Gas to Liquids – Another Piece of the Puzzle

Gas to Liquids - Another Piece of the Puzzle

We have all seen pictures of oil wells both on land and platforms on the water where there is a constant flame burning off gases that contaminate the oil.

When you drill for oil you almost always get gas. If it is not considered cost effective to build a gas pipeline to transport the gas it is known as “Stranded Gas” and is flared off, wasting trillions of Btu’s of energy and releasing millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere with absolutely no benefit.

Also in refining operations, there are gases released that are also flared off.

In many landfills you will see a tower used to flare off Methane generated by the continuous breakdown of organic materials.

One potential improvement to the world’s fuel pool could be the updating of the process used by Germany during World War II to alleviate its constant oil shortages. It was originally designed to convert coal to liquid fuels, however variations are capable of converting gases such as Natural Gas, Methane, Refinery Gases, and others to liquid fuels such as diesel and gasoline.

The use of Gas to Liquid Fuel Technology can help stretch our fossil fuel supplies and reduce CO2 released into the atmosphere.

More information available at: www.lcbamarketing.com

Post your comments, thoughts, ideas, and suggestions here.

Doctor Diesel

Copyright 2009 – William Richards

Urea – More Things to Consider

Urea - More Things to Consider

I recently heard a new concern for those of you who will be storing and dispensing Urea for the 2010 diesel trucks. Urea is a very corrosive product that can quickly damage metal tanks, some types of seals, even dispensing nozzles.

Most fuel dispensing nozzles are made from nickel plated aluminum. When Urea is dispensed through such a nozzle, the nickel plating will react changing the Diesel Emission Fluid (DEF) to where it can cause damage to the SCR (Catalytic Converter) system.

The longer the Urea is in contact with the nozzle the more potentially damaging the fluid will become. What this means is that in high volume situations, the fluid will have limited contact with the nozzle and the likelihood of fluid being contaminated is significantly reduced. In lower volume situations where there may be extended periods of time between use, there is a higher likelihood of contaminating the fluid.

It may be desirable to go to a nozzle made of unplated metal or possibly even a composite material to prevent this contamination.

It is considered vital that a non-fuel nozzle be used to prevent the possibility of accidentally adding diesel to the DEF or DEF to the Diesel Fuel. Either mistake will likely cause rapid and catastrophic failure of the engine and or the SCR System.

In Europe a company called ElaFlex provides the defacto standard for AdBlue (Urea) nozzles that have a unique feature that prevents the AdBlue (Urea) from being added to the fuel tank.

ElaFlex has recently signed an agreement with OPW to provide these nozzles to the US and Canadian markets.

We will be providing a comprehensive list of suggestions on how to safely and cost effectively dispense Urea for your fleet operation.

Diesel Doctor

Copyright 2009 – William Richards

Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Alternative Fuels

Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Alternative Fuels

I recently had the privilege of speaking to members of the New York State Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) during their annual conference in Canandaigua NY.

The discussion was on Alternative Fuels and I spoke on the future of Alternative Fuels regarding how it will affect Public Works Fleets and Operations.

The attendees were very knowledgeable and very interested in the how the alternative fuels are likely to impact their operations.

The images shown are of General Motors Equinox Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle

This fuel cell vehicle operates on compressed hydrogen gas that when fueled with hydrogen derived from electrolysis powered by non-fossil fuels is a true zero emissions vehicle. It is truly amazing to drive this vehicle and even when following it you can actually see that the emissions are water vapor.

While we are a long way from having cost competitive hydrogen available at the local gas station, this is a practical, vehicle that can be driven without any special training and the only unusual consideration is in making sure you know where the next fuel station is located.

Monroe County (Rochester) NY is at the forefront of making alternative fuels into mainstream products. They have recently completed a new state of the art fueling center that provides gasoline, gasohol (E20 and E85), diesel (biodiesel blends from B5 through B20), CNG, and Hydrogen all in a modern, efficient, and safe Green Fueling Station.

Monroe County and its forward thinking team lead by County Executive Maggie Brooks who have not only acknowledged the future, but have embraced it. They have recognized that there is a lot Federal, State, and private money available to municipal governments that are willing to lead the way into a greener future.

They are benefiting from grants for infrastructure, equipment, and even free or low cost vehicles. They are able to take advantage of research initiatives by elite universities and world class manufacturers who are providing testing resources that would be virtually unobtainable outside of governmental involvement.
This proactive approach has benefited not only Monroe County, but will provide long term benefits to the private sector in the region surrounding their operations.

