One for the chemists... Acetic Acid & diesel

[Iliade]

Just a thought, would (glacial) acetic acid be able to cause a certain amount of water to dissolve into the fuel, so as to remove the fuel-water boundaries that fuel bug seem to love? If so, would the acidic properties also help to inhibit the bug while being weak enough not to dissolve the fuel system?

 

[RivalRedwing]

gut instinct is that this is an unwise proposal, plus the boat would likely start smelling like a Sarsons Vinegar factory pdq....

 

[Refueler]

Just a thought, would (glacial) acetic acid be able to cause a certain amount of water to dissolve into the fuel, so as to remove the fuel-water boundaries that fuel bug seem to love? If so, would the acidic properties also help to inhibit the bug while being weak enough not to dissolve the fuel system?

I do hope this is a joke ?? Surely you are not serious ?

 

[B27]

If you run the diesel on chip fat, the smell might go nicely with the vinegar?

 

[Iliade]

I do hope this is a joke ?? Surely you are not serious ?

Solvent properties[edit]​

Liquid acetic acid <snip>dissolves not only polar compounds such as inorganic salts and sugars, but also non-polar compounds such as oils as well as polar solutes. It is miscible with polar and non-polar solvents such as water, chloroform, and hexane. With higher alkanes (starting with octane), acetic acid is not miscible at all compositions, and solubility of acetic acid in alkanes declines with longer n-alkanes.[28] The solvent and miscibility properties of acetic acid make it a useful industrial chemical, for example, as a solvent in the production of dimethyl terephthalate.[8]

 

[Refueler]

Go Ahead ... don't let me stop you !!

 

[penberth3]

Go Ahead ... don't let me stop you !!

You were right the first time, it's a joke!

 

[Birdseye]

Easy enough to have an experiment with a beaker of diesel, some coloured water and some acetic acid. Personally I would use one of the normal diesel treatments which are formulated to emulsify some of the water in the diesel tank