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Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board
Ethanol in diesel fuel.. Please all read!
Posted By: IRGuy
Date: Monday, 10 April 2006, at 9:44 a.m.
This link was posted recently in the Bertram 33 forum.. After reading about the proposed addition of ethanol to diesel fuel I posted some comments which I copy below..
http://e-diesel.org/#A1
My comments...
We all have a problem.. diesel boats are not immune from this issue!
I never thought of this before.. but each of us with diesels really have a problem looming on the E diesel horizon!!!
Inserted into the Ediesel Consortium web site info is a nasty and very dangerous comment most of us would miss easily.. I had to read it several times before I broke out into a sweat.
When you go to the above link, and then click on the tab labeled "About E diesel fuels" and then go to #10 "Are there any special safety precautions when using E diesel fuel".. note the last comment, which I have inserted below...
Are there any special safety precautions when using E diesel?
"The addition of ethanol to diesel fuel lowers its flash point. Diesel fuel is a Class II flammable liquid. E diesel blends, like gasoline, are Class I flammable liquids and should be handled as such. There is the potential for an ignitable fuel vapor/air mixture to exist above E diesel. This should always be kept in mind when handling E diesel fuels. Recent tests have shown that flame arrestors installed in the vehicle’s fuel tank fill line will reduce the risk of the fuel vapor creating a hazardous situation. Personnel who work with E diesel blends, including fueling personnel and service/maintenance personnel, should be thoroughly trained to understand that E diesel blends carry a greater flammability risk than standard diesel fuels."
This means that the long understood safety factor of diesel fuels in boating applications wherein engines and fuel tanks are located in poorly ventilated small enclosed spaces will disappear.. making our diesel powered boats no less safe than gasoline powered boats.
What do you think will happen to our insurance rates?
Will we need to modify or change our Racor type fuel filters or other fuel system components?
How about grounding systems?
The traditional safety feature of diesel fuel vapors being not as flammable as gas vapors is going to disappear!
If our pre-mid eighties fibreglas diesel fuel tanks are subjected to the same failure and engine contamination problems as the gas boats are, and the E diesel fuel vapors are as flammable as gas.. you can start to rethink the whole diesel/gas comparison from a completely different point of view!
Frank B - IRGuy@aol.com
"Phoenix" 1983 FBC!
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