Catalytic cracking and fuel instability

Originally published 2016

Un-cer-tain-ty (ǔn-sûr’tn-tē): The condition of being uncertain; doubt. Something uncertain: The uncertainties of modern life. Statistics. The estimated amount or percentage by which an estimated or calculated value may differ from the true value.

No matter which definition you choose, uncertainty certainly defines the current state of heating oil prices. Will they continue to fall, or will they go up this heating season?
Customers who have been reading my blogs and newsletters over the past 28 years will know I believe it is very important to use additives to stabilize petroleum products, especially heating oil. As the years go by, we are finding that this issue is becoming more and more important, yet it continues to be ignored. There is an article available online at this link that explains this situation very clearly. It is entitled:

Fuel Oil Quality and Understanding the Source of Today’s Stability Problems
Catalytic Cracking and Fuel Instability

I strongly suggest that you read this article. You will get an understanding of how oil was refined pre-1970s. I have been in this business long enough to have seen heating oil that was refined in the traditional process, and it was an excellent product that would keep in tanks for over 35 years without producing sediment (sludge).

You will next understand why they use Catalytic Cracking to refine oil and the consequences of this type of refining. In the 1980s, I started noticing a difference with some of the loads of heating oil that we were receiving. When I asked an oil industry professional about the problem, he told me that the oil had been refined using a new process called catalytic cracking. The result of catalytic cracking was that oil was less stable while in storage. The solution was for me to begin using additives for my customers.

Re-polymerization: A Word Everyone Who Stores Fuel Should Understand

These short few paragraphs explain what happens to the hydrocarbon molecules in fuel during the process of being refined through catalytic cracking. The molecules are broken into shorter chains that are susceptible to recombining with other unstable molecules in storage. This process is known as re-polymerization, and it results in sludge that settles in tanks, clogs filters and damages system components.

Traditional Problems Still Exist

To be sure, there are other things that will cause fuel to become unstable in storage. They are oxidation, bacteria, fungus, water and rust. These problems are not new ones, and have been around ever since people figured out how to make and store fuel from petroleum. The worst of these problems is water, because water is a necessity for microbial activity that, in turn, leads to ionization of the water, making it more corrosive. We all know what happens to tanks that have corrosives in them!

Additives

The conclusion of this article is that good housekeeping, proper tank maintenance, fuel conditioning, filtration practices and the selective implementation of premium broad-spectrum additive packages provide a solution to problems created by fuel instability.

Crowley Fuel has been using premium broad-spectrum additives in every gallon of heating oil that we have sold for the past 27 years. This is one reason we can claim to have your best interests in mind. We know about and care enough to sell fuel that will not cause unnecessary service problems for our customers. It costs a little more in the short term, but it’s the best course in the long run.

You will NOT get this quality of heating oil from a discount fuel company that sells the cheapest oil and service! 

Bob

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