As I was driving behind a large chain store I saw their emergancy diesel generator and fuel storage tank. This got me to thinking what do all these outfits, hospitals, cities, prisons, etc. do with the fuel that is stored in their tanks. I know that the generator is fired up and tested every so often but they don't do it often enough or long enough to keep a "fresh" supply of fuel in the tank.

The question is, what do these outfits do to keep the fuel from going bad?

This inquiring mind wants to know!

 

pump it out and use it as heating fuel..... not really sure, but thats what i think they would do with it......

oil suppliers could double the bang for the buck..... sell it twice

 

Most places I have seen do one of two things.
They either run on on natural gas.
Or they run the diesel generator for heating and sell the electricity back to the power company.

 

From the info I got over some years as long as you put a anti fungle agent in there is not a problum, diesel is spouse to be stable , but it can grow a fungus. I've had fuel sit for 6-8 yrs. with aditives and not have a problum.

 

My understanding and experience is that diesel used to store for a very long period with no degradation but in the refiner's efforts to squeeze every gallon of fuel out of a barrel of oil nowadays things have changed.
Article I read said that no diesel fuel tested, even with additives was up to specs after three months.
Doesn't mean it won't work, it's just not as good as it used to be.

 

I had two backup generators that I was responsable for in Texas, one was a v16 Detroit with a 500 gallon tank underneath, the other was a 350 Cummins with a 300 gallon tank underneath. I exersised the motors every Friday for 30 minutes.
I never put anything in the tanks just kept them topped off when needed and I never had a problem. Had them serviced once a quarter by Big diesel generator company in Houston, they didn't put anything in the tank either. The Cummins was 19 years old and the Detroit was 7 years old when I left and they where still running strong.

 

I know that Caterpillar recommend that the fuel not be more than one year old. There are other factors that enter in to it such as, are the fuel tanks inside? Does this plant use a system with a day tank and a storage tank? Is this a hospital plant or a building that has elevators, fire pumps etc. Up here you don't want to get caught with a power failure in 30 below with summer fuel in the outside storage tank.
Jim O