For those that live in Minnesota or fill with diesel in the state......to some truckers this is good news considering the record cold temps this year.


************************************************** ******

Following is a Press Release from the Minnesota Department of Commerce which effectively suspends the requirement that 5 percent biodiesel be blended into #1 diesel fuel. The suspension goes from January 15 – March 31, 2010. The law now requires 5 percent biodiesel in #2 and allows for 0 percent in #1 diesel fuel. The percent of biodiesel in a blend of #1 and #2 does not have to be determined. The law simply requires 5% biodiesel in the #2 before blending with #1.

Any questions please give us a call.

(ST. PAUL, MN) The Minnesota Department of Commerce will temporarily waive the requirement that #1 diesel fuel be blended with 5 percent biodiesel (B5).
The waiver, which will become effective Friday, January 15 and last through March 31, 2010, was issued in response to concerns from the Minnesota Biodiesel Council and the Minnesota Petroleum Marketers Association that the mix of 5 percent biodiesel with #1 diesel fuel could lead to clogged filters in extreme cold weather. The effective date allows petroleum wholesalers to make any necessary operational adjustments to ensure consistent supply. The B5 mandate still applies to #2 diesel fuel.
"Minnesota's fuel quality policies ensure a strong renewable fuel industry," said James Pearson, Deputy Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. "Our action today is in response to concerns raised by some consumers. The waiver will relieve some of the pressure felt by suppliers and consumers while we get to the bottom of any issues."
Samples of diesel fuel and filters have been collected from locations statewide and are being tested to help determine the cause of the reported problems. While a small segment of the diesel consumer population has reported problems, the majority of refiners, terminals and users have not experienced trouble. Minnesota's Biodiesel Technical Cold Weather Issues Team, which investigates cold-weather issues related to diesel fuel, biodiesel and blends, will meet later this month to discuss concerns with B5 in #1 diesel fuel. The team is comprised of officials and experts from government and the biodiesel and petroleum industries.
Minnesota was the first state in the nation to mandate the use of biodiesel. In 2009, the state's mandate required all diesel fuel be blended with 5 percent biodiesel, an increase from the original 2 percent requirement set in 2005.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce's Weights and Measures Division is responsible for enforcing petroleum quality laws in the state of Minnesota. The division also assures the accuracy of all commercial weighing and measuring equipment in Minnesota, from gas pumps to grain elevators to grocery scales.




3244 Rice Street; St. Paul, MN 55126
(651) 484-7227 Fax: (651) 484-9189

 

This topic could easily end up in Club FTE.

 

This is good news because running straight #1 in my '90 f350 gelled on me at -31*. The transport driver told me that before this at -25* 5% soy in straight #1 would gell. When it was -30* i was getting sick of having to run additive in #1 diesel.

 

Thanks for the info Rich!

 

My girlfriend is an engineer for Donaldson and is actually a member of "Minnesota's Biodiesel Technical Cold Weather Issues Team". Here is what she has to say:

"I am part of the “Minnesota's Biodiesel Technical Cold Weather Issues Team” that just met on Tuesday. The problem we are having is there were no fuel retains from all the plugged filters in question here so we can’t go back and check to see that the fuel was in spec. Also we are not sure how #1 diesel behaves with biodiesel… I have had this same issue with Metro Transit when they used #1 only. I think there is a difference in fuel solubility in #1 compared to #2. I think biodiesel works a lot better with #2 all around. The only thing we have been able to prove at this point is that all of the biodiesel investigated so far had passing quality certificates. Now keep in mind that I don’t think all biodiesel plants qualify their fuel yet and one part of the fuel could be in spec with the rest of the batch out of spec; also I don’t think we regulate one component of biodiesel well enough to stop cold weather issues. There are some good papers floating around if you are interested that talk about Sterol Glucosides; this is a naturally occurring component in the biodiesels (levels vary by feedstock) but at even 10ppm you can plug a filter in cold weather, like below 40-50°F. The SG behaves just like a wax/paraffin in regular diesel does except it falls out of the fuel at much higher temperatures and when it is heated back up it doesn’t go back into solution. When you pull your fuel filter out after it has plugged if there is nothing on the filter it was a waxing issue, if it is covered in what looks like chap-stick or Vaseline that is most likely going to be a combination of SG and monoglycerins from the biodiesel. Keep in mind that the biodiesel can do this to the filter and still be in spec fuel. If the filter is covered in a black sludge that is most likely burned and broken down diesel or bugs; you can tell the difference by smelling the filter, the bugs will have a musty smell where the burnt fuel will smell like burnt fuel… If there are any other questions that pop up on the forum I would be happy to answer them… this is my job after all. I thought in MN you just had a winter blend at the pump that had some #1 but was mostly #2, so you are still getting B5 when you fill. Only off-road and specific fleets run straight #1 diesel. Most people don’t want to take the hit in fuel economy loss that you would get by going to straight #1."

Here is some other info:
The Role of Sterol Glucosides on Filter Plugging - Biodiesel Magazine

 

Great post/information GregN.....pass my thanks on to your girlfriend for sharing the info on this.

