Quote:
Originally Posted by welder  Keep in mind , you can't run Bio in the new trucks that have Particulate traps and if someone starts running Bio in a motor older than the '07's ya better keep a couple extra fuel filters with ya in the truck [ if you never have run Bio through the motor] as the Bio breaks down all the crud in your fuel tank/lines and will clog your filter.
No big deal , just be prepared .  |
When starting to burn biodiesel in an older vehicle, it is true that a frequent change in the fuel filter may be order as the bio loosens deposits in the fuel system. However, I do not think it is accurate to say tha bio adversely affects particulate traps found in the newest diesel vehicles. I now own two diesels, the latest I bought just several months ago has a trap so I continue to study the impacts of bio. What I have found is that bio actually helps clear the trap. From a study:
"... the NREL study showed that biodiesel helps to reduce the temperature at which particulates are burned off in the soot trap, lowering back pressures caused by a plugged DPF. Furthermore, with a DPF, the B20 blend “provided an additional 67 percent reduction of PM (particulate matter) beyond what the ULSD provided (also with a DPF),” Jobe explained. The NREL report itself, called “Biodiesel Effects on Diesel Particle Filter Performance,” states, “It is important to note that this additional PM reduction is only 0.0033 g/bhp-hr (grams per brake horsepower hour), a very small reduction from an already very clean engine.” A DPF will trap most soot regardless of the type of fuel used, so whether it traps a hypothetical amount of 95 percent or 95.5 percent PM, the difference—while ostensibly significant—is rather inappreciable, experts say. What is significant is that biodiesel helps lower the temperature at which that trapped soot burns off. ..."
The finding appears to establish that bio reduces the deposits on the trap which has the benefit of causing less backpressure and better fuel economy.
Further, the manufacturer of my trap provisioned diesel allows diesel up to 5% which seems unlikely if bio adversely affects the trap, engine, and potential warranty claims. Also, states are starting to impose a bio mix mandate in all diesel fuel so it will be impossible for some to avoid bio. Minnesota, for example, mandates 2% biodiesel in all fuel in that state.
There may, or may not, be issues associated with high concentrations of biodiesel such as 50% or 100%. For small concentration, say up to 5%, I have read nothing but good news.
