Disheartening study: More than half of diesel fuel at Ukrainian gas stations won’t withstand frosts en

Cold weather is coming to Ukraine, and a significant drop in temperature, as is known, negatively affects the characteristics of diesel fuel. ‘Diesel’ at low temperatures stops ‘flowing’, can turn into ‘jelly’, and eventually, the car will stop moving. That is why its quality is so important during frosts.

Moreover, during the war, the quality issue of ‘diesel’ is generally strategic, as not only transport infrastructure but also the Armed Forces are working on it. In addition, many enterprises and critical infrastructure facilities are currently heavily dependent on diesel generators, which operate during power outages. Due to poor-quality fuel, a generator will fail much faster than a car engine, and repairing it is difficult and expensive.

The fuel market, including diesel fuel, has been reformatted over the months of war, enduring the crisis of changing supply channels and resource shortages. Specialists from the Institute of Consumer Expertise, who conducted a large study of diesel fuel at Ukrainian gas stations, checked if it could withstand a quality examination.

This time, the sampling took place nationwide, selecting 19 samples of ‘regular’ diesel fuel in the following networks – OKKO, WOG, SOCAR, SHELL, KLO, PRIME, ZOG, AVIAS, AMIC, AVANTAGE 7, CHIPO, BVS, BRSM-nafta, Neftek, U.GO, BILL OIL, ENERGO-EXPRESS, PATRIOT, EURO 5. In addition, samples of premium grades of diesel fuel were purchased in some networks, namely Pulls Diesel Arctic OKKO, Mustang +WOG, Ventus Diesel KLO, Nano Extro SOCAR, and Euro + BRSM-nafta. This fuel is more expensive than ‘regular’ diesel and is usually positioned as ‘Arctic’ grade fuel, with a very high freezing temperature.

In the laboratory, all samples were tested for compliance with DSTU for the most important parameters: pour point, flash point in a closed cup, and sulfur content.

Experts divided the results obtained in the laboratory into zones – green and red. The first included networks whose results met all standards and had a ‘margin of safety’ for quality, while the red zone included networks where fuel did not meet the standards of the current DSTU. Note that during wartime, it is allowed to sell fuel even of the outdated EURO 3 standard, so formally, participants in the red zone are ‘in law’. Here everyone should draw their conclusions independently.

Green Zone (standard diesel fuel)

Of the total 19 samples of ‘regular’ diesel fuel, only 8 networks managed to enter the group of leaders. Fuel from SOCAR, OKKO, WOG, KLO, PRIME, ZOG, AVANTAGE 7, and CHIPO met all the requirements of DSTU 7688:2015. So, first, the main parameter for drivers – frost resistance, was checked. In the leading group, ‘standard’ diesel withstands minus 20 (ZOG, AVANTAGE 7), minus 21 (KLO), minus 22 (PRIME, CHIPO), minus 23 and 24 is held by diesel from OKKO and SOCAR. WOG is a record holder – minus 26, which is almost an ‘Arctic’ value.

Another important parameter is the flash point of diesel fuel. This indicator can give an answer, whether foreign components got into the fuel. The standard is not lower than 55 degrees Celsius. The best result was shown by the SOCAR sample (70 °C), other participants also had a ‘reserve’ (WOG 67 °C, OKKO 65 °C). Such results are a clear marker of factory fuel origin.

And what about the main enemy of the environment and the fuel system – sulfur? Sulfur ‘kills’ converters and particulate filters, and removing it from fuel is quite a complex and expensive process. In addition, sulfur is a dangerous substance, whose oxides enter the air with exhaust, and then we breathe them on the streets. According to Ukrainian standards (similar to Euro 5), the sulfur content in fuel is allowed to be no more than 10 mg/kg. In all participants of the green zone, harmful sulfur was below the standard, the least – in PRIME ‘Eurodiesel’ (6 mg/kg), as well as in KLO and SOCAR (7 mg/kg each).

Red Zone

This time the red zone of outsiders turned out to be, unfortunately, very large. Samples from 11 networks in one or another parameter did not meet the standards of the profile DSTU. In terms of frost resistance, 8 samples did not pass the cold test. The standard is not higher than minus 20 °C. Some deviations are insignificant (SHELL, Neftek, U.GO minus 18-19 °C), while in others the situation is much sadder. In particular, diesel fuel in the AVIAS network will stop being pumped through filters already at minus 11 °C, BILL OIL – minus 9 °C, and AMIC fuel will freeze at minus 7 °C!

The flash point did not meet the standard in samples from AMIC, BRSM-nafta, BILL OIL, ENERGY-EXPORT, and PATRIOT. The ‘record holder’, the sample from ENERGY-EXPORT, was found to have 20 °C while the standard is no lower than 55 °C!! Such results may indicate non-factory origin of fuel and also significantly increase the risk of its flammability. As is known, the lower the flash point, the higher the probability of its ignition in case of an accident or other exceptional circumstances.

Sulfur is also a problem for outsiders. More than 10-fold excess was recorded in the networks BRSM-nafta, BILL OIL, PATRIOT, and ENERGY-EXPORT. Moreover, the latter had a ‘solid’ excess of 32 times (!). It seems that the fuel of these networks was produced at mini-refineries where the depth of processing leaves much to be desired.

Premium diesel fuel

Many motorists are interested in whether it is worth overpaying for a ‘branded’ grade? It can be said with absolute confidence that in the case of diesel fuel – definitely yes. Experts found that almost all ‘premium’ samples turned out to be genuinely Arctic, even with a ‘reserve’. How networks manage to find the scarce diesel fuel of Arctic class in Europe is a mystery. But the fact is that it is indeed coming to Ukraine on a commercial scale. The highest freezing temperature is in the Pulls Diesel Arctic OKKO sample (minus 36 °C). Mustang + WOG, Nano Extro SOCAR withstood freezing to minus 35 °C, Ventus Diesel KLO – minus 33°C. But Euro + BRSM-nafta did not even reach the ‘standard’ diesel standard – only minus 19 °C. For sulfur, the best indicators are in the Nano Extro SOCAR sample (4 mg/kg) and Pulls Diesel Arctic OKKO (5 mg/kg).

Conclusions

After a period of great fuel deficit, there are no problems with diesel availability now, which is good news. But the quality of the product sold does not always evoke positive emotions. The study showed that there are quite a few quality violations, even if they are not always significant. Therefore, it is still worth trusting networks that do not compromise on quality. And if the frosts hit harder, you should only refuel with Arctic grades to avoid stopping in a distant field.

Oleksandr Babenko

DIESEL EURO

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