We strongly believe that this type of public leadership will directly translate into benefits for the taxpayers and residents both now and in the future.

I want to thank Dave Butters, John Graham (retired), and Bob Hamilton of Monroe County for providing me with the opportunity of speaking to this auspicious group.

Diesel Doctor

Copyright 2009 - William Richards

OPEC and the Price of Oil – March 15, 2009

OPEC and the Price of Oil – March 15, 2009

OPEC, at its meeting Sunday (March 15, 2009) in Vienna decided not to ask members to cut output any further. This decision will hold off any official changes until the next meeting in May.

As is normal for this group of market manipulators, they cannot agree on what to do or how to do it, so they create a press release that tries to convince the not too bright, that they are maintaining production levels to “help” with the worlds current economic problems.

Nothing could be further from reality or the truth. They did not cut production for a host of reasons, first and foremost is that many of their members are ignoring the previous reduction of 2.2 million barrels per day that supposedly took effect in December. Even by their numbers (which are far too generous) they are only getting 80% compliance from their members on those production limits.

Why you may ask are they unable to control production and force up prices? Well the biggest issue is that many of these OPEC Countries (Note: OPEC Countries theoretically control about 40% of the world’s oil) spend their petro-dollars as fast or even faster than they take them in. Venezuela needs oil to be about US$80.00 per barrel just to pay the bills.

Many of the Middle Eastern countries have gone on staggering spending sprees basically acting as socialist entities.

These countries temporarily import workers to do their dirty work, while their own citizens do less and less but keep getting ever growing government handouts to live on (this sounds vaguely like some western country I may have heard of).

They have spent hundreds of billions on infrastructure projects and other enticements to try and bring foreign businesses to their countries before the oil runs out (yes, it will run out).

However all of this has been based on cheap capital and the idea that oil would keep going up in price forever.

Well fast forward to today, There is more crude oil sitting in storage than at any time in history, the demand is off by more than 1 million barrels per day (Note: this is another manipulated number and the reality is that demand is off by two or even three times this number), the economy in the US and now the rest of the industrialized world is contracting and will likely do so for a year or more, before starting a slow, painful, and just plain ugly recovery, and it appears that there is at least a glimmer of hope that the world including the US will finally wake up and recognize that the way we have been using energy for the last 100 years is unsustainable and that we need to do things now, not is 20 years to fix the problems.

All of this leads me to some oversimplified conclusions on oil pricing over the next year or two. If there is reduced economic activity worldwide there will be less demand for oil. The oil inventories will likely continue to grow as OPEC and Russia will need to pump more and more to make up for the lower per barrel prices.

Right now there is a concerted effort to hold and try to push crude prices up. However to keep oil in storage costs a lot of money every day. At some point traders and speculators will decide that they cannot afford to pay $100,000.00 a day to park crude in a tanker because the price is not going up enough make it profitable. When this happens, we could see oil flood the markets at levels not seen since the 1970’s. This will then further exacerbate the problems of the oil producing countries who will try to pump even more.

Short of a war (not out of the question) or a cataclysmic natural disaster, it is hard to see crude oil going up significantly anytime soon.

Refiners and some marketers are likely to benefit as crude prices decline and more finished product becomes available. In some areas where there is tightly controlled distribution there may months or even years of high profitability due to reduction in cost followed more slowly by reduction in retail prices.

I have regrettably spent my life creating a carbon footprint of embarrassing proportions. I am now working on reducing not only my negative impact on the world, but on creating new and better ways for everyone to do the same without destroying their livelihoods or lifestyles.

Please join us in our efforts.

To read this and other articles on fuels, alternative fuels, oils, lubricants, and coolants, please go to: http://www.lcbamarketing.com/ and click on technical articles.

Please post your comments, thoughts, ideas, and suggestions here.

Diesel Doctor

Copyright 2009© - William Richards

US EIA – Information on Gas and Diesel Pricing from the US EIA

US EIA – Energy Information Administration

The US Energy Information Administration provides daily information on regional, national, and worldwide inventories, pricing, and availability. You can view this information at: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp

You can also view a copy of this webpage and other related information at: http://http://www.lcbamarketing.com/

We will be exploring what goes into the price of fuel at the pump over the next several weeks.

