleum products are used in various industries and are always in demand. Diesel fuel (DF) is a popular engine fuel used in many industries. Thanks to the advanced development of manufacturers, product quality and performance are constantly being improved.
What is diesel fuel
Diesel fuel visually looks like a transparent viscous substance, which is a mixture of hydrocarbons with a high boiling point (in the range from 200 to 350 ° C). The shade of the liquid is yellow or brown, the tone depends on the content of the resin.
Its direct purpose is the release of energy in a piston diesel engine. Unlike gasoline, which ignites in the system from a spark, fuel ignites spontaneously under pressure when compressed.
Qualitative characteristics
The quality of diesel fuel and its operational properties are influenced by indicators of certain characteristics. Main parameters:
- The cetane number is an indicator of the flammability of diesel fuel, which indicates the time interval at which diesel fuel burns after injection into the cylinder. Accordingly, the shorter this amount of time, the higher the cetane number. The warm-up time in this case decreases, but the smoke of the exhaust gases increases, which is harmful to the environment. It becomes critical when the cetane number is 55
- Density - determines the efficiency of the flow, that is, the economy. More energy is produced at a higher density
- The viscosity index determines the lubricating properties of a petroleum product
- Sulfur and sulfur compounds in the composition. This is an indicator of the so-called environmental friendliness of diesel fuel. As a result of chemical reactions, sulfur combustion products pollute the environment, and also provoke the appearance of corrosion of metal parts of the engine system
- Fractional composition
- Filterability factor
- The content of water and mechanical impurities in the composition leads to a deterioration in lubricity
- low temperature characteristics - limiting filterability temperature, freezing point and cloud point
Product use areas
Many industries require diesel fuel. The key area is the transport sector. A huge amount of technical equipment runs on this type of fuel. Military, water transport, agricultural equipment consume diesel fuel for efficient operation. In addition to trucks, a large number of cars run on motors, well
