Engine Technology Expected to Drive Additive Sales [Transport Topics]

<p>Changes to Emissions Systems, Fuel Will Increase Need for Off-the-Shelf Products, Companies Say</p><p>Makers of diesel additives believe new engine technologies and diesel blends will boost the demand for their over-the-counter treatments, which several fleets said are used primarily for treating fuel problems and minor engine ailments.</p><p>"The fuels available today are the cleanest you can imagine," said <person>David Forester</person>, technical services director at PowerService Diesel Additives in Weatherford,Texas, "but a lot of fuel properties designed to assist truck engines . . . have been compromised as a result."</p><p>Additives generally have been marketed as temporary solutions for a range of operability issues from cold starts to fuel contamination to decreased engine power. However, federally mandated changes to diesel engines and fuel can expand additives' value, said <person value="APIN:2861893028">John Martin</person>, a retired lubrication consultant in <location value="LU/us.mo.nixa" idsrc="xmltag.org">Nixa, Mo.</location></p><p>"Today, nearly all diesel fuel sold in <location value="LC/us" idsrc="xmltag.org">the United States</location> for use in on-road trucks is ultra-low-sulfur diesel," he said. "Compounds in those [previous] diesel blends that served to lubricate engines and prevent fuel contamination were removed from ULSD."</p><p>Engine makers generally condone limited use of the products, but concerns that doing so could void engine warranties keeps some fleets at bay. In fact, small fleets and owner-operators tend to be the additives' largest customers.</p><p>Most additives contain alcohols, petroleum distillates and aromatic hydrocarbons, along with proprietary ingrethents that are said to improve fuel or engine performance. The most common additives, Martin said, are biocides, which are claimed to keep germs from growing at the point where fuel meets water.</p><p><person>Steve Cates</person> from Boaty's Produce in <location value="LU/us.ga.mcdugh" idsrc="xmltag.org">McDonough, Ga.</location>, said the cargo carrier does use biocides occasionally.</p><p>"We found we don't need to use biocides as long as we drain fuel tanks [during preventive maintenance]," Cates said. But when the tanks haven't been drained, Boaty's uses a "high dose of an additive that cleans out deposits," he said. "On reefer units, you can watch chunks of carbon come out of the exhaust."</p><p>Diesel fuel must meet specifications for cold weather use set by <org>ASTM International</org>. Formerly the <org>American Society for the Testing of Materials</org>, the <location value="LU/us.pa.conken" idsrc="xmltag.org">Conshohocken, Pa.</location>, firm sets specs for every grade of diesel fuel made.</p><p>Diesel fuel also serves as a lubricant for engine parts. The term for a substance's ability to reduce friction is lubricity.</p><p>"ULSD has far less natural lubricity than previous fuels, and new heavy-truck diesel engines and fuel systems, as of 2010, require more lubricity than ever," Forester said. These systems operate at much higher temperatures and pressures that are 10 times higher than they were a few years ago."</p><p>"The new fuel is also less stable and degrades quicker," added <person>Mike Goodheart</person>, a spokesman for additive maker Penray, <location value="LU/us.il.elkage" idsrc="xmltag.org">Elk Grove Village</location>, 111. "It starts out cleaner but can get dirty quicker."</p><p>What's more, Forester said, tolerances, or spaces between parts, are also much tighter.</p><p>"In the past, the space between the plunger of a fuel injector and its barrel was 10 to 15 microns," he said. "Now, it's about 3 microns," a change necessary to control the amount of ULSD used during combustion, he said.</p><p>Also popular, Martin said, are anti-gellers said to prevent paraffin, a waxy substance found in diesel fuel, from crystallizing and gumming up the fuel during cold weather.</p><p>"Last winter, I worked with a few customers that were having filter-plugging and coldstart issues," said <person>Ralph Rankin</person>, manager of a WheelTime truck service center in <location value="LU/us.pa.bedfor" idsrc="xmltag.org">Bedford, Pa.</location> "Using additives, we were able to resolve some of those problems." Rankin said his shop is "seeing more sales of additives than ever."</p><p>"In a problem situation, we'll use a biocide and a fuel conditioner," said <person>Steph Sabo</person>, maintenance manager for Norrenberns Truck Service in <location value="LU/us.tn.nashvl" idsrc="xmltag.org">Nashville</location>, 111., and past chairman of the <org>Technology & Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations</org>. In fact, Sabo said a spate of fuel problems earlier this year drove sales of aftermarket treatments.