We've had some very cold temps this winter - it has put Diesl Fuel and additives to the test.....

 

Done! No problem.

 

What's funny is I made mention of this earlier in the year. "Global Warming" has forced the hand of suppliers to put that 5% bio in the fuel. When I heard about the prediction for a "record cold" winter, I *knew* the gelling was going to happen. I think common sense is *finally* surfacing. What we saw in Mass coupled with more common sense policies about fuel additives is evidence of that.

 

Do they not put additives in the fuel to lower the gel point to the weather conditions?

My memory is fuzzy. Did Minnesota make the B% requirement before or after the switch to ULSD?

Lots of good info in this thread. Thanks Rich & Greg.

 

What can you add to USLD & Bio to keep it from gelling at -35F? I remember thinking how ironic it is that we are forced to run more "climate friendly" fuels that gel at higher temps, meanwhile, the temps are DROPPING. Something has to give when trucks that move a big part of the economy are all stuck with plugged filters. Will it take a crisis on the roads to get it fixed or will more changes like what happened in MN come down the road?

 

Every single fuel supplier is allowed to use whatever additives they would like to make a 'cold weather' fuel. The additives do help to prevent waxing and lower the cloud point but I think the mostly manage the cloud point with ratios of #1:#2 blends. That is one of the reasons why you take such a hit in mileage in the winter. Customers are allowed to design their own fuel packages but at the pump you do not have a choice. Most additive packages contain corrosion inhibitors and defoaming chemicals... a lot of weird stuff that could be causing so many unknown interactions it will keep me in business for awhile (Analyzing plugged filters that is!).

Starting in 2006 they introduced ULSD for the 2007 engine platforms. The B2 in Minnesota was started in Sept. of 2005 it looks like. So it looks like B2 was started before the ULSD. There are really no issues that I would expect with B2; it acts as a lubricity agent for the fuel which replaces the lubricity that was removed from the fuel by the process of removing the sulfur.

At least the government is keeping filter sales up!

-GregN's Girlfriend

 

Hope you don't mind my questions. It was 72 here today. If it was -35, I wouldn't even go outside.

Doesn't the ULSD gel quicker than the old LSD? Since it's been several years since the bio mandate, it seems odd the exemption is coming now. Has it been an unusually cold winter, or is the ULSD mix factoring into this?

 

From what I understand this is the first winter where B5% was mandated. Last year and the years prior were B2% mandate. When they switched to B5% is when the real gelling issues started even in straight #1 diesel. I never had a problem with striaght #1 till this winter.

 

To my knowledge there is no product on the market that can prevent biodiesel from gelling. Right now I believe they manage the gelling by using summer and winter fuel specs. For instance this fall they added a Cold Flow Filterability test to the certification process of biodiesel. What they do is chill the fuel for 16 hours at 40F and then filter the fuel through a 0.7 micron membrane. To pass the test the fuel must pass through the filter in under 360 seconds for the summer and 200 seconds in the winter. Like I said earlier though it only takes 10ppm of the sterol glucosides to plug a filter almost instantly. That is basically what this test is looking for. I know in the twin cities some refineries have chosen to take on even tighter standards in the winter in order to make sure their clients don't have any problems but that is not typical. Some people have proposed using a cold filtration process while making biodiesel to remove all of these particulates that fall out of solution as it gets cold but that again would cost a lot of money and require more equipment.

Usually the fuel blenders manage the fuel gelling point by blending different ratios of #1 and #2 fuel depending on the forecast. What you have to look at is how quickly you burn your fuel; if you only need one tank a month you are at more of a risk for gelling problems then an over the road truck that fills up a couple of times a day. Granted over the road trucks run into a lot of issues where they may have filled up in some place warm and then driven to a frozen tundra like Minnesota and parked overnight. Most heavy duty diesels have heaters somewhere in the fuel system if the fleets have had issues with frozen filters in the past.

Just know that there are a lot of people working very hard trying to stop all of these gelling issues from biodiesel that have happened. Biodiesel is here to stay whether you like it or not but I know I am trying to develop filters to stand up to the new challenges the fuel presents and there are tons of committees watching every single problem that has happened and have the smartest people trying to figure it all out. There have been and will continue to be some growing pains but the more you stay aware of what is happening and if you have a problem be sure to report it so it can be investigated.

-GregN's woman

 

Yes the B5 was mandated in May of 2009 and this was our first winter with it. In October-November there were several incidents with the fuel that led to the #1 diesel going back to B0 last week. B2, I just looked it up, has been in the fuel since Sept of 2005. Like I said earlier there are a lot of things we don't understand about biodiesel and #1, in my opinion I think there is a significant difference in how biodiesel behaves in #1 then in #2 from what I have witnessed in my short career in filters. As of right now you should be getting B0 #1 so you should no longer be having any issues. Do you still have any of the fuel or the filters you had plug up? If so then I would be interested in getting my hands on them to see what the problem was.

-GregN's woman