fuel

[luvrbus]

I hold 207 gals of fuel I really don't worry about running out of fuel so I can pick and choose averaging 7.5 mpg.
I always fill at night or early the next day when I shut down for over night anyways just a practice I done for years   

[lostagain]

Driving for Swift, we fueled at any truck stop that takes Comdata card. That is a lot of Flying Js and Loves. Some are pretty rough, but really never had a bad experience. You just fuel up, clean your windows, and go. Sleeping in them can be a challenge. In the smaller ones, you can't park far away enough to get away from the noise of idling trucks and APUs. In Montana, Town Pumps are nicer, with good and clean drivers lounges with clean showers. The nicest truck stop I saw is just West of Spokane WA on I90. A Petro. Large paved lot, handicapped parking for handicapped truckers!, and reserved parking stalls near the building if you call ahead and pay extra. I just fueled up there, it wasn't late enough to spend the night...

Having used truck stops both with a truck and an RV, most truck stops have limited parking and by late afternoon it is hard to find a spot to back into for the night. So driving a truck, seeing RVs using rare parking stalls can be frustrating. When travelling with the bus, I am careful to park at the back of the lot to stay away from the working truckers. Most of them are quite polite though and don't say anything. Even though you might spend as much money at the pump and in the building as any trucker, the RVer is still look at as being on holidays, rather than working for a living.

Back to the quality of fuel. It maybe varies more in the US than in Canada where it is quire consistent, as long as you buy from high volume branded stations.

JC

[Iceni John]

I always fill at night or early the next day when I shut down for over night anyways just a practice I done for years   

Is that because the fuel is colder and denser, so you can fill more BTUs into your tank?

John

[TomC]

Because of the smog devices in trucks since 2007, all Diesel is 15ppm (parts per million). I doubt there is much difference between fuels anymore. Thankfully the refiners have gotten the refining of the 15ppm to the point where Diesel is back to where it should be-around $2.50/gal.

Off road Diesel now is also 15ppm but died red since it doesn't have road tax. Marine Diesel is died purple, but maybe either older 500ppm or higher sulphur. That's why most marine engines still run well. Good Luck, TomC

[kyle4501]

Sulphur has never been good inside any engine - it is abrasive.
Running sulphur thru an engine also makes the air harder to breathe. 

The problem is that the process to remove sulphur also removes the aromatic hydrocarbons that provided the lubrication. They have now figured out the additives required to put the necessary lubrication back in. 

BTW
Diesel is less than $2.00 / gal in Greenville, SC today with some under $1.80 / gal.
Gonna enjoy it as long as it lasts !     

[eagle19952]

Is that because the fuel is colder and denser, so you can fill more BTUs into your tank?

John

Pumps/meters are density/temperature compensated...or they should be.

[Iceni John]

Pumps/meters are density/temperature compensated...or they should be.

I think (but maybe I'm wrong!) that my local Costco has a sign on its gasoline pumps saying that fuel is dispensed by volume only.   I'll have to check that next time I'm there.   Mind you, if the fuel is coming from underground tanks there's probably not much difference in its temperature between day and night, or even between summer and winter.   I'm always surprised how much diesel expands when it's warm  -  one time I filled my tank completely full, then the next hot day some of the fuel leaked out of the tank's vent and onto the ground, making the yard's owner less than happy!

John

[eagle19952]

I think (but maybe I'm wrong!) that my local Costco has a sign on its gasoline pumps saying that fuel is dispensed by volume only.   I'll have to check that next time I'm there.   Mind you, if the fuel is coming from underground tanks there's probably not much difference in its temperature between day and night, or even between summer and winter.   I'm always surprised how much diesel expands when it's warm  -  one time I filled my tank completely full, then the next hot day some of the fuel leaked out of the tank's vent and onto the ground, making the yard's owner less than happy!

John

Dispensing fuel to aircraft...the density becomes critical, hence temp comp. weight and balance.

Infact we made money de-fueling certain aircraft because static wing loads would deform the structure on some aircraft.. Load masters calculate more than cargo.

Imagine the difference if you bought 100,000 gallons a week.

[Oonrahnjay]

...   Thankfully the refiners have gotten the refining of the 15ppm to the point where Diesel is back to where it should be-around $2.50/gal. 

    Unfortunately, no.  When the US/N America had 500 ppm fuel, it could not be sold in Europe because they already required 15 ppm fuel.  Since EPA required 15 ppm (ULSD), the
"new" American fuel can be sold in Europe, so they do.  Since it's so highly taxed in the Sozialist Workers' Republiks over there, the companies conspire to run higher profits.  So, they pump oil out of the ground near your house but you can buy the diesel because they're sending it to Europe (and India and China) because they can make more profit on it.

[jackhanow]

I believe sulfur is an additive to diesel. Since fuel is produced through fractional distillation, it would be impossible to have even 15 ppm without adding it. Without sulfur, diesel is just heating oil, which is a solvent. The charred sulfur is actually a lubricant kinda like graphite. Its under 10 microns and at that size it is more polishing compound than abrasive. The sulfur was added to the solvent to keep the rings from chaffing. Now they haven't found a suitable replacement as of yet. It also has the quality of binding the molecules so they dont squeeze by the injection pistons so easily and aiding better injection pressures. Kinda like when they added lead to gas, more power and more health issues.

[jackhanow]

cetane is also important. All states have their own fuel standards.