Abstract
The long-term chemical stability of diesel fuel during storage is one of the key factors, which enable the proper operation of the combustion engine and, therefore, may prolong its life. The progressive degradation of particular components of diesel can affect negatively their physicochemical parameters, what, in turn, entails the issues with regular work and performance of the engines and influences adversely the composition of the exhaust. Moreover, the ageing results in the formation of high molecular polymers that form troublesome sediments which cover the bottom of the container and disrupt the injection of the fuel to the combustion chamber. The present study was aimed to investigate the changes in the chemical composition of the conventional petroleum diesel fuel stored with unrestricted air access under UV irradiation (λ = 254 nm). The changes in the chemical composition were determined by means of gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The changes in the crucial physicochemical parameters, namely: density, viscosity, flash point, cloud point, cetane number, cetane index, and distillation characteristic, caused by the photochemical degradation of diesel components, were discussed with regard to the changes in the molecular composition of diesel.
Highlights
The use of diesel oil in the transportation sector has an unambiguously negative impact on the environment, this fuel still remains the leader in terms of consumption among all the commercial liquid fuels
The irradiated sample exhibited slight turbidity and the formation of certain amounts of gums, what arises from the presence of a relatively high concentration of insoluble oxygenates and polymerization of unsaturated compounds
It was found that the UV irradiation influenced severely the pivotal physicochemical parameters of diesel
Summary
The use of diesel oil in the transportation sector has an unambiguously negative impact on the environment, this fuel still remains the leader in terms of consumption among all the commercial liquid fuels. In 2017 the diesel’ car share in the EU market reached approximately 44% [1]. Petrodiesel is a complex mixture of saturated hydrocarbons (n- and isoparaffins as well as naphthenes), aromatics, and olefins that typically contain 10–20 carbon atoms in the molecule. The base fossil diesel is composed of the fractions obtained by the primary and secondary processing of crude oil [3]
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