Heating Oil

[davedpc]

Ive got access to 500 gals. of heating oil, can it be used to run the boat engines? If so are there any problems? Dave.

 

[smurfer]

Very different burn rates and derived via different technologies when refining crude oil, although similar in other characteristics I wouldn’t risk it, when I was on the farms in Devon as a kid heating oil was occasionally used in tractors but tended to cause problems.

 

[hlb]

Depends on the type of heating oil, it may well be diesel. They measure types of oil in seconds or sumate, check if it's the same or ring whoever supplied it.

 

[cieranc]

I agree it depends on what type of oil. I ran a 1998 VW TDi from new on kerosine (courtesy of the RAF) for four years, with regular filter changes, no problems at all. And the car still runs on avtur for its current owner. And several of my colleauges also run new cars on kerosine, home-made diesel and heating oil for many years, again with no problems. If anything, I imagine the lift pump would be most at risk, as this relies on the diesel to lubricate it. This would only be a problem for fuels thinner than diesel though. Heating oil will probably be more viscous. If so, problems with fuel flow may occur in extremely cold weather, but a pre-heater will solve this. Am I rambling??? So, too much thinner than derv and the lift pump will suffer, too much thicker and it won't pump as easily, probably confuse the lambda sensor and make the ECU dizzy. Yes, I'm rambling......

 

[hlb]

Ah but if you use kerosine you need to add hydraulic oil, not sure how much though, then it's just like diesel and can hardly be identified from white.

 

[smurfer]

In the distillation processing (boiling off) of crude oil, there are four broad product fractions or categories generated: refinery gas (primarily methane, ethane and hydrogen), liquefied petroleum gas,(primarily propane and butane), gasoline, and distillate fuels. Each of these fuel categories boils at higher temperature ranges, until the oil will not boil without thermally decomposing. The nonboiling fraction is called residuum or residual oil.

Distillate fuels are further subdivided into several categories for specific uses. The "lightest or lowest temperature boiling fraction (all distillate fuels broadly overlap in boiling range) is called kerosene, and is used for commercial jet turbine engines fuels, for small heaters and for wick-fed illuminating lamps. The next fraction, used during cold weather conditions for automotive or truck fuels in "compression ignition" engines, is called "diesel" fuel.

The next higher boiling fraction is used for residential heating furnaces, called "home heating oil." This same boiling range oil is also used in warmer conditions as diesel fuel for larger land-based, off-road engines, such as trucks, earth moving and material lifting and moving equipment, farm equipment and railroad diesel locomotives.

So if your boat engines are able to cope with the heavier grade you might be ok, then again if as I suspect they are designed for the lighter diesel fuel you won’t be, the problem with heating oil is that in terms of comparison with diesel it is generic so you don’t actually know for sure what you are putting in your tanks, you could be putting in neat kerosene.

I think given the obvious dangers if you were to experiment and fail I suggest you don’t risk it.

Good question though as it got me wondering about this again and as I did years ago I thought I would look into the matter further (I have oil fired heating!)

Regards

 

[cieranc]

We considered adding hyd oil to kerosine Haydn, to get a "perfect match", but as modern cars are fitted with catylitic converters, and knowing the horrible aromas burning hydraulic oil produces, we didn't risk it. May be worth adding for a marine engine though, perhaps using a simple drop tester could compare the mix to diesel, if the specific gravities are the same it should be somewhere near. Again though, I would be inclined to add engine oil as there are far more additives in hydraulic oil.

 

[hlb]

Hmm. Only going off what little I know of a firm running a whole bunch of trucks orft the stuff!!

 

[cieranc]

Ah, different matter in truck engines, no delicate electronics, egr's, cats or other things to break. Most modern truck engines have an ecu, but they are a lot more forgiving on what they run. As long as they put diesel; in the tanks for MOT, to keep the emissions right. Can't see it meeting euro3 standards burning hydraulic oil!! A bit naughty running a fleet on duty-free though, thats prison material! What engine do you run Dave?

 

[BobE]

Red diesel is, as I remember 36 second Redwood, and parrafin or TVO is 28 second redwood.
This means it takes that time for a measured qty to fall through a specific orifice..

Parrafin is used in, for example wall flame boilers and oil fired Agas. also some small pressure jet boilers..
The 36 second oil is used in the larger boilers renerally pressure jets.

I personally have an arangement with my 28 second oil supplier ( For Aga and small pressure jet boiler) wherein I collect a couple of times a year the 36 second stuff in jerrycans in the back of the old Volvo and get charged at the bulk rate...
No problems sofar in 5 years.
Saves a lot but of course I don't use much at about 2 litres an hour...
Oh and I've heard that Eberspracher recommend we use Road diesel with all it's supposed additives in their kit..
But I'm not fitting an extra tank /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just for WIW

Cheers Bob E...

 

[davedpc]

4.2 turbo deisels with pre heat. No ecu or cats. Think I may try a drop in one tank when nearly empty. Got to get one up on the theiving barstewards if they up the red. Thanks. for all the replies. Dave.

 

[hlb]

Think a modern truck engine is at least as sufisticated as boat engine, more probably exactly the same.