Biodiesel performance freeze
The School Division of Gloucester County, Virginia has temporarily suspended the use of biodiesel fuel in their bus fleet after clogged fuel filters started causing the buses to stall during recent cold weather.
Temperatures in the 20s (below zero Celsius), caused four buses to stall in a single day leading to the suspension. The Gloucester County School Division has been an enthusiastic proponent of biodiesel and is now researching how to get their fleet of 117 buses back on their usual biodiesel blend. It's thought that in cold weather the biodiesel may not mix as thoroughly with the petro-diesel leading to a higher chance it will attack and break down older, rubber components in the fuel system. Rubber was found in the clogged fuel filters.
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[Source: Daily Press / Mathew Paust]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 2:19PM (12/15/2006)
Cold is diesel's (petro and bio) Achilles heel. They both will gel. Bio-diesel gels at higher temps than petro. Blending helps but diesel vehicles should have fuel line, filter and block heaters that run off the alternator while running and plug in at night. In very cold areas, the tank should also be heated. I used to plug in my Mercedes 240D running on petro-diesel at night in the winter or it would not start in the morning and I’m in Richmond, Virginia. Some added Kero, others Gas. I was afraid this may damage the engine, so I added heaters. I wonder what it’s like in Canada?
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