Posts Tagged ‘diesel exhaust fluid colorado’

Relive the thrill of Denny Hamlin’s victory along with the rest of the Sights and Sounds from Martinsville.

About Pynergy Petroleum Company

Pynergy Petroleum Company was founded in August 1999 when it acquired three Conoco Branded retail locations in the Denver, CO area.  Since then, Pynergy has been devoted to providing high quality fuels, lubricants, diesel exhaust fluid, equipment and service to the automotive, heavy duty and industrial markets.  Please visit us at www.pynergypetroleum.com

This is a nice article by Barbara Francella regarding the landscape of Diesel Exhaust Fluid supply and acceptance. 

Eyes on DEF

By Barbara Grondin Francella

January 11, 2010 – As new trucks equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) begin hitting the nation’s roads, truck stops serving them and other diesel fuel retailers are trying to get a handle on their role as sellers of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), a solution of purified water and urea the trucks use to reduce their Nitrous Oxide emissions.

With most major truck makers meeting new Environmental Protection Agency standards by equipping heavy-duty trucks with SCR, which require a 3-percent DEF-to-diesel-fuel ratio, early industry estimates put 2010 demand for DEF at 60 million gallons. But the devastating impact the recession has had on the trucking industry has many industry watchers believing much less DEF will be used, at least in the next year.

“DEF demand might hit 30 million or 40 million gallons in 2010,” said Dan Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America. “If trucking companies advance-order the 2009 models without SCR — we’ve seen from past behavior they are leery of new technology and try to buy up existing inventory — the demand may be delayed until 2011.”

As a significant number of trucks sit idle, trucking companies are facing capital constraints, while owning fleets with lower mileage than anticipated, noted Rich Moskowitz, vice president of the American Trucking Associations, based in Arlington, Va. “The new truck numbers for 2009 were down significantly and we haven’t seen a significant pre-buy in anticipation of the new 2010 engines and their associated price premiums,” he said. “But even in a bad year, 90,000 trucks will be purchased. There will be demand for DEF, though maybe not as robust as initially estimated.”

The 2010 trucks with SCR, which sell at a $9,000 premium, promise more fuel efficiency, Moskowitz noted, a feature that may drive demand. “Depending on the fuel savings, that $9,000 investment could be recouped over time, but that will depend upon the price of DEF and diesel fuel and the number of miles traveled.”

A large percentage of SCR systems will be in local delivery trucks, not large over-the-road (OTR) trucks, Gilligan noted. “Those smaller fleet companies will probably store DEF at their facilities and refill on an as-needed basis. One question is how many of the trucks with new engines in these fleets will go to cardlocks? Truck stops will serve OTR haulers.”

Most travel centers are likely to meet demand by selling 2.5-gallon containers of DEF, which will supplement a driver’s need until they get back to their shop. “But demand at this point is a big mystery,” Gilligan said.

For heavy-duty OTR trucks — averaging six miles per gallon of diesel — one gallon of DEF would be required for every 300 miles traveled. At this rate, a truck traveling 120,000 miles annually would require approximately 400 gallons of DEF per year. With trucks expected to have on-board urea tanks of 15 to 30 gallons, drivers will not have to add DEF each time they refuel, though many may top off their DEF tanks each time they stop to fuel up.

Because urea is a commodity, the retail price of DEF is expected to fluctuate, perhaps varying as much $4 per gallon (from $2 to $6, for instance), depending on the quantity purchased, according to a fact sheet published by the American Truckers Associations.

The choice for retailers: sell 2.5-gallon jugs in the store, invest in aboveground bulk storage containers or underground tanks and DEF pumps?

While some fuel pump manufacturers are working to eliminate additional pumping devices on the diesel island by integrating DEF dispensing, until demand ramps up, few players are expected to invest heavily in them.

With just a few test trucks and the latest generation of Mercedes with the BlueTec exhaust system needing DEF, “there is very little demand out there right now,” one diesel fuel retailer said.

Big truck stop player TravelCenters of America LLC (TA) is taking an economical approach to DEF retailing. All of its 232 TravelCenters of America and Petro Stopping Center stores now sell 2.5-gallon jugs. The product also is available to the retailer’s 400 RoadSquad emergency roadside assistance vehicles, which could assist truckers who run out of DEF while on the highway.

Last May, the operator unveiled a DEF dispensing unit at its Ann Arbor, Mich., heavy truck repair facility, a move the company said was the first certified retail bulk dispensing unit in the country.