Check back every day.

Please post your comments, suggestions, and ideas here.

Diesel Doctor

Copyright 2009© - William Richards

Natural Gas as a Transportation Fuel – A Cautionary Note

Natural Gas as a Transportation Fuel – A Cautionary Note

Natural Gas is currently being promoted as a domestic clean, safe, and cheaper alternative to petroleum fuels.


Some thoughts for your consideration.


Natural Gas as domestic source of energy. The US currently imports approximately 16% of its natural gas. Some comes to us by pipeline and some in the form of LNG via ship. Increasing the use of natural gas to replace petroleum fuels simply shifts our imports from one product to another.


Currently the US uses approximately 22% of our natural gas to create electricity. This is a poor use of a valuable resource for a need that has many other fuel sources available. If this was replaced by wind, solar, nuclear, and a future renewable bio-source (see previous article: The Richards Cycle) you could eliminate our imports.


Natural Gas as a clean motor fuel. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) both reduce certain emissions however they are not as clean as some would have us believe. If you look the whole basket of emissions that come out of the exhaust on an internal combustion engine, a 2010 Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Diesel engine actually is less polluting than an equivalent CNG or LNG engine.


While I believe you can safely use CNG and LNG, it requires more training and much greater diligence on the part of drivers and operators vehicles and fueling stations. It is important to remember that it can take far longer to fuel LNG and particularly CNG fueled equipment. This long fueling cycle can lead to lack of attention and added expense in fueling equipment.


Natural Gas as cheaper alternative. Many people incorrectly try to compare a gallon of diesel to a gallon of LNG or a gallon of CNG. While the price per gallon of the LNG and CNG may appear to be cheaper, you need to consider the energy in the gallon. For example a gallon of diesel contains approximately 139,000 Btu’s of energy, while a gallon of LNG contains about 73,500 Btu’s, and CNG works to about 34,750. In short it takes about 4 times the space to store an equivalent amount of CNG as compared to diesel.


The other concerns with vehicles powered by CNG or LNG are that they are far more expensive to purchase, for example a school bus built to run on CNG can be $30,000.00 to $40,000.00 more than its diesel counterpart.



Also when you purchase a vehicle powered by CNG or LNG you locked into one supplier for all fuel system and some engine components for ever. There is virtually no secondary supplier compatibility. You limit the range and usefulness of the vehicle due to limited ability to refuel that vehicle away from its domicile. Lastly, you have to be concerned about the value of those vehicles when it comes time to trade or sell them. In many cases this limited resale market can make a used vehicle worthless.


There is an important and growing place for alternative fuel vehicles and equipment. It takes visionary leaders with long term commitment and very deep pockets to make a change to this type of equipment successful.

You can get more information on this and other fuel related subjects at: http://www.lcbamarketing.com and click on Fuel School Articles.

Please comment here and share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.


Diesel Doctor



Copyright 2009© - William Richards

Cetane Number – What it is and Why it’s so Important

Cetane Number – What it is and Why it’s so Important

Cooperative Fuel Research Engine (CFR)

Cetane is a measurement of a diesel fuel ignition and or combustion quality. This Cetane Number or CN is one of several components that determine the quality of diesel and biodiesel fuels. This number is used for light and middle distillate fuels. For heavy (residual) fuels Calculated Ignition Index (CII) and Calculated Carbon Aromaticity Index (CCAI) are used.

In some ways this measurement is similar to the Octane Ratings given to gasoline. In its simplest terms Cetane Number measures the delay between the start of fuel injection into the combustion chamber and the beginning of compression ignition (Auto-ignition).

In medium and high speed diesel engines (this all automotive and truck engines) fuel needs to have a CN between 38 and 55 to operate. In general the higher the CN number, the better for the engine and for emissions. However raising CN above 55 currently offers little if any benefit.

In the US the group setting the standards for CN is the American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) and currently the minimum is 40. While diesel engines will start and run with 40 CN fuel, they do not run as efficiently as they will at a higher number.

In Europe the European Union (EU) has systematically over several years raised the minimum from 38 to the current 51. This has allowed engine manufacturers to produce more efficient engines with lower emissions and better economy. Most fuel in the EU has a CN of 55 or even better.

Cetane Number is measured using a very expensive and arcane Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine and a process that very complex.

You can also measure CN using an Ignition Quality Tester (IQT) which is somewhat less complex, but still quite costly.

