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Old 09-17-2021, 01:26 PM   #8
Moonfish
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City: Port Townsend, WA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidM View Post
I am a retired chemical engineer who worked in the petroleum refining industry, so from that perspective:

Diesel fuel has two specifications that are not present in heating oil specifications: lubricity and cetane index. Lubricity is self explanatory and cetane index is an indication of the fuel's ability to compression ignite.

Small refiners in the south who don't have a big heating oil market may only produce one formulation for both diesel and heating oil, so it has to meet the diesel lubricity, cetane and sulfur spec. So it is fine to use that heating oil in a diesel engine. The oil is the same.

But bigger refiners, particularly in the midwest or northeast refine two separate products. For diesel they add lubricity additives as well as cetane improvement additives or blend it to meet the cetane spec. They also refine it to meet the sulfur spec.

For fuel oil they don't have to worry about lubricity or cetane so you get what you get. It may be ok for diesel use or it may not be.

Caveat emptor.

David
Now this is the best kind of response! No guessing or dubious second-hand info. Actual, real world knowledge and experience. Thank you, David!

(And I’m not specifically speaking about this particular thread, but replies in general…)
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