OREANDA-NEWS. Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) have found a way to produce Arctic diesel fuel from winter, and winter from off-season. The effect was obtained by using a heavy diesel fraction and a low-temperature additive. The authors believe that the new fuel formulations will be of great practical importance for countries developing the Arctic. The results of the study are published in the journal Oil & Gas Science and Technology - Revue d'ifp Energies Nouvelles.

Operation of equipment in winter and Arctic conditions requires the use of low-carbon grades of diesel fuel. Their production is becoming more complicated every year due to the depletion of light oil reserves and the involvement in the processing of increasingly heavy raw materials and fractions obtained at oil recycling facilities.

According to TPU specialists, today additives are mainly used to produce different brands of diesel fuel suitable for use in winter and in the Arctic territories. Most research papers in this field are devoted to the synthesis of new, more effective additives.
However, there are cases when additives that have shown their effectiveness in laboratory studies do not have any effect on the fuel in practice. This can lead to extremely negative consequences — the inability to use vehicles, stopping diesel power generators.

TPU scientists conducted a study and showed the feasibility of expanding the raw material base of diesel fuel production by involving heavy diesel fraction and using a low-temperature additive. As a result, they proposed new recipes for the production of diesel fuel for use in winter and Arctic conditions.