Comfort Line - Questions and Answers

This quarter, our "Questions and Answers" segment discusses how heating oil is produced, the properties of heating oil and fuel quality issues.

How are heating oil and other fuels refined out of crude oil?

Crude oil is placed in a refinery tower called a fractionating tower. The crude oil is then heated to approximately 700° F and petroleum products are siphoned off the tower at various levels-gasoline near the top, then kerosene and jet fuel, heating oil and diesel fuel, lubricating oils and residual fuels. Depending upon the properties of the crude oil, this process will naturally generate a certain amount of each type of petroleum product. The products that are produced in this manner are called "straight run products." In the 1940s, the petroleum industry began cracking petroleum products, using catalysts to force more of a particular product, such as gasoline, out of the barrel. This catalytic cracking process changes the percentage of each barrel allocated to the various fuels, and causes the petroleum products to become unstable.

What is the difference between heating oil and diesel fuel?

Heating oil and diesel fuel are essentially the same product. Today, from a practical standpoint, there are only three differences:

1. Diesel fuel, for on road use, has a lower sulfur content than heating oil.
2. Heating oil is dyed with red dye
3. During the winter months, diesel fuel is sometimes cut or diluted with kerosene to improve its winter performance.

How is heating oil affected by the cold?

The pour point of heating oil is 0°F and the cloud point is 10°F. Therefore when outdoor temperatures drop below 10° F, heating oil starts to become thick and its ability to flow can be affected. For this reason, Hart & Iliff adds a Cold Flow Improver to outdoor, above ground heating oil tanks so that cold oil problems can be minimized.

Is it dangerous to store heating oil in your home?

No, heating oil is combustible, but not flammable. This is why building codes allow it to be stored in the basement of a home. The flash point of heating oil is 140°F. This means that heating oil will not burn until it is heated to 140°F Therefore, it is perfectly safe to store it in your home.

What is the energy content of the various petroleum products?

The energy content, as measured in British Thermal Units (BTU's), of various petroleum products is as follows:
Propane
91,300 BTU's per gallon
Gasoline
118,000 BTU's per gallon
Kerosene & Jet Fuel
132,000 BTU's per gallon
Heating Oil & Diesel Fuel
140,000 BTU's per gallon
The accompanying chart summarizes the above.

How is fuel quality affected by the Ultrablend additive package used by Hart & Iliff?

The catalytic cracking of petroleum products (which is the norm today) causes all the products in the petroleum complex to become less stable. Straight run products and catalytically cracked petroleum products look the same when they come out of the refinery However, over time, due to the stress of the refinery process, the paraffins in catalytically cracked petroleum products will begin to separate, adversely affecting quality of the fuel. Ultrablend contains stabilizers that prevent paraffin separation thereby maintaining the quality of the product. For a more complete discussion of the advantages of Ultrablend Heating Oil, click here.