Putting the DEF additive indoors at TA’s repair facility allows the retailer to solve product-freezing issues. The challenge: DEF is temperature sensitive. When stored between 10 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, DEF can be stored for at least one year. But DEF freezes below 12 degrees Fahrenheit, though freezing and thawing doesn’t degrade DEF.

Perhaps a greater issue in some climates is heat. Exposing DEF to temperatures of above 90 degrees for an extended period of time will reduce its shelf life.

“If we are talking about DEF storage in the South during the summer, the temperature often exceeds 90 degrees during the day, but usually falls below that at night, which will not impact shelf life too dramatically,” Moskowitz said. “If it is stored at more than 90 degrees for an extended period of time, shelf life becomes an issue.”

Pilot Travel Centers is installing bulk retail DEF pumps at 100 of its 307 locations. As of October, the chain had 18 sites installed and expected to have 30 completed by the end of the year, according to Alan W. Wright, Pilot’s vice president of supply and distribution. The other 70 were scheduled for installation no later than midyear 2010. The retail price of DEF at the pump: $2.79 per gallon as of press time.

Still, with each pumping station costing approximately $30,000, the return-on-investment right now doesn’t necessarily “make sense,” Wright admitted. “Demand is very low and will be low for a couple of years until the 2010 and later trucks get on the road. For Pilot it is an investment to provide a service to our customers.”

A driver, Moskowitz said, will want to get his DEF as conveniently as possible. “If the driver has to refuel diesel and then pull the truck somewhere else and mess with DEF jugs, but there are competing stations on his route with DEF at the pump, that will probably affect the decision of where he purchases fuel.”

Gilligan predicts most truck stops and cardlocks will have at least one DEF dispenser per location within the next two or three years.

Whatever the delivery method, Moskowitz advises truck stop operators to sell high-quality DEF. “I understand you can save a few nickels making DEF yourself, but it has very tight tolerances and our members will be looking for high-quality product. The API [American Petroleum Institute] certification, a voluntary program that monitors DEF quality, becomes important.”

About Pynergy Petroleum Company

Pynergy Petroleum Company was founded in August 1999 when it acquired three Conoco Branded retail locations in the Denver, CO area.  Since then, Pynergy has been devoted to providing high quality fuels, lubricants, diesel exhaust fluid, equipment and service to the automotive, heavy duty and industrial markets.  Please visit us at www.pynergypetroleum.com

The following is a video by the CBS Early Show regarding the recent Toyota recall.  Also included is an article by Gordon Gibb regarding more specific details on what models and years are impacted by the Toyota recall.

New York, NY: If it has happened before, few can remember and at best it’s an extremely rare occurrence: the idling of Toyota production plants in an effort to secure sufficient parts to take care of 2.3 recalled vehicles.

That exceeds the manufacturer’s total output last year. What’s more, the recall even affects General Motors (GM), given that the Pontiac Vibe is essentially the same car as the Toyota Matrix. The Vibe was included in the massive recall announced yesterday, however in view of the recent decision to halt production of Pontiac vehicles and shut down the brand altogether, GM is not having to bastardize parts from an active assembly line.

But that’s what Toyota has to do—in fact, halt production just so there are enough parts to go around.

The issue is the sticking accelerator pedal that has been in the news so much of late, ever since a horrendous crash in the summer of 2009 that caused several deaths in one family. The accident was blamed on a sticking accelerating pedal that caused the late-model Toyota-made vehicle to race along a busy freeway, out of control.

The accident caused many current Toyota owners to come forward with horror stories of their own. Initially, Toyota blamed the sticking accelerator problem on the improper installation of floor mats, amidst reports that consumers had experienced the same problem with the floor mats not present.

Now, those consumers will feel vindicated.

According to a report this morning on CNNMoney.com, the new recall announced yesterday is separate from on ongoing recall of 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles due to the risk of pedal entrapment because of a loose floor mat. The latter remains an issue, although with the announcement late yesterday of an expanded recall, it is not the only issue.

Toyota maintains that the sticking pedal syndrome, for lack of a better term, is rare and can occur when the accelerator pedal mechanism becomes worn. Toyota spokesperson Brian Lyons said the pedal might become harder to press when engaged and slower to return when released. A worst-case scenario is when it may stick in a partially depressed position.

The recall affects Toyota’s 2009-2010 RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, certain 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.

