Heating oil without biodiesel

random12345

Has anyone here been able to find straight heating oil with zero biodiesel (B0) or is everything at least B5? Been calling around, and so far seems like there's no choice. I know the fuel works fine, but would very much like to stop burning food...I'm in the Boston area.

Jamie Hall

Good luck. The Powers the Be have decided that burning food is just fine and you must do it, at least until they decide you can't burn anything at all.

random12345

I have a Beckett AFG burner. According to them, it can burn a number of other fuels: https://beckettcorp.com/support/tech-bulletins/alternative-fuels-and-beckett-burners/ If I were to use ULS Diesel, Kerosene, Gas turbine oil (? no idea what that is), or Jet fuel it could handle it. Would the burner settings have to be adjusted and would I need to do a combustion test if I did? In all honesty I probably won't go this far, but I'd like to explore all the alternatives nonetheless.

Steamhead

How old is the burner?

Jamie Hall

random12345 said:

I have a Beckett AFG burner. According to them, it can burn a number of other fuels: https://beckettcorp.com/support/tech-bulletins/alternative-fuels-and-beckett-burners/ If I were to use ULS Diesel, Kerosene, Gas turbine oil (? no idea what that is), or Jet fuel it could handle it. Would the burner settings have to be adjusted and would I need to do a combustion test if I did? In all honesty I probably won't go this far, but I'd like to explore all the alternatives nonetheless.

Your burner should be able to burn pretty much any fuel -- as the Beckett manual has suggested -- with a similar viscosity and BTU content. And jet fuel -- JP4 -- is one such. However, be aware that not all jet fuel is JP4. Nor, for that matter, is all gas turbine fuel JP4 or equivalent. Some is higher boiling point fuel with greater viscosity and different BTU content. Similarly, straight kerosene or #1 diesel with its lower viscosity is significantly different.

If you stay in the #2 diesel range, you can shuffle things around without much trouble. Getting out of that range and yes, you will have to change some settings and do a combustion test if you wat to use the fuel for more than emergency use. If it works at all...

STEVEusaPA

Does Boston mandate B5? If you're allowed to use just dyed ULSD and they are putting in an additive for lubricity, won't be a problem. I've been using ULSD exclusively since it came to the Philly metro area, as well as 2%, 3% & 5% bio.

random12345

Steamhead said:

How old is the burner?

It's a brand new megasteam.

random12345

STEVEusaPA said:

Does Boston mandate B5? If you're allowed to use just dyed ULSD and they are putting in an additive for lubricity, won't be a problem. I've been using ULSD exclusively since it came to the Philly metro area, as well as 2%, 3% & 5% bio.

Ok good to know. I think the federal renewable fuel standard extends to highway ULSD doesn't it? But maybe not off-road ULSD. No mandate in Massachusetts fortunately though.

STEVEusaPA

ULSD off-road, and ULSD heating oil are the exact same product, but they tend to charge more for off-road. The explanation is baffling. So hopefully you can get ULSD heating oil.
Companies may simply not sell it because they only have a few trucks and it's easier to just buy one product for all.

Steamhead

random12345 said:

Steamhead said:

How old is the burner?

It's a brand new megasteam.

Then the burner should be able to handle up to B5. See:

https://www.beckettcorp.com/support/tech-bulletins/alternative-fuels-and-beckett-burners/

For higher concentrations, see:

https://www.beckettcorp.com/support/tech-bulletins/alternative-fuels-and-beckett-burners/

Note that higher bio blends had not been UL approved when that bulletin was written, and therefore cannot be sold for heating use in states that require UL approval.

random12345

Yes thank you. My goal is not to burn biodiesel at all. The burner is approved for bio up to B20.

However, several oil companies in my area have started supplying much higher concentrations, like up to B50. The incentives in Mass. for doing so are very lucrative apparently. I also came across a study online that suggested blending percentages can be inaccurate, so even if it says B20 it could be less or more.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es071814j

In any case, I'm trying to find B0. Just straight heating oil.

@Steamhead Have you done any gas conversions on the megasteam btw? Not planning on doing it anytime soon, but have heard reports of it being done successfully on here.

Steamhead

I haven't, but I'm told MegaSteams run great with the Carlin EZ-Gas burner.

Burnham gets a hissy fit when we mention running gas burners in MegaSteams. We've been asking them whether there is any technical or safety reason for this since these boilers were introduced, and have yet to get a straight answer.

Robert O'Brien

ASTM 396 allows up to 5% Bio, you won't find any less than that.