IRTE compromise offer in cetane row
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THE INSTITUTE of Road Transport Engineers has put forward a compromise solution to the oil companies' plan to lower the cetane value of derv. Other organisations are still trying to block the reduction.
Oil companies want to lower the cetane number of dery from 50 to 47 — a move which demands a change to the British Standard for fuel oils for oil engines and burners for non-marine use as they must blend North Sea crude with Middle East crude to meet the 50 cetane level.
Oil companies which only use North Sea crude are having difficulties in meeting the current standard.
But vehicle operators and manfacturers arc fighting to stop the oil companies, as the lowered mane number — the measure of ignition quality would make engines less easy to start when cold. It would also generate more smoke, especially white smoke.
In the new operator licensing regime, in which environmental factors must be taken into account, that could put some 0-licences at risk if residents persuaded a Licensing Authority that an environmental problem' had been made worse.
The problems of ignition are also worse with older, naturally-aspirated engines, and the use of cetane improving additives cannot be guaranteed to remove the white smoke problem.
Now, the IRTE has called for the British Standards Institution to compromise on a summer grade dery cetane number of 45, provided the winter grade number is held at 50.
An ad hoc Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders committee is still working on the transport industry's main response to the oil companies' demand.
The Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association, Bus and Coach Council, London Regional Transport and the Department of Transport all oppose the oil companies' proposal, but ultimately it will be for the BSI to evaluate the cases for and against.
But whatever decision is taken eventually, the SMMT is pressing for the British Standard for dery to be given the same legal force as that which applies already to petrol. Following its recent national survey of diesel fuel, the IRTE also calls for a tightening of the British Standard on cold filter plugging point — the measure of a diesel fuel's ability to flow at low temperature.
At present the British Standard cold filter plugging point is —9 deg C. The IRTE would like to see it lowered to —14 deg C, which would protect against diesel waxing in all but very severe winters.
The IRTE letter to the British Standards Institute also calls for more attention to be paid to the following subjects: • The true significance of cetane number in relation to ease of starting, cold running smoke emission and other factors.
• The relationship of cetane number to cetanc index, as they appear in BS 2869.
• The contribution of cetane improver additives.
.11 The possibility of a gradual reduction, rather than a single reduction, in cetane number.
The date when the UK dery cetane number may be lowered has not yet been specified but could be as early as the end of this year.