these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

Technical
“The words ‘gas oil’
or ‘red diesel’ in
themselves are
generic terms that
mean nothing and
everything at the
same time”
calorific value, increased corrosion
rates and damaged filters
• a reduced cold-weather handling
performance
• an increased incidence of
microbiological growth - the ‘diesel
bug’- leading to sludge problems,
blocked filters and fuel starvation
• the promotion of ‘layering effects’ in
bulk storage
• a much reduced fuel shelf life which
can lead to sludge from fuel oxidation
products
• increased deposit forming tendencies
This last point is critical as it can lead to
restricted flow in the injection system,
which in common-rail engines, where
injection pressures are extremely high
and spray patterns complex, can result in
catastrophic failure of the injectors
themselves.
In terms of vehicle performance and
engine operability, it is probably the
fuel’s cetane number (the measure of
how readily diesel fuel burns under
compression - in general terms, the
higher the number the better) that is
having the most profound effect. At a
cetane number of 45, red diesel is below
DERV by 6 points and engines expecting
to burn DERV often struggle, with
typical symptoms being power loss,
“We are out
of step with
the rest of
Europe, which
uses DERV
produced to
EN590”
120 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
intermittent idle, excessive smoking and
general ‘rough running’.
Here, in the UK and Ireland, we are out
of step with the rest of Europe, which
uses DERV produced to EN590 with a
minimum cetane number of 51 to power
its off-road vehicles: given the constraints
and expectations being placed on them,
global engine manufacturers are
reluctant to supply or calibrate engines
just for the UK and Ireland.
What Is Being Delivered As Red
Diesel?
Red diesel should be supplied according
to BS2869:A2 gas oil, but recent
evidence suggests that fuel distributors
or end-users rarely see a detailed
delivery note or a certificate of analysis
to this effect, and much is taken at face
value and on trust. The words ‘gas oil’ or
‘red diesel’ in themselves are generic
terms that mean nothing and everything
at the same time and, whilst it is not a
legal requirement to provide a
specification, without one the consumer
is blind to what he is receiving.
Much is also made of the supply of
‘FAME-free fuel’ (i.e. containing no
biodiesel). This is increasingly a tough
claim to make. As has been explained,
biodiesel can be included in both red
diesel and DERV and, indeed, all road
fuel should contain a minimum of 5%
renewable content by April 2013 under
the Road Transport Fuel Obligation. It
should be assumed, therefore, that
biodiesel is present already throughout
the UK’s diesel pool, at least by the
effects of co-mingling, unless your
supplier is prepared to put it in writing
that it is not. Note also that some parts
of Europe allow B20 fuel (20% biodiesel
content), and the more often that fuel is
moved around Europe and imported
into the UK (as is increasingly the case),
then the more likelihood of an increased
bio-content in the UK diesel supply.
Another common claim is that red diesel
is simply DERV with a red dye added,
and you are getting ‘premium fuel’ at red
diesel pricing. If you are lucky, this may
be the case but, again, it can’t be
assumed, and our recent evidence is that
the UK’s refineries continue to produce
two distinct products or are importing
increasing quantities of low grade diesel
for use as gas oil.
In summary, therefore, there is now huge
potential for variability in the off-road
bulk fuel, and fuel-quality related
problems continue to emerge on a
routine basis. In addition, it is difficult
for consumers to discover what is being
delivered. The Department for
Transport’s ‘Fuel Quality Directive Gas
Oil Requirements’ suggests that fuel
stocks are turned over at least every six