Is anyone able to compare the lubrication properties, please, of Jet A1 fuel, versus normal, white, road diesel?
I'm using the Jet A1, in a diesel heater, as a cheaper alternative. The suggestion is, that it needs to have oil added to the Jet A1, to make up for the lack of lubricity, for the dosing pump.
Don't know but the normal recommended replacement for diesel is heating oil. Presume you have a cheap or free source of Jet A1, whatever that is.
Heating oil is kerosene, as is also basically is Jet A1. Jet A1, is a fuel for aircraft jet engines, a slightly tweaked kerosene.
I've been struggling to find red diesel at the pumps at all, heating oil they try to charge more than the cost of white diesel for, in small quantities, though in bulk, it's only 60p per litre. I also have to drive a long way to collect it, making it not my while.
The Jet A1, I can buy for 94p, reasonably locally, without any fuss. There are suggestions, that the lubricity of Jet A1, might not be adequate, compared to diesel, so I'm asking..
I am already using it, neat, and it burns absolutely fine.
Could you throw some used cooking oil in?
Kerosene
It is true, Jet A1 has less lubricity than DERV oil.
see
Also
However the low pressures involved in a diesel heater pump will likely not cause problems (& they are cheap to replace), however not in your car.
HTH.
Avpx
Paraffin, kerosene, heating oil, jet fuel and diesel are all very very similar in makeup.
The differ a little in viscosity and impurity content. And have different additives to adapt them for the purpose.
Sometimes the words are used interchangeably. Sometimes the actual fuels are. A central heating boiler will burn just about all of the above.
A diesel will run on most of the above BUT not necessarily for a long time. Or in all weathers.
Diesel heater combustion chamber.
See page 28 - diesel heater, bio-diesel heater, and petrol, are different products
Paul
The fuel pumps in aircraft are obviously ok with Jet A1 without having to mix oil. So it probably depends on the pump design.
Maybe the ones in heaters are generic and designed to pump kero or diesel? It doesn't sound like a demanding application and if I were a heater manufacturer I'd not want to stock two pumps for the different fuels.
Theo
Especially high pressure direct injection engines with their extreme injection pressure where the fuel has to lubricate the pump.
would expect there to be a flame sensor or thermistor somewhere.
Yes. Also some fuels will attack lower pressure rubber seals
The glow pin, is surrounded by a fine mesh, onto which the fuel flows, which gets the burn started. Flame is detected, by checking the unpowered resistance of the pin, combined with a thermistor on the outer case. Combustion air, is blown into the burn chamber. Rate of burn, is controlled by a combination of varying the speed of the blower, plus the dosing pump tick speed.
A new pump is £10 or less & it's simple to replace. Might be cheaper to replace the pump every couple of years.
And presumably pumps on diesel heaters are a *long* way from pumps on
60,000 psi common rail engines?
I would definitely think so LOL!
Lifting pump in a car is around £70. High pressure pump more like £400
If it were me I’d just “suck it and see”. The pumps look to be cheap to replace if necessary and having to remember to add extra lubricant would be a bit of a faff.
If the first pump goes t*ts up in short order then sure, add extra lubricant.
Tim
+1
A replacement pump is probably going to cost less than oil in every tank.
Given that a usable electric pump for pumping kero can be had for £5.99 (see other thread) I don't think there's anything particularly complicated or precision in the pumps. It's not an engine injector pump.
Theo
That's what I said (only in fewer words).
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