|
| B-100 has from 5 to 10% fewer BTU's per gallon than an "average" petroleum diesel. Recognize that there is also a 10% difference in BTU's between different petroleum diesel lots/sources, depending upon the source of the crude and the operating characterists of the refinery. In fuel consumption studies, the lower BTU content is partially offset by the much higher lubricity. At a B-02 blend, one can't define any differences in BTU content or performance (unless you are trying to prove a point and selected test parameters to do so). At B-100, you can find differences. Fuel consumption will go up a bit, say 5% and fleet maintencce costs will go down.
There are also differences in BTU content between different types of biodiesel - soy oil, lard, tallow, etc. Tallow will be down 4% and soybean oil down 8%. The composition of lard reflects the fat composition of the diet the pig was fed. It could be corn oil or soybean oil or tallow.
The shelf-life of petroleum diesel is rated at 12 months and biodiesel at 6 months. If you have a bad batch of either or if your (or your supplier's) storage & handling system has problems, shelf life can be reduced significantly.
Biodiesel is more susceptable to microbial contamination. Biodiesel is esentially food grade material, and a fair amount comes from food plants that are running their plants 24/7 to get in on the action. If you can eat it, the bugs can too. One of the ways to ameloriate a petroleum diesel fuel spill is to pour B-100 over the same area. It increases the ability of soil microbes to metabolize petroleum chemicals by 4x.
Like you said, your test was not controlled. (But in the interests of objective reporting & journalism, how much do you want for your testimonial?) In beans with green stems, too many variables to make sense of anything. In 50', our ground speed can drop by 80% and in another 10', it may have dropped 100% and cylinder speed is at zero. | |
|
Diesel Fuel vs. 11 %
