Diesel Genset Fuels

That's kind of strange. When we ran out of #2 home heating oil last winter on a weekend, I used diesel fuel to fire up the boiler. It ran fine. The fuel oil distributor wanted an extra $250 for a weekend emergency delivery. I said screw that! In fact, they even made the recommendation of buying and using diesel fuel in a pinch.

Just to be on the safe side, I'd contact the Tech Reps at the diesel engine manufacturer to see if #2 home heating fuel will work in your engine. BTW, diesel fuel and #2 home heating fuel are located very close to one another in the refractory column at the plant. Kerosene is close too.

Just saying....try a Google search "using heating fuel in diesel engine(s)".

http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2w0018

www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/archive/2-heating-oil-vs-2-diesel-fuel-t30756.html

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=50578.0

Good answer. Even though these fruels have a few similar characteristics, they are not the same. Diesel fuel is refined to higher standards than No 2 Fuel oil.

Thank you!! I understand this much more than my dealer that says really the only difference is the color of the fuel and the tax applied to each color.

My Kubota seems very happy with Diesel, my current home furnace likes #2 just fine.

New home will be 100% electric, hydronic radiant floor for heat with electric boilers, 75% solar.

My diesel generator like diesel as well.

I have been told so many different things, I appreciate your answers to all the issues I had for the past few years.

Dear Mr.Jimh77,

Your dealer is misguiding you.

DHAYANANDHAN.S

GA

That's not a good answer its a GREAT answer. As far as I can tell you hit all the right buttons! Well done.

I wonder sometimes how people can forget the difference between burning something in a boiler - very, very low tech (relatively) and burning it in an engine - very high tech.

Also, in most countries at least, the price difference will be a further indicator of major differences......if it was a simple as some think, then everyone would be burning it in there engines! I wonder why they don't??????......

As an aside, in my time in the RN (63 to 73) on steam ships, we first burnt FFO (Furnace Fuel Oil), but the Navy found that switching the boilers to Diesel saved a lot of money on maintenance and cleaning, the higher price of diesel was easily offset for the RN at least.....whether its applicable in other situations would need to be tested....

The dangerous buildup of clinker in the RN high pressure steam boilers with FFO burning was averted with the diesel!!! Next to no clinker at all.....far cleaner burning with far less nasty things in the exhaust gas....

Dear Mr. Andy Germany,

Thank you for your comment as

"That's not a good answer its a GREAT answer. As far as I can tell, you hit all the right buttons! Well done."

DHAYANANDHAN.S

My friend, you beat all the rest of us, you should be complimented!!!

Have a great day.

It's going to largely depend on the engine and injection system.

Diesel engines are the least but fussy about fuel provided its viscosity is in the range that the injection pump and injectors can work with.

I have a small single cylinder Petter AC1 diesel that I can run on straight used engine oil being I drilled out the pump passages to handle the thicker oil.

I have also done a fair amount of experimenting with my diesel tractors as well. TO get a thicker oil to work in most any all mechanical injection system the simplest trick is to dilute it with up to 20 - 30% E85 fuel. My old machines have no trouble running normally on a 80% used oil 20% E85 blend in normal summer time tempuratures.

The odds are your diesel gen set would probably run just fine a blend of diesel and furnace oil or a blend of furnace oil and E85.

Give it try and see what you come up with! I would start out with a small tank like a half gallon or so that is independent of the main tank and start with regular diesel fuel in it and keep adding your fuel oil to it a bit at a time and see if the engine has any problems handling a good load as the fuel mix changes.

You may get lucky and have engine and pump system that doesn't mind the furnace oil one bit or it may simply just need the fuel and engine warmed up first to run best on it!

At worse you end up having to flush the system out and re prime the injectors but that not a big deal most of the time. What you may learn from the experiment could end up saving you a load of money on fuel costs in return.

A lot depends on the age of the diesel as the newer ones after 2000 were tuned finer. My buddies use vegetable oil from restaurants filtered and de watered just fine. Old timers will tell you to use #2 furnace and cut it with some kerosene about 10%. I have talked to truckers that have used #2 with kerosene and added diesel fuel conditioner to keep things flowing and clean. Sooooo if newer diesels will run on prepared vegetable oil then your diesel should run on #2 fuel oil with some additives to prevent clogging and lubricate the injectors. I feel that this #2 should be a temporary solution until more data is collected.

My father was a diesel designer and told me that diesel engines could be (and sometimes were) designed to burn almost anything, coal being the most interesting to me. Adjusting the particle size to a very fine grind to not clog the injectors and using a carrier fluid with a suitable viscosity when mixed with the coal dust were the most important concerns, along with air ratio. The described ad hoc mixtures described above all sound doable. The biggest problems are the legal issues and the maintenance required.Motor vehicles require taxes for road use, and more frequent and careful attention to "dirt" buildup is needed with unusual fuels. I use additives for my heating oil just to improve oil burner performance for heat anyway.

.

I never touched on the road tax part since it was a gen set.. Of course it is a major no no to use non taxed fuel on the highway especially if it is identified with color. I wonder what the used vegetable oil guys are doing to avoid the wrath of the law? Diesels have been designed for coal dust, bunker crude, all forms of vegetable oils, that is one of the attractions to a diesel. Flex fuel to take a phrase from the auto propaganda.

Hi Again Guys,
Thanks for your replies.

I think I'll just run my genset on diesel

I take the warning from DHAYANANDHAN quite seriously.
I certainly have no desire to damage my genset.

DHAYANANDHAN thanks for your info.
TTYL Jens

Dear Mr.Jens,

Thank you for your acknowledgement for my Suggestions/Views and you have referred

"I think I'll just run my genset on diesel

I take the warning from DHAYANANDHAN quite seriously.
I certainly have no desire to damage my genset.

DHAYANANDHAN thanks for your info."

CERTAINLY I do not intend to warn anybody. I think instead of referring as "ADVISE FROM DHAYANANDHAN QUITE SERIOUSLY" you should have mentioned " I take the Advise from DHAYANANDHAN and safe guard my Genset."

Indeed, this topic evinced a good response, from CR4 MEMBERS.

I have shared/expressed what I learnt in course of time, as KNOWLEDGE is to be PROBAGATED ENDLESSLY and WITH OUT ANY BOUNDARY.

Thanks,

DHAYANANDHAN.S