Improving the Performance and Dependability of Heating Oil

Heating Oil has been sitting idle for six months in your Customers Tanks waiting for colder temperatures.

Or has your Customer’s Oil been Idle?

High Sulfur Heating Oil has always been a naturally corrosive fuel that causes corrosion and pitting of tanks, pipes, and yellow metals. With oil tank fill and vent lines being typically piped to the outside ,moisture laden air is allowed to flow freely thru the vent and can cause condensation on the inside of the tanks. Together with corrosion, moisture, and heavier sediment falling out of the oil solution legacy sludge forms on the inside of the tank.

Heating Oil Conditioners, delivered thru Premium Heating Oil Programs ,have done a great job of remediating oil tank issues by adding corrosion inhibitors, yellow metal deactivators, fuel stabilizers and dispersants to allow sediment and moisture to be passed thru the oil filter/ strainer to be burned at the nozzle. Plus adding Valued Added Results by reducing Dealer fuel related service calls and extending customer equipment.

But what can we expect from the new Ultra Low Sulfur Heating Oil ( ULSHO )?

ULSHO is being refined by a process which removes troublesome sulfur. Some Dealers share the belief that ULSHO will resolve any and all fuel quality issues of the previous High Sulfur Heating Oil from the past. Nothing could be further from the truth. Refining ULSHO also removes other functional elements like oxygen and nitrogen which delivers a fuel less stable in storage and a fuel that is more paraffinic, or waxy. Just because ULSHO is “cleaner” than traditional heating oil, it is not any less corrosive to tanks, pipes, and system components if left unprotected.

The supply, storage, and distribution chain has not changed and most fuel contamination occurs at the supply chain. ULSHO can also be prone to increased levels of entrained water, more susceptible to water and microbial contamination. Like Biodiesel, ULSHO is more soluble, and liable to loosen filter-plugging deposits in tanks.

While ULSHO is certainly a cleaner burning, more efficient fuel, it is not a fix-all for every common fuel problem. Sound storage, transportation, and general housekeeping practices are a

good start to treating ULSHO issues. But an additive treatment program will be an essential part of resolving legacy sludge, lubricity, moisture control, corrosion, stability, and cold flow issues to keep your Customer Happy.

Mark K. Smith

Advanced Fuel Solutions