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A common practice has been to blend kerosene or No. 1 diesel fuel with No. 2 diesel to make the cloud and pour points acceptable for cold weather application. But not everyone likes this approach. "There are still a number of people who blend with a No. 1 in the wintertime," says Fell. "It is so expensive, and you can get the same benefits from using a No. 2 with an additive."

One of the biggest problems in cold weather is water in the fuel. "Through the combustion process over the entire year, you are going to inherently build up water within your system. And that water will freeze," Fell notes. "Winter fuel on top of that doesn't take the water out. The first thing you need to do is treat everything with a dehydrator to get all of the water out of your system. Typically by October 15th, we try to start making sure we have the appropriate winter additives flowing through our machines to give them enough time to actually treat it."

Lubricity
Fuel systems need adequate lubricity to ensure life. Since the EPA mandated dramatic cuts in fuel sulfur content, the severity of hydro treating at the refinery to remove sulfur from blend stocks used to produce diesel fuel has resulted in removal of natural lubricant hydrocarbons. Thus, the fuel's lubricating capabilities have been reduced. Diesel fuel suppliers have now turned to other additives to meet lubricity requirements.

"Lubricity is a specification requirement contained in ASTM D-975, but it is not necessarily produced at the refinery to meet that specification," says Harvey. "Therefore, most fuel marketers are injecting an additive at the bulk storage terminal just prior to delivery to the end user to ensure the lubricity standard is met."

Pistulka notes that most product data sheets show the typical value for lubricity. "All fuel in the U.S. must meet a certain lubricity maximum of 520 microns in the ASTM D-6371 test, which is part of the D-975 diesel fuel specification," he adds. "Premium-type diesel fuels may further enhance the lubricity performance."