As part of the recall effort, Toyota asked its dealers Tuesday to temporarily suspend sales of the eight models in question. The company is also halting production at plants located in Indiana, Kentucky and Texas—as well as Canada—during the week of February 1st, in an effort to “asses and co-ordinate activities,” according to a statement. Basically, the company is going to need the accelerator pedals now in stock and in use on the assembly line to fix the cars currently on the road and driven by consumers.

In Canada, production of the Corolla and Matrix will be idled at a plant in Cambridge, while the RAV4 sport utility will shut down for a week in nearby Woodstock. Both plants are located in Ontario.

In November Toyota recalled 4.2 million vehicles with regard to concerns with sticking accelerator pedals in conjunction with ill-fitting floor mats. Tuesday’s recall involved 2.3 million vehicles.

Toyota sold 1.8 million vehicles for 2009. Thus, the recall exceeds the manufacturer’s entire output for last year.

“Suspending sales and production is certainly good to reassure the public that they are serious about doing something, but too many jobs and lost sales are involved for this to be a PR stunt,” said Edmunds.com Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds, in a statement. “They must really be concerned about this being something other than a rare condition. Hopefully this means the fix is very close to being ready, because suspension of production and sales is not tolerable for very long.”

About Pynergy Petroleum Company

Pynergy Petroleum Company was founded in August 1999 when it acquired three Conoco Branded retail locations in the Denver, CO area.  Since then, Pynergy has been devoted to providing high quality fuels, lubricants, diesel exhaust fluid, equipment and service to the automotive, heavy duty and industrial markets.  Please visit us at www.pynergypetroleum.com

This is a great piece that was put together by Paratherm Corporation regarding the importance of analyzing your heat transfer fluid.  Click the link below to receive a pdf version of this great overview of analyzing heat transfer fluid.

Thermal Fluid Analysis

About Pynergy Petroleum Company

Pynergy Petroleum Company was founded in August 1999 when it acquired three Conoco Branded retail locations in the Denver, CO area.  Since then, Pynergy has been devoted to providing high quality fuels, lubricants, diesel exhaust fluid, equipment and service to the automotive, heavy duty and industrial markets.  Please visit us at www.pynergypetroleum.com

This is an interesting press release about Pierce Manufacturing Fire Apparatus meeting the 2010 EPA Compliant Engine requirement for emissions reduction. 

APPLETON, Wis. (December 14, 2009) — Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, announced that testing for its new 2010 EPA compliant engines is on schedule. In recently completed validations on Pierce fire apparatus, the Detroit Diesel DD13™ engine has demonstrated up to five (5) percent better fuel economy than previous engines, while delivering up to 500 horsepower and 1650 ft-lbs of torque on-demand. This Detroit Diesel DD13 engine is only available through Pierce Manufacturing, and can be purchased on selected custom chassis vehicles later this year.

“It’s our mission to provide Pierce customers with safe, technologically advanced, reliable and environmentally friendly vehicles,” said Wilson Jones, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “We’re pleased to report that the DD13 engine has hit every benchmark set by our product development and validation testing team. This engine is designed to reduce emissions to near zero without compromising performance.”

The DD13 is an advanced design that offers seamless integration of BlueTec®* selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology that, according to the company’s test data, reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) engine emissions to near zero without compromising power, fuel economy or performance.

“We drove a pre-production DD13-equipped pumper over the Rocky Mountains through 10,000 foot elevations without any problems,” said Ken Kamprath, Pierce Manufacturing chief engineer – research and development. “We also conducted an array of cooling system and reliability tests that included pulling a 40,000-pound trailer up the renowned Baker Grade on the Nevada/California border. The vehicle ran smoothly and performed exceptionally well under those extreme conditions.”

Pierce and Detroit Diesel have developed proprietary emissions components that will have virtually no impact to wheelbase, cab and compartment space, or options on the vast majority of apparatus.

“Our onsite wind tunnel testing and reliability testing in Death Valley confirm that the Pierce – Detroit Diesel collaboration for 2010 engine compliance will provide our customers with the performance and reliability they’ve come to expect from Pierce apparatus,” added Jones. “Moreover, in most applications the DD13 engine will have no impact on how they can configure a vehicle.”

Detroit Diesel parent company, Daimler, has manufactured more than 200,000 SCR diesel trucks in Europe and around the world. SCR is a proven technology that works by injecting diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), a simple solution of water and urea, into the exhaust stream. DEF works with the heat of the exhaust and a catalyst to convert NOx into nitrogen and water vapor – two harmless and natural components of air. Utilizing SCR to reduce emissions allows the engine to produce efficient power and torque.