</p><p>"In mid-June, [a] load of poor-quality fuel went through. We sold [a lot] of additives for about a month," he said. Other times, customers "just want [an additive]," but he said these customers "are mostly [owneroperators] and small fleets that listen closely to their drivers." In a fleet application, Sabo said, regular use of aftermarket additives "isn't cost-justifiable."</p><p>Fleets agree, at least when it comes to anything beyond cold-weather treatment.</p><p>"The only thing I've found fuel additives useful for is to prevent fuel gelling," said Mike Jeffress,vice president of maintenance for Maverick Transportation in <location value="LU/us.ar.norock" idsrc="xmltag.org">North Little Rock, Ark.</location> "I haven't found any that have given us fuel efficiency or emission output efficiency in any form or fashion."</p><p>The company is a unit of <org>Maverick USA</org>, which ranks No. 96 on the TRANSPORT TOPICS Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian forhire carriers.</p><p>"We don't use them," said <person>Tuffy Baum</person>, fleet manager at <org value="NYSE:ARG" idsrc="xmltag.org">AirGas Inc.</org> in <location value="LU/us.pa.radnor" idsrc="xmltag.org">Radnor, Pa.</location>, which ranks No. 16 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in <location value="LC/us" idsrc="xmltag.org">the United States</location>, <location value="LC/ca" idsrc="xmltag.org">Canada</location> and <location value="LC/mx" idsrc="xmltag.org">Mexico</location>. "That's based on OEM recommendations and engine warranties."</p><p>"Larger fleets rely on the [fuel depot] to blend the fuel," Rankin said. "They tend to be very cost-conscious."</p><p>In comparison, smaller fleets "don't have extra equipment sitting around they can jump in," Rankin added. "We think that's why these smaller fleets reach out to fuel additives. They feel this is added insurance for cold weather start-ups."</p><p>Sabo said most fuel should have the appropriate level of treatment before it ever arrives at the pump site.</p><p>"Fuel vendors put in the additives," he said.</p><p>Martin and others cautioned, however, that the mixture isn't always right.</p><p>"If you're a refiner, you want to make sure your fuel isn't offspec," Martin said. "If it's a little waxier than you expected, for example, you put in some additive to . . . meet the spec."</p><p>"Fuels are blended for weather conditions in the areas in which they're sold," Goodheart said. "In the past, a lot of companies blended fuels to make winter fuel better, but not with ULSD. You pay more for it, so it's cheaper to use additives."</p><p>Driving from <location value="LS/us.tx" idsrc="xmltag.org">Texas</location> to <location value="LS/us.mn" idsrc="xmltag.org">Minnesota</location> in winter, drivers "stay aware of weather conditions and keep fueling as they go," he said. "Fuel sold in <location value="LU/us.tx.houstn" idsrc="xmltag.org">Houston</location> is not blended for use in <location value="LS/us.mn" idsrc="xmltag.org">Minnesota</location>."</p><p>Goodheart said Penray is seeing an increase in year-round use of additives, while Forester said PowerService has seen use of its lubricity additive increase "several thousand percent."</p><p><person>Keith Corkwell</person>, a spokesman for <org value="ACORN:531777814" idsrc="xmltag.org">Lubrizol Corp.</org>, Wickliff, <location value="LS/us.oh" idsrc="xmltag.org">Ohio</location>, said some performance additives have powerful detergents aimed at removing gunk from advanced engine components, including fuel-injection systems.</p><p>"The chemistry of detergents used for cleaning conventional fuel-injection nozzles isn't necessarily strong enough to clean internal diesel-injector deposits that build up deep inside in new fuel-injection systems," he said.</p><p>Today's fuel injectors spray fuel from holes measuring 100 to 150 microns - "around the size of a hair," Corkwell said. "Such tight internal tolerances make any level of deposits unacceptable."</p><p>In fact, Rankin said he found deposits in diesel particulate filters last winter.</p><p>"We found a darkening and plugging of filters that caused performance problems associated with passive and forced regenerations," he said. "We found this event occurring in fleets that were not using fuel additives."