Sylvie Willis
Diesel fuel, also known as diesel oil, is a liquid fuel designed for diesel engines, which are internal combustion engines that use compression to ignite the fuel. The most common type of diesel fuel is derived from petroleum, specifically the fractional distillation of crude oil. This process involves heating the oil to high temperatures, resulting in a mixture of carbon chains that serve as the basis for diesel fuel. However, diesel fuel can also be produced from alternative sources such as biomass, animal fat, biogas, natural gas, and coal liquefaction. The production of diesel fuel varies across different regions, with the United States being a major producer and consumer of both petroleum-derived and biomass-based diesel fuels.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common colloquial names | Diesel, DERV, distillate, gas oil, solar, auto diesel, automotive diesel oil, diesel engine road vehicle, diesel oil, marine diesel fuel, distillate marine diesel fuel, gasoil |
| Origin | Experiments conducted by German scientist and inventor Rudolf Diesel for his compression-ignition engine |
| Year of origin | Around 1892 |
| Common sources | Petroleum, biomass, animal fat, biogas, natural gas, coal liquefaction |
| Most common type | Fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil |
| Alternatives | Biodiesel, biomass to liquid (BTL), gas to liquid (GTL) diesel |
| Petroleum diesel production process | Fractional distillation of crude oil between 200 and 350 °C at atmospheric pressure |
| Petroleum diesel composition | Mixture of carbon chains with 9-25 carbon atoms per molecule |
| Petroleum diesel production issues | "Straight-run" diesel often insufficient in supply and quality |
| Petroleum diesel production solutions | Blending in other sources of diesel fuel, such as heavier fractions obtained by cracking |
| Petroleum diesel use | Used in diesel engines for freight and delivery trucks, trains, buses, boats, farm, construction, and military vehicles, some cars and light trucks, and diesel-engine generators |
| Producing countries | United States, Canada |
| Producing companies | NCH Europe, Pertamina |
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What You'll Learn
Petroleum refineries
The first step in a petroleum refinery is typically the crude oil distillation unit (CDU), which distills crude oil into fractions with different boiling ranges. These fractions are then processed further in various refinery units. One important process is fractional distillation, where the crude oil is heated between 200 and 350 °C at atmospheric pressure to separate carbon chains of different lengths, which form the basis for different petroleum products.
To produce diesel fuel, refineries use a range of processes, including hydrotreating and cracking. Hydrotreating units, such as the naphtha hydrotreater and distillate hydrotreater, remove sulfur and nitrogen contaminants from the naphtha and diesel fractions, respectively. This is an important step in reducing the sulfur content of diesel fuel to meet environmental regulations.
The cracking process involves using heat, pressure, catalysts, and sometimes hydrogen to break down heavy hydrocarbon molecules into lighter ones. Different types of cracking units, such as fluid catalytic cracking and hydrocracking, are used to convert heavy, lower-value fractions into lighter, more valuable products. For example, the fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) converts heavy, high-boiling fractions into lighter, more valuable components.
After distillation and conversion, the final treatment step combines streams from the processing units to create finished products. Refinery technicians carefully blend these streams to meet specifications for octane level, vapor pressure, and other factors. This is a critical step in ensuring the quality and performance of the diesel fuel.
In the United States, petroleum refineries produce most of the diesel fuel consumed in the country. These refineries process large volumes of crude oil, with some handling 800,000 to 900,000 barrels per day. The diesel fuel produced undergoes quality testing before being transported to consumers via pipelines, ships, trains, and trucks.
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Crude oil
The production of diesel fuel from crude oil involves three main steps: distillation, conversion, and clean-up. Diesel fuel contains more non-volatile components than gasoline and has a higher boiling range, between 160 °C and 371 °C. This means that diesel fuel must be sprayed rather than evaporated into the air to avoid pre-ignition. Like gasoline, diesel fuel is mixed with additives to adjust its performance characteristics. However, there are two main challenges when adding additives to diesel fuel: maintaining injector nozzle cleanliness and preventing gelling in cold weather.
Diesel fuel can be derived from various sources, including petroleum, biomass, animal fat, biogas, natural gas, and coal liquefaction. Petroleum diesel, produced by fractional distillation of crude oil, is the most common type of diesel fuel. This process involves heating crude oil at atmospheric pressure to obtain a mixture of carbon chains with 9 to 25 carbon atoms per molecule. The resulting fraction undergoes hydrodesulfurization to remove sulfur, a component that contributes to air pollution and is harmful to human health.
