Differences in winter blend diesel fuel and summer blend diesel fuel goes back to almost 100 years of improvements. Though we can’t explain year-by-year we narrowed it down to three different factors. The first is its chemical structure and how it’s made up. Second, how on and off-road vehicles affected the development of diesel and third are its efficiency in winter months.
In the mid 1920s, during the industrial revolution the vehicles and machines responsible for manufacturing everything needed something that can power them quickly. Diesel soon became the liquid that on and off-road vehicles would use to power its machines.
Our first difference is diesel fuel’s chemical structure. Diesel back in the 1920s used to be way different that it is today. You can certainly say it is much more environmentally friendly, to say the least it’s 100 times more environmentally friendly.
Originally, Diesel when introduced had very high-sulfur fuel. This was due to its need to lubricate the machines while making them run. Fast forward 80 years diesel has been regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is now much cleaner with its ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) standards. Meaning, vehicles running today have very little sulfur content in its chemical structure. However, this was different for on road and off-road vehicles up until 2006.
In 2006, on road vehicles were required to have ULSD and off-road to have low sulfur diesel. This made the possibility for vehicles such as tractors to still use the benefits of diesel with higher sulfur content. However since 2011, all on or off-road diesel vehicles are required by the EPA to have ULSD operating their vehicles. Good news for the environment but the efficiency comes with a price.
The introduction of ULSD meant changing the structure of diesel to make it run during the summer and winter months.
Being ULSD brings us to our last point and that is its ability to keep diesel liquid in colder temperatures. Sulfur being out of the equation without proper additive during cold temperatures ULSD tends to gel making it difficult to start a diesel engine in the winter months. Manufactures have developed various additives to offset the change in diesel fuel. As future development is constantly improved diesel fuel will remain lower sulfur for a long time.
In conclusion, the three main things different in diesel fuel during the winter and summer changes are the progression of chemical structures, the on road and off-road use of diesel and the ability of diesel fuel to remain liquid in colder temperatures. Just remember during the winter months if you use ULSD in your truck, add some diesel additive. Doing so, will make those cold mornings less of a headache.
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