November 2016
What Happens if I Gel?
Issue No. 13
Why Does Fuel Gel?
Ultimate Grease is here!
What Happens if I Gel?
In this article we will consider just what happens when gelling
occurs and how to avoid it.
GELLING - A CHILLING CONCERN
Diesels and winter can be like siblings...they don’t always get
along. While snow can be fun, gelling is a common concern.
As Jtarnow of IH8MUD.Com says after his first experience
gelling, “I let it idle a little longer and made one last trip back
to NAPA to get some pre-treat so this never happens again.
Everything I read online said you’ll only let it happen once,
and I can 100 percent confirm that. It wouldn’t have been a
terrible job in a shop in the summer, but that’s not when it
happens. It only happens when it’s beyond balls cold outside.
I was lucky to be very close to warmth and a car parts store.
If it had happened anywhere else I would have been screwed.
So the moral of the story is USE ADDITIVES! And if you do
feel your truck starting to gel up act faster than I did.”
Click this link to read the full story. (https://forum.ih8mud.
com/threads/my-diesel-gelling-adventure-in-a-little-townin-wisconsin.831251/)
As Jtarnow found out, gelling is not fun. Let Opti-Lube
help prevent gelling from happening to you.
Treats fuel down to -10 O *
Treats fuel down to -50O *
*Performance dependent on base fuel
ARE YOU COVERED?
Protect yourself and your investment
from gelling.
Refineries make sure their diesel fuel meets minimum
low temperature specifications based on location and
time of the year. However unreasonable cold snaps,
long distance travel from a warm location to a cold
location, or just extreme low temperatures can cause
issues for many. One of the main issues is gelling.
Continued on Page 2...
COLD FLOW MEASUREMENTS
1
Cloud Point (CP)
2
Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP)
3
4
The temperature at which waxes become visible in diesel.
The highest temperature at which a fuel will not flow
through a filter or requires more time than is allotted to
flow through the filter.
Pour Point (PP)
The highest temperature at which the diesel fuel will not
flow.
Operability
The lowest temperature at which a diesel fuel vehicle
will operate in practical application. Typically either 18°F
below the cloud point of the CFPP Temperature, whichever is higher.
GELLING BREAKDOWN
MAKING SENSE
Cold Flow Improvers are
designed to help ULSD
improve low temperature
flow performance.
When considering why a
fuel gels there are FOUR
cold flow measurements
or terms that are useful
to know.
Why does fuel gel?
All diesel fuel contains waxes. When the fuel is warm, as in milder
climates, the wax stays liquid and is harmless. As it cools, the wax
begins to crystallize and link together. A visual haze known as the
Cloud Point begins to appear in your fuel. As temperatures continue
to fall, sheets of crystallized waxes form and begin to stack on top
of each other, creating more solid layers that can block filters stopping
the flow of fuel to the engine. Eventually, as the fuel becomes more
gel-like, the Cold Filter Plugging Point is reached and fuel flow
will stop altogether.
Anti-Gel, as the name suggests, works to counteract the gelling of
diesel fuel. Typically speaking, there are two kinds of anti-gel,
Preventative and Post CFPP. Post CFPP Anti-gels are used after
gelling or plugging has already occurred. They are often alcohol or
kerosene based to burn through the waxes and restore fuel flow.
Although the use of these chemicals is sometimes necessary, such as when gelling and plugging has already
occurred, alcohol and kerosene based additives are usually avoided. The speed by which alcohol or kerosene
can liquify wax buildup is useful but the lack of lubricity, and the caustic effect these chemicals have on
rubber seals and hoses, is why they are typically avoided.
Continued on Page 3...
Issue No. 13 November 2016
Contd. from Page 2. Why does Fuel Gel..
Preventative anti-gels are used before gelling occurs. To ensure a Preventative anti-gel works
properly there is an important rule to keep in mind. Diesel Fuel cannot be at or below the cloud
point when Preventative anti-gel is added. There are two reasons for this: (1) If the fuel is cold
and wax has begun to crystalize and link, the cold flow additive will not be able to modify the
crystals as designed to minimize their growth or alter their morphology, (2) Cold fuel has poor
solubility, meaning proper mixing can not occur. The easiest way to ensure your preventative
additive is properly mixed and your diesel is not too cold during winter months is to
add it at the pump while fueling. When mixed properly the preventive anti-gel
As the
will do its job while not ‘falling out’ of solution or separating.
temperatures
drop this season,
ask yourself:
Opti-Lube XPD and Winter contain components that interact with
Am I ready
the wax molecules in a way that prevents them from stacking
for winter?
and subsequently forming large, filter plugging crystals.
N O W
A V A I L A B L E !
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wide operating temperature range of -40°F to 550°F.
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Purchase yours today at Opti-Lube.com
Available in a 14oz tube cartridge.
For more information about ULTIMATE Grease please
visit our general information page.
Issue No. 13 November 2016