Northville Product Services and Colonial Pipeline
B5 Soy Test Data and Report
February 2007
Scope of Work:
Bio Diesel Trial NPS-73-441
Soy blended low sulfur diesel
Colonial Pipeline Company (CPL) conducted a test movement of 74 grade (500 ppm
highway diesel) blended with 5% biodiesel (soy oil). The primary purpose of the test was
to quantify the impact to product quality. Northville Product Services (NPS) and
Colonial Pipeline were also interested in determining if the shipment has a negative
impact to other products (quantifying potential trail back).
Test Protocals:
NPS pumped a test batch of 75,000 barrels (bbls) from Kinder Morgan’s Pasadena
Terminal into Colonial Pipeline’s (CPL) 36” distillate line. The B100 was brought into
Kinder Morgan via barge through a common system and delivered into an
unheated distillate tank. The holding tank had product in it prior to the barge discharging.
From the holding tank, product was brought in by pipeline. The tank was equipped with
a mixer which was run during the discharge of the barge and the inbound of the pipeline
to ensure through mixing of the biodiesel and highway diesel. Upon completion of the
inbounds, the tank was sampled at different levels by technicians and checked for proper
mixing at an on-site laboratory.
NPS implemented no special handling requirements nor were there any challenges with
blending the product to meet the CPL quality specifications. However, depending on the
pour point of the B100, the temperature of the B100 may create special handling
requirements.
The product was sampled for Haze, Karl Fischer (moisture content), and ASTM D975
properties at three locations in addition to Houston: 1) Baton Rouge, LA Greensboro,
NC, and Linden, NJ. These samples were visually inspected both during collection and
after shipment to CPL’s on-site lab in Houston. CPL’s lab technicians tested the samples
using the Karl Fischer (moisture content) then shipped them to an independent laboratory
(Inspectorate and SGS) were the samples under went analysis to evaluate ASTM D975
properties.
Results:
On cycle 441 of Colonial Pipeline, the 75,000 barrel test movement of 5% biodiesel (Soy
oil methyl ester) D6751 was lifted from NPS Kinder Morgan’s Houston terminal. The
test batch was sampled and tested for Haze, Karl Fischer (moisture content), and
significant ASTM D975 properties by an independent lab (Inspectorate and SGS) on the
samples from Houston, Baton Rouge, Greensboro and Linden.
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February 2007
ASTM D975 test results:
The test results for ASTM D975 requirements were typically within test methods
reproducibility, which indicates that shipment of the 5% blended biodiesel product did
not impact the blend’s fuel quality. In other words, the product maintained the D975
specification from Houston, TX to Linden, NJ, succeeding in accomplishing the primary
goal of this test evaluation. See Table 1 for detailed test results. See Attachment 1 and
Attachment 2 for the specifications for the D6751 (Biodiesel) and D975 delivered test
fuel products.
Table 1: Biodiesel (5%)/Highway Diesel (95%) D975 Test Results
Baton
Method
Test
Houston
Rouge
D4052
API Gravity
32.4
32.9
D2622
Sulfur
351
352
D4176
Haze Rating
1
1
D4737
Cetane Index
45.8
45.5
D5773
Cloud Point
16 F
13 F
D5949
Pour Point
-5 F
-9 F
D86
End Point
668
664.7
D93
Flash Point
163
160
EN
Fatty Acid Methyl Ester
4.8
4.7
14078
(FAME)
Octel
Pad Rating
2
3B
F21
Octel
Reflection Pad Rating
82.9
F21
Greensboro Linden
32.6
401
2
44.4
15 F
-8 F
661.6
160
32.4
438
1
45.0
14 F
-6 F
659.6
162
4.5
3.4
2B
2B
93
91.3
EN 14078 (European Specification) test results:
In addition to sampling and testing of the test batch for D975 specifications, the trailing
Low Sulfur Diesel batch was also sampled and tested to quantify trail back of the 5%
biodiesel blend. The test results can be seen in Table 2.
Table 2: EN14078 Test Results
EN
Fatty Acid Methyl
14078
Ester (FAME)
EN
Fatty Acid Methyl
14078
Ester (FAME)
EN
Fatty Acid Methyl
14078
Ester (FAME)
EN
Fatty Acid Methyl
14078
Ester (FAME)
EN
Fatty Acid Methyl
14078
Ester (FAME)
Barrels Houston
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
0.1
vol%
0.1
vol%
0.1
vol%
0.1
vol%
Baton
Rouge
Greensboro
0.1 vol%
0.2 vol%
0.1 vol%
0.2 vol%
0.1 vol%
0.2 vol%
0.1 vol%
0.1 vol%
Linden
0.4
vol%
0.2
vol%
0.3
vol%
0.4
vol%
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The sampling of the trailing low sulfur diesel batch identified some level of trail back.
The exact quantification of the trail back is impossible to determine, due to the current
inaccuracy of the test methods at very low levels of methyl esters. CPL’s past experience
with ester-based lubricity additives indicated similar results in the trailing fuel. CPL has
determined that methyl ester trail back will require segregation of jet fuel shipments to
prevent any amounts of contamination at this time. Batches of B2 or B5 could be
segregated and buffered in CPL, a common practice with more conventional products.
The adverse effect of this “batch approach” is it adds costs to the system at multiple
points and minimizes shipper and pipeline operating flexibility. Some operational
constraints include: pipeline scheduling (having batch sizes ready for cycle delivery),
need for more origination and destination tanks which leads to increased working capital,
pipeline cuts and interface between batches which could result in losses and the need for
additional tanks, the need for break-out tanks in order to keep batches segregated during
transmission, and liquidity for trading purposes during the 15-20 day pumping cycle All
these issue, increase the cost of transporting via pipelines.
Regardless of the economical impact of batching, pipeline companies such as Colonial
will need to identify how far back methyl ester trails in following batches and to what
parts per million (ppm) level it is detected in these batches. CPL’s experience with
methyl ester trail back stems from test batches of ULSD lubricity additives that were
performed in 2005 and 2006, the results of which are not publicly accessible. Similarly,
Colonial does not allow lubricity additive in the ULSD batches it ships regardless of its
batching sequence.
Conclusions:
NPS’s conclusions are as follows:
1. No adverse impact to the base fuel specification of the blended B5 batch. All
ASTM D975 specifications were acceptable, including no water or sediment
traces.
2. No test methods are currently available to determine trail back below 1.7% by
volume. NPS and CPL would like to see a test method developed with accuracy
to single digit parts per million (ppm) of methyl ester.
Recommendations and Next Steps:
Northville Product Services recommends developing a test method that will accurately
determine whether or not adverse trail back of methyl ester occurs. It is NPS
recommendation that NBB in cooperation with the AOPL (Association of Oil Pipe Lines)
contract with Southwest Research Institute, reknown independent motor fuel research
laboratory, to develop the methyl ester measurement test protocols and equipment
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February 2007
required. This methodology should then be proven during another test run. NPS believes
that these can be resolved within the next 12-18 months if SwRI is employed.
NPS also recommends working with Colonial Pipeline and other pipeline companies to
gain a comfort level of testing method and develop future operational procedures to
protect jet fuel from potential contamination to achieve their endorsement of biodiesel
blends with their shippers, customers and owners.
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February 2007
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