Research report published: No-harm application test for fuel oil additives

Germany is in the middle of the energy transition. Energy from alternative sources is leading to fuel diversification in the space heating market. Additive use is also increasing in the course of longer storage periods, which increases the number of possible fuel/additive combinations. In the worst case, new fuel components, the heating oil, their respective aging products and the additives could interact, potentially leading to system malfunctions. In order to exclude undesirable side effects as far as possible, additives can be tested on the basis of no-harm criteria. Until now, only analytical tests have been carried out in the heating oil sector - no application test.

BMWK-funded project completed

The BMWK has funded a research project on this subject, which has been completed after 2.5 years. The research work was initiated by the DGMK Fuels Technical Committee and was accompanied by experts from the additives and biodiesel industries as well as component manufacturers.

In the project, an application test was developed to investigate possible interactions of the additives in the application. For this purpose, a circuit test rig is used in which an additivated fuel oil is passed through a heated filter under defined conditions. The filter is representative of a real nozzle filter, and a relocation of the filter can be achieved in the test. Operating parameters were developed with which the target values of a maximum test run time of about 250 h and a small sample quantity could be achieved.

DGMK Research Report 792 has been published under the title "Development of a No-Harm Application Test for Fuel Oil Additives to Avoid Undesirable Side Effects of Additives when Used in Fuel Oil Burner Systems " and can be ordered directly from DGMK free of charge.

Research Center

OWI Science for Fuels gGmbH affiliated Institute of the RWTH Aachen

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The IGF project (20689 N) of the research association DGMK Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für nachhaltige Energieträger, Mobilität und Kohlenstoffkreisläufe e.V., Große Elbstraße 131, 22767 Hamburg, Germany, was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection via the AiF within the framework of the program for the promotion of joint industrial research (IGF) based on a resolution of the German Bundestag.