Abstract
The cause of instability in marine diesel fuels was investigated by ageing several fuels at 65 °C for various periods. Aged and unaged fuel samples were chromatographically separated into acid, base and neutral fractions, and the fractions were analysed in detail to obtain a clearer understanding of the mechanism of colour change and sediment formation. The results suggest that oxidation of neutral compounds to polar intermediates may be a major pathway for sediment formation and darkening of marine diesel fuels. Considerable loss of polar compounds, both those originally present and those newly formed, to sediment was also found. Within a compound class, the more aromatic higher molecular weight members were observed to be the most active in sediment formation.
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