In the United States, most diesel fuel is produced and refined from crude oil at petroleum refineries. These refineries produce an average of 11 to 12 gallons of diesel fuel from each 42-gallon barrel of crude oil. The diesel fuel produced is primarily for domestic consumption, with the United States importing smaller quantities from Canada to meet demand.
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Biodiesel
The US National Biodiesel Board defines biodiesel as a mono-alkyl ester. It has a higher boiling point and flash point than petrodiesel, and is slightly miscible with water. Biodiesel also has distinct lubricating properties and a calorific value approximately 9% lower than that of standard diesel, impacting fuel efficiency.
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Shale oil
During the Industrial Revolution, shale oil served as a substitute for the increasingly scarce and expensive whale oil. It was used as fuel, a lubricant, and lamp oil. In the late 19th century, shale-oil extraction plants were established in Australia, Brazil, and the United States. The development of shale oil extraction was further propelled by the search for a reliable energy source during World War II.
In modern times, shale oil extraction has faced criticism due to its environmental impact and higher production costs compared to conventional crude oil. However, advancements in technology have led to a significant increase in U.S. shale oil production since 2010. The largest shale oil formations in the United States are found in the Permian, Western Gulf, and Williston Basins.
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$108.99
Biomass-based fuels
Diesel fuel is produced from various sources, the most common being petroleum. However, alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as biodiesel, biomass-to-liquid (BTL), or gas-to-liquid (GTL) diesel, are becoming increasingly popular.
Biomass-based diesel fuels, also known as biodiesel and renewable diesel, are produced from organic lipid feedstocks that contain free fatty acids, such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled cooking oil. The two main types of biomass-based diesel fuels are biodiesel and renewable diesel. Biodiesel, often referred to as FAME biodiesel or FAME, is produced by a process known as transesterification. This process converts organic fats and oils into fatty acid alkyl esters by reacting them with alcohols and catalysts. Methanol is typically used as the reactant in this process, creating fatty acid methyl esters. During transesterification, about 7.5 pounds of feedstock are required to produce one gallon of biodiesel and 0.9 pounds of glycerin.
Renewable diesel is similar to biodiesel but with some key differences. It is a hydrocarbon that is chemically equivalent to petroleum diesel. Renewable diesel uses a hydrogenation process rather than the esterification process used to produce biodiesel. This process uses existing refinery equipment to convert non-edible seed oils, vegetable oils, waste cooking oil, and fat into usable liquid fuels. Renewable diesel is also known as hydrotreated, hydrogenated, or hydroprocessed vegetable oil (HVO), hydro-treated biodiesel (HBD), paraffinic renewable diesel, non-esterified renewable diesel (NERD), Bio-Hydrogenated Diesel (BHD), and hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel (HDRD).
Biomass-based diesel fuels have long played an important role in complying with the U.S. Renewable Fuels (RFS) mandates. The production of these fuels is driven by the requirements of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which is mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The RFS required that U.S. petroleum refiners utilize 1 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel fuel in 2011. These fuels are now designated as Advanced Biofuels, with mandated levels expected to increase in future years.
Biomass-based diesel fuels can be produced by several technologies and processes, some of which are already in commercial production, while others are still in the research and development phase. Different processes used to create biomass-based diesel include transesterification, hydroprocessing of lipids, cellulose pyrolysis, conversion via carboxylic acid, and gasification.
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Frequently asked questions
Diesel fuel, also known as diesel oil, is a liquid fuel designed for use in a diesel engine. Diesel engines are internal combustion engines in which ignition occurs due to the elevated temperature of compressed air in the cylinder.
Diesel fuel is produced from various sources, the most common being petroleum. Diesel fuel is a fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil. Other sources include biomass, animal fat, biogas, natural gas, and coal liquefaction.
U.S. petroleum refineries produce most of the diesel fuel consumed in the United States. In 2022, U.S. refineries produced about 73.46 billion gallons of ultra-low sulfur distillate (ULSD) diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is also produced in Europe, where it is sometimes referred to as "gas oil".
