contaminated diesel - ideas and solutions please?

[tim]

Thought I'd start a new thread to draw attention to the previous one. I now have 25 litres of diesel here, contaminated with something. If it's water I can't see it. But can it emulsify with the fuel so as to be invisible, and if so can it be filtered out? If anyone out there can manage to analyse fuel I'll happily send you a sample! If it's not water what could it be?
I have just heard that the garage in question has been fingered by the local repair workshop but I don't have details as to why, some engine damage caused by fuel apparently. And word is getting around... moral to traders, don't shit on your own doorstep!
I'm not sure how water and diesel mix. I do know that some years back I filled up my Triumph motorcycle at Ludlow and got about a litre of water along with the fuel. The bike ran fine but threw out clouds of white steam from the silencers and water was actually dripping from the exhaust pipe joints. Big globules of water were clearly visible in the float bowls, no emulsification there.

[citsncycles]

I'm happy to be corrected, but as far as I know diesel, being oil based, wouldn't mix with water, so if it is contaminated it's probably by either another oil based product or some chemical that mixes with oil.

Chemistry isn't my field, but a possibility that popped into my head is that it could have a lower grade product, such as paraffin or lamp oil in it which would struggle to run in a cold engine. Some older engines will cope with being given different oils to run on, but many modern motors can't handle them, which may be why the local repair shop is onto them - I doubt an HDi engine would like paraffin.

[kiwi]

Burn it or use it as weed killer on that annoying neighbours trees. Thats the only thing contamintated diesel is good for short of pooring it into a bigger tank to dilute.

A backyard mech is not going to be able to seperate the contaminates from fuel unless of course your local chemistry students at the school want to have a go

Basically contaminated fuel when found in a fuel tank ( service station) if serious emough is pumped out back into the tanker then dumped back in a big storage tank and diluted further, depending on the quantity. Not very often does fuel go back to the refinerys to be decontaminated by refining process.

If that local service station is getting water in its diesel then the local council will be interested. The UK takes that stuff seriously and I know this through many years working on the fuel distribution side of things. I doubt stuff has changed since left in fact propbably got stricter.

[Mothman]

Maybe worth a call to ESCC then Tim and point them to the local garage who is concerned.

Andy

[electrokid]

The answer is alcohol

Both oils and aqueous solutions dissolve in alcohol. There's a product called "Dry fuel" IIRC - any motor factors - it's mainly isopropyl alcohol (IPA).

So you don't need to remove water from fuel - just get it into a condition where it will pass through your fuel system without damaging it - IE:- dissolve it in alcohol. If there is a large amount of water in the fuel you might need more than one tin.

[Way2go]

Umm...................doesn't adding alcohol raise the octane rating of a fuel which is the wrong way to go for diesel fuels? I seem to remember that using cetane improvers which lowers octane rating gives better performance in diesels. Don't know though if cetane products would help your situation.

[MULLEY]

Petrol in diesel lowers the cetane rating & guess what cetane additives do The higher the cetane, the better supposed performance it gives to a diesel, i've tried them & not noticed a jot of difference tbh.

[Vantman]

Water is heavier than diesel and will drop to the bottom of the container,along with the sediment if you let it stand a few days. It would be advisable to then draw the diesel from the top.
Brian.

[tim]

suppose it was petrol - say they used a different tank to store diesel or something. What happens if there's some petrol in the diesel?

[tim]

just did some idle Googling and rapidly came up with a forum site (type in 'diesel and petrol mix') in which the general concensus is that less than five litres of petrol in a tank of diesel shouldn't cause major problems in older cars, in other words just dilute it with a full tank of diesel and drive. So it would seem that it's unlikely to be petrol in my diesel, as there simply wouldn't be enough to cause problems.
The car took a couple of days to clean itself out but is now fine......