Just curious on what the real if anything difference there is between B5, B20, and B99... I know the ratio I am just curious if the truck notices anything. I was reading another thread about bio and they were talking that all bio acts like a solvent in your tank to get grime and crap out... Is this true

 

Yes it's true.
Also higher concentrations of Bio are supposed to be very hard on some older seal compounds, so Chrysler recommends staying with the B5 or B20 blends.
Bio has less BTU per volume so you should see slightly lower power & MPG when using Bio.
On the plus side, Bio comes friom a renewable resource, and that means less money going overseas to OPEC.

 

I agree with everything previously said except the part about decreased mileage. Running a B-20 mix or higher usually results in increased mileage due to lubricty issues being somewhat better than straight #2. In my own experience I went from 21.2 to over 23 mpg on a 20% mixture. I don't think I've heard of mileage going down when using BD in everything I've seen and read.

 

I wouldn't trust your mpg numbers unless they were done on a dyno, there are just too many variables.

I've been working in the research end of Bio for over ten years. Several years ago when researching the effects of BD on different engines we had a bank of thirty different types and sizes of engines running 24/7 under load with varying refinery made BD percentages. There were no engines, including Cummins, that didn't show decreased power output and increased fuel consumption with BD concentrations above 20%. As the BD percentage increased the power and consumption graphs were almost a straight downward trending line reflecting the percentage of BD.

Simple fact is BD contains less BTUs, average 118,000 vs. #2 diesel's 130,500 BTUs.

 

Doesn't the BTU's of bio depend on the base stock? WHich oils would give the highest BTU's?

Edwin

 

when I managed to get some b5 I got about 2 mpg more on my truck. I have not found any where to buy b20 , b50 or on up.

 

I wonder if there is some quality of the blends which makes for better burning or perhaps it cleans your injectors and improves things.

Edwin

 

anyone know if any of the various additives would increase btu's to offset the difference?

 

It would be GREAT if an additive would raise the BTU content of Biodiesel. No such thing though. It may be against the laws of physics?

 

Dude, you have the coolest job...
So, I have to ask, did you test any vehicles that were running on SVO? SVO's supposed to have more BTU's, isn't it?

Another thing is that, since bioDiesel has a higher cetane value than #2, couldn't you increase compression to counteract the lower power?

 

No vehicles, just engines. Much of the funding back then (1999) was coming from the BD industry, they weren't interested in SVO. Every engine manufacturer we asked donated engines for the study. After 2500 hours they were sent back, torn down and inspected. Aside from some seal damage on Kubota diesels all engines checked out with less wear than would be expected running straight #2. Engines were run under 90% rated load for equal portions of their 2500 hours with B5, B20, B50, B75 and B100.
The building the engines were housed in was a very noisy place...

I'm sure there are additives that could increase BTUs but doubt they would be cost effective.

The goal of the BD industry is to produce a fuel that is nearly identical to petro diesel without requiring engine modifications. Chemically, BD is an approximation of petro fuel. In some situations, like running older generation diesels in warm weather, it is a pretty good approximation in terms of performance characteristics. In other situations, like running an '05 CRI in cold weather, its performance characteristics are not at all a good approximation.

We need to acknowledge the reality that biodiesel is not yet a complete substitute for petro diesel. From all my investigations into this subject, it seems clear that the solution to this issue is chemistry. BD must be changed so that it better mimics petro diesel in terms of performance characteristics. Here is an opportunity for someone or some organization to really make a difference: Do the research and experimentation necessary to develop additives or some other way to alter the chemical makeup biodiesel so that it performs more like petro diesel.
It will eventually happen...

 

I can't say that I've seen any appreciable difference in fuel mileage running bio against good old dino #2. Up or down. I usually run around B20 - B30, sometimes more, sometimes less. I refuse to pay the higher cost of local B100/99 to run those higher concentrations, so maybe thats where those lower mpg figures come from.

I don't have any dyno, but do have real-world documentation of every fill-up I've done with the truck, and I am pretty consistent in my fill-up procedures.

I just wish I had some closer local sources to purchase BIO from.

 

I have read that bio produces less BTU and that shows up in seat of the pants feeling of less power but to tell the truth I don't notice it. I'm sure it's the case but the way I drive I don't feel it. I almost always have 5K in the bes so I'm in no hurry.

My biggest problem is since I run B100 I can't go into the Sierra in the winter without worrying about gelling up. Next winter I will be running fuel that might work better, has to do with the process of making it.

 

Same here. I have had B100 in the tank for 2 weeks now, for the first time. I figured I would notice a definate power decrease, but no difference from #2.

 

I notice in my truck that, first off, it seems to have more pep. Not more power. It RUNS BETTER, smoother going down the road. Secondly, it's noticably quieter. And, after checking my mileage again when I filled it up last evening with B-99 to maintain about a B-20 mix in my tank, my mileage is STILL better by 2 mpg than it was running #2. I don't need a dyno to fill up my truck and divide that by the number of miles I drove to "prove" my mileage....my mileage HAS improved. And after looking almost everywhere again, I still can't find anything that says the mpg will decrease running a BD mixture. On the contrary, there's plenty of mention of a slight improvement, even anecdotally on various other forums as well as this one, of mpg improvements however slight, especially in our CTD trucks. Long as I can prove & understand something to myself, that's good enough for me. Chuck