Advice for Red Diesel Users
Advice for Red Diesel Users
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Red diesel has two grades BS 2869 - Class A2 or Class D. It has many other names including: gas oil, cherry juice, cherry red, agricultural diesel, 35 seconds, medium
When diesel is bulk stored without treatment for longer than 6-12 months it can become contaminated. Dirty fuel ultimately is a threat to your critical systems, loss of standby power, business continuity and could cost thousands in damage if left untreated. Contaminants in your stored fuel are incredibly harmful to emergency generators and their ageing infrastructures as it can damage clog filters, fuel injectors and if your tank has layers of build-up it can cause detrimental oil spills from tank/pipe failure and overfills.
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Our Fuel Grades
LCM Environmental Categorise Fuels Into 5 Standard Grades.
Our sampling and testing service analyses the water, particulate and chemicals, checking the quality of your stored fuel and determines next steps which could include: fuel cleaning, fuel uplifting or a new supply.
We have designed a methodology to categorise fuels into 5 standard grades, based upon a range of factors which can be tested. This simple, but very effective approach helps us to work with our clients to make compliant solutions.
- Refinery quality fuel
- Fully specified ISO and British Standard quality
- Cherry Red in colour
- Water below 100 ppm
- No visible particulate
- Cetane Level 45
- Starts to degrade almost immediately fuel is stored in tank
- Maximum shelf life of around 6 months at this grade
- Can be used for any Gas Oil requirement
- Stored fuel (more than 6 months)
- Slight darkening in colour from particulate contamination
- Still within ISO and BS quality
- Water levels below 200ppm
- Maximum shelf life of 18 months at this grade, assuming additive
- Can be used for any Gas Oil requirement
- Stored Fuel (more than 18 months)
- May fall outside of Gas Oil standards
- Water levels may be above 200ppm
- Fuel darker red from higher particulate content
- Possible small quantities of visible particle contamination or free water at bottom of sample
- Not recommended for any use in critical environment or in combustion engine (Generator etc)
- Fuel darker red from higher particulate content
- Flash point levels likely to be reduced, hence higher chance of dirty burning carbon build up
- Still generally usable for boiler / heating applications)
- Fuel polishing can bring the fuel back to Grade 2 and within ISO standards
- Long term stored fuel
- Much darker colouring of fuel from particle contamination
- Likely to see levels of both fungal contamination and free water at bottom of sample
- Sample likely to be slightly cloudy, due to water particles suspended in fuel
- Will cause significant damage and likely failure in critical applications
- Likely to cause filter clogging issues for heating or boiler applications)
- Fuel polishing may be able to bring fuel to Grade 2 (depending on levels of degradation)
- Very long term stored fuel
- High visible contamination
- More grey than red in colour
- Should be consigned as waste
- Unlikely suitable for fuel polishing
- Often found at very bottom of tanks with cleaner fuel above
- Should never be used as Gas Oil, will damage boiler and cause failure
We partner with an external organisation, who test and send us a report on fuel samples. This is to ensure we remain impartial, it’s proved to be a valuable resource that builds further trust between us and our clients.
Did You Know:
Complete Transparency and Awareness.
To have absolute transparency and awareness of your whole fuel environment you can also test your tank.
Tank Testing
Fuel Polishing
If your fuel sample and testing highlights your fuel is out of specification as it contains high levels of suspended water or particulate contamination, we can clean, filter and polish your stored fuel back to Class A2 Refinery grade specification for both water and particulate.
In general terms, more than 90% of contamination can be found in the bottom 10% of the tank! We have a range of specialist probes, pipes and pumps that draw up this section of the tank enabling us to filter your fuel more effectively.
Once we’ve filtered it, we’ll take another sample to test. This cross-check process verifies that your fuel is fit-for-purpose for any form of critical application, for example a standby power generation or an emergency sprinkler system to ISO standard.
Our systems are capable of processing more than 100,000 litres in a single day! We have a range of fuel cleaning platforms, giving us options for any project whatever the size and nature of the fuel to be cleaned.
Once the contaminated fuel is removed, we will provide a full report and waste certification, under the terms of its EA waste permit licence for evidence that your fuel is maintained by specialists and you’ll have ‘peace of mind’ it’s reliable.
There are many reasons to consider why your stored fuel needed filtering, polishing and cleaning. It could just be part of your regular proactive maintenance plan or it could be because of a wider issue that your tank and its infrastructure needs testing and cleaning which is why you’ve experienced fuel that’s out of specification.
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Fuel Uplift
We are also fully licenced with all the specialist skills, equipment and experience to uplift fuel from the tank in order to remove fuel and transfer to: either other tanks on site, an alternative site all together or for complete removal.
Fuel removal (where it is not transferred to another site and tank) depending on the quality of the fuel, can be chargeable if it is of waste standard. If the fuel is of a higher quality, we will be able to offer a rebate against the uplifted fuel, assuming it has a resale value.
There are a number of reasons that the fuel may require uplifting from the tank to remove or transfer. Such as:
- Fuel is redundant because of a change in your requirements.
- Fuel is badly contaminated and cannot be cleaned on site. Tank cleaning…
- Fuel is no longer of high enough quality for required application (for example standby power generation) Tank testing and cleaning…
- Tank is required for repairing. Tank repairs…
- The tank is damaged and leaking and needs decommissioning…
With our specialist team, we can advise and guide you through what is necessary for a compliant and safe solution.
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Fuel Supply
We can supply nationally all commercial organisations with red diesel (gas oil), white diesel (DERV), GreenD+ (Hydrotreated enhanced vegetable oil, HVO) fuel, kerosene, industrial heating oil, domestic heating oil and lubricants,
You may require a new supply of fuel if your sample has detailed fuel that’s not within specification and unable to be cleaned or if you’ve recently installed a new fuel infrastructure because it’s been decommissioned as it’s unserviceable or perhaps you’re upgrading to an environmentally greener system.
Purchasing your fuel with us is easy. You can order your fuel over the phone or email.
Did You Know:
Our services can be delivered on an ad hoc basis.
However, to fully mitigate risk and remove the hassle, we’d recommend putting your trust in us with our ‘Preventative, Planned Maintenance’ service.
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HVO Green D+
If you’re making the leap into a more sustainable and environmentally conscious energy usage system – we can help.
We can support you whether it be to uplift the redundant fuel, clean your tank or install a new system and decommission unnecessary infrastructure. Whilst also supplying you with a greener renewable fuel called Green D+ as an alternative to traditional diesel.
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UK wide environmental risk mitigation business LCM announce the integration of the team from IIS Tech, an environmental compliance and interceptor organisation.
UK wide environmental risk mitigation business LCM announce the integration of the team from IIS Tech, an environmental compliance and interceptor organisation.
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LCM Environmental is a leading fuel and tank infrastructure servicing company working with commercial and public sector clients of all sizes. Operating from multiple sites across the UK, last week
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