</p><p>Some fleets may fear that using the products could void their engine warranties, said <person>Kenneth Calhoun</person>, vice president of <org>Truck Centers of Arkansas</org>, <location value="LU/us.ar.norock" idsrc="xmltag.org">North Little Rock, Ark.</location>, which sells and services Freightliner trucks and <org>Detroit Diesel</org> and Cummins diesel engines.</p><p>"You're putting [fleets] in a tough position," said Calhoun, who is also chairman of the TMC service provider committee. "They have to pay attention to their OEM warranty requirements."</p><p>"Our position on fuel additives is that fuel should be sufficiently formulated by the local distribution network [refinery, pipeline terminal, etc.] that no customer input should be required," said <person value="APIN:2827166607">Steve Schrier</person>, spokesman for <org value="ACORN:1456004630" idsrc="xmltag.org">Navistar Inc.</org>, <location value="LU/us.il.warlle" idsrc="xmltag.org">Warrenville, Ill.</location></p><p><person>Amy Sills</person>, spokesperson <org value="ACORN:3169131200" idsrc="xmltag.org">Daimler Trucks North America</org>, <location value="LU/us.or.portld" idsrc="xmltag.org">Portland, Ore.</location>, provided information on the subject that she said was taken directly from the company's <org&gt;Detroit Diesel</org> service literature.</p><p>"Supplemental fuel additives are not recommended, due to potential injector system or engine damage," she said. "Our experience has been that such additives increase operating costs without providing benefit."</p><p>The company's literature said, "The use of supplemental fuel additives does not necessarily void the engine warranty. However, repair expenses which result from fuel system or engine component malfunctions or damage attributed to their use will not be covered. <org>Detroit Diesel</org> will not test or verify the performance of any supplemental additives and will not accept responsibility for use, selection, or hazards relating to the use of such products."</p><p>The literature noted that, while some additives may be beneficial in addressing temporary fuel quality problems, the products "should not replace proper fuel selection and handling. The regular use of supplemental fuel additives is not required or recommended."</p><p>Fuel data published for its engines by <org value="NYSE:CMI" idsrc="xmltag.org">Cummins Inc.</org>, <location value="LU/us.in.colbus" idsrc="xmltag.org">Columbus, Ind.</location>, read similarly.</p><p>Cummins engines are "designed, developed, rated, and built to operate on commercially available diesel fuel," according to company data. "It is not Cummins policy to recommend fuel additives."</p><p>Cummins' engine information states that additives can be used in certain situations, "such as when available fuels are of poor quality or problems exist that are peculiar to certain operations." It lists 14 situations in which additives can be helpful, but Cummins said it will "not be liable for damage done to its engines from the use of fuel additives" - in this case, those not specifically approved by the manufacturer.</p><p>"When you press the fleets, I think you'll find the guys who do their homework will use some of the winter additives because they have to, to prevent gelling," Calhoun said. "But as far as performance enhancers, with the emission changes, stepped-up injection pressures and multiple events in one in one cycle, the equipis so precise and specificaare so tight that most are reluctant to put a substance in there."</p><p>Forester isn't surprised that fleets avoid aftermarket additives, but he blames accountants who see additives a cost rather than a benefit.</p><p>"We do have business with fleets, especially private fleets, because they understand the value of [additives] in diesel fuel for performance and maintenance benefits," he said. "However, most of our customers are individual owneroperators and consumers who value their equipment and understand the need and benefit from treating 'average' fungible fuel that barely meets the spec for diesel fuel."</p><p>Fuel treatments are sometimes used during winter to prevent diesel from congealing in tanks, but additive makers say engines can benefit from their products year-round.</p><p>Some fleets say they shun the use of additives because refiners already add them to their fuel before shipping it to fueling stations.</p><p><org>The Technology & Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations</org> has created a list of recommended practices on fuel additives and questions to ask vendors. To see the list, visit the TMC page on line at <a href="http://www.truckline.com">www.truckline.com</a>.</p><p>By <person>Susan L. Hodges</person></p><p>Contributing Writer</p>