There is a third measurement called Cetane Index (CI) that measures density and distillation range of the fuel and through a calculation provides a measurement. This method will calculate a reasonably accurate number for the refined diesel.

The problem is that today most diesel fuel uses additives to reach the desired Cetane Number and additives do not affect the density, thus the CI of a fuel containing additives is not accurate.

Some of you may have seen a device that looks like a battery fluid tester (a hydrometer). These devices are not capable of determining CN or CI with any accuracy.

You can raise CN by altering the refining process or through the use of Alkyl nitrates or di-tert-butyl peroxide additives. NOTE: Remember that additives do not raise CI.

Also, biodiesel, depending on the base oil from which it is derived has a natural Cetane Rating of 46 to as high as 60.

With the advent of Pilot or Multiple Pulse fuel injection, Cetane Number becomes more important than ever. The delay in auto-ignition (CN) affects the combustion timing, which has a significant effect on power output, fuel economy, and emissions.

Raising Cetane Number together with Improving Fuel Atomization is the fastest way to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions through the use of correctly formulated additives.

Please post your comments, ideas, and suggestions

More information at: http://www.lcbamarketing.com/ - Click on Fuel School Articles.

Diesel Doctor

Copyright 2009© - William Richards

Coolant Problems in 2007 and Newer Diesel Engines

Coolant Problems in 2007 and Newer Diesel Engines

The 2007 and newer medium and heavy duty engines with the new emissions devices are creating new and potentially serious problems for cooling systems in general and coolants in particular.

With cooling loads increased by as much as 30% over the previous engines we are seeing issues that must be understood and addressed by users.

As trucks have become more aerodynamic the underhood area has been reduced and airflows restricted. At the same time we have larger displacement engines often with higher horsepower density, plus EGR systems recirculating greater volumes of very hot air together with other heat producing, exhaust restricting Emissions devices.

We have seen trucks with fiberglass hoods that have warped or melted from this tremendous heat load.

All of this places more heat into the coolant, and not only more heat, but higher average temperatures.

Many of today’s coolants are excellent products, however they need more monitoring and more maintenance than ever before.

In the past many fleet experts and OEM’s would recommend an annual check of the coolant. Today these high loads can use up the additive package found in coolants in weeks rather than months. We have seen instances where coolant is properly checked and found to be in good condition, yet in less than a month it can be worthless.

We have seen coolant actually turn black, not from contamination, but simply from continuous high heat loads. Silicate drop out and gelling is more prevalent than ever before.

When this coolant begins to deteriorate the cooling system can be damaged very quickly. We are seeing radiators and heater cores that the solder has been eaten away by the coolant. We are seeing far more liner and even block cavitation problems than ever before.

As a result we have some suggestion and recommendations to try and protect your engines and cooling systems.

Check coolant with fresh Test Strips or Refractometer at every oil change or quarterly, whichever comes first. (Note: Old test strips can give inaccurate readings)

Use only fully formulated coolants from reputable sources for top-offs, and replacement. There is now a huge problem where some suppliers are purchasing used ethylene glycol from manufacturers that had used it in the manufacture of made-made fabrics. They then try to filter out the contaminants and then they use substandard additive packages to make what they claim is new antifreeze from virgin product. This is usually a poor to very poor quality product. It will look OK and a level 1 or 2 test might not show a problem. However a level 3 or 4 test done by a reputable lab will show real and potentially damaging problems.

Never top-off with just water. Coolant works best at a 50%-50% to 50%-70% mix. If it gets out of spec, it will not work properly, and can actually cause expensive damage.

In our opinion all diesel engines in medium and heavy duty applications should have coolant filters.

If you decide that have buy concentrate and mix it yourself, get a mixing system and install either a de-ionizing system for the water or use distilled water. Contaminants in some tap water can render the coolant useless. (See item 2)

You should use only the coolant recommended by the OEM. Do not mix colors especially OA (orange) and OAC (red) with anything.

If you have a failure where oil gets in the cooling system or where you have silicate drop-out or silicate gelling, you need to flush the system with an acid type cleaner and neutralizing agent. If you don’t spend the time to do this procedure, you will have continuing cooling system problems.

Use SCA additive as required to bring the coolant back to the OEM specification.

If you have a problem where you need to make the same repair over and over, get some help. Many of the old rules don’t apply anymore.

The 2010 engines are likely to be even hotter, get ready.