Low Sulpher Fuel

Wayco Wayne_2 · October 2006

about the new deisel fuel that only has 15% sulpher compared to the old fuel at 80%. Apparently existing vehicles are going to need to be updated to run on this fuel. Manufacturers are coming out with new deisel car and truck engines to work with the new fuel. When does this all happen? Does the heating fuel get this change too? Does it affect the way the burners works? WW

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Mike T., Swampeast MO · October 2006

Official transition to the ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel began Oct. 15th, 2006. Not sure when it will be fully implemented, but I'm going to presume fairly soon as all 2007 and later model diesel engines will be REQUIRED to use.

From everything I read, there's no problem using it in older diesel engines, they just won't have the greatly reduced emissions possible with the new. While not expressly stated, it was implied that the use of the old high-sulphur fuel and the new engines would cause problems with the emission control systems, rather like the leaded/unleaded gasoline issue.

I can't find anything about mandates for ultra-low sulfur home heating oil. Here's an interesting Article

Constantin · October 2006

Is this the transition from 500PPM to 15PPM?

I can tell you that I love using low-sulfur fuel. Virtually no residue in the boiler, no black soot, and no sulfur in particular. Makes cleaning a lot easier on the eyes and respiratory system.

The system worked fine without any modifications. According to the research at Brookhaven, the big benefit is the much lower soot output, which allows boilers to run better and to produce less smog.

If the home heating market holds any value to the oil industry, making the transition sooner than later and touting the benefits of clean combustion is one way to stop getting steamrollered by the gas companies.

Bob Gagnon plumbing and heating · October 2006

a couple of boiler reps

recently told me the reason they don't make oil fired mod-con boilers is because of the high sulpher oil here. Maybe the new oil will change that. Bob Gagnon

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Constantin · October 2006

Several reps from different manufacturers..

... have told me the same thing.

If the operation of my boiler relied on fuel being cleaner than lets say 500PPM suflur, I wouldn't release any in the US due to liability until the entire US supply of heating oil was verifiably below that number, perferably with a margin for error and well-past a phase-in date so that the bunkered fuel is also pretty sure to be clean.

The actual specs of heating oil matter little if there is no enforcement and a steady supply of off-spec oil looking for a home "for a good price". The last thing a company needs or wants is a black eye because the customer expects the appliance to do the impossible, i.e. run on garbage fuel.

Geminox/Monitor already has a lot of experience with the FCX, looks like Peerless' product has also hit the market. IIRC, neither of them need 'low-sulfur' fuel?

[Deleted User] · October 2006

\"Waiting for low sulfur fuel \" sounds

like an excuse for not bringing mod-con oil technology over here. The #2 product in the land of whizbangweknowitallanyway is still as sulfur laden, if not more so, than here in the good old U.S. of A.

I wouldn't look for 15 ppm product in your homes' tanks for quite a while. The logistics & paperwork w/ what is going on now is mind bending. Not to mention; what are we going to do w/ all the sulfur the refineries are scrubbing from crude? Maybe the EPA could find a place for it. I have an idea. They could use it to bury a rather large building close to the Freeway in downtown D. C. The 535 inhabitants are seldom there anyway.

S Ebels · October 2006

15PPM

15PPM is the new mandate for sulpher but I don't know if it applies to all fuel oils or just on road diesel. I checked with the local farmer's CO-OP that supplies nearly all the fuel oil here and they said their number 1&2 fuel are both presently at the 15PPM. They use to same oil as they do for diesel with the diesel having the green dye added for road use. Other than that, they order it blended the same way from Marathon. I have no idea what is going on in other parts of the country or even if other local distributors are doing the same.

David_39 · October 2006

I hope it comes to market soon

I fired up a radiant system yesterday that heats a 2500 Sq ft rambler - one level. It took 3-4 hours of burning to get the slabs warm and by the end of that time my yard smelled like a truck stop. I'm going to ask my oil guy about it next time I speak with him. I'd be willing to pay a small premium (5-10 cents a gallon) not to have that smell. (lot is in a small valley so even with the chimney working correctly the smog lingers)

Constantin · October 2006

Ah, but there is a difference...

... if a manufacturer specifies in the EU that you have to use low-sulfur fuel with their equipment and a user doesn't then the manufacturer has no liability. Such common sense does not apply in US law, hence the reluctance of many EU manufacturers to sell their wares in the US.

As for the sulfur mess, you hit it on the head. I read in the journal that there is a mountain of sulfur growing near a refinery in the NW or west coast Canada that is now large enough to be seen from Space with the naked eye. Problem is, shipping the stuff to the harbor is as expensive as the current price for sulfur... no one wants the stuff. And so the mountain keeps on growing.

I guess the question is how much we value our air quality. In the NE, the EPA has determined that the smog is largely due to large particulates emitted by trucks and other diesel-using devices... remove the sulfur and allegedly the soot goes down dramatically as well. That's certainly the conclusion that NORA-sponsored research came to.

Low Sulpher Fuel

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