Comparative Study of Light Cycle Oil and Naphthalene as an Adequate Additive to Improve the Stability of Marine Fuels

Abstract

Post the enforcement of the Global Sulphur Cap 2020, large amounts of marine fuel have been produced as a mixture of two or more components to achieve a sulfur level of less than 0.5 wt %. This has led to the wider use of diluents or cutter stocks from different origins to comply with the quality requirements of the ISO 8217 standard. These can often be bio- or alternative components with a lower level of stability. This makes it crucial to select components that are compatible and form a homogeneous mixture. The ISO 8217 standard provides commercial and operational protection; however, the stability of the fuel deteriorates over time. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an adequate component or additive to improve the colloidal stability of marine fuels. A set of laboratory-prepared samples was used to verify the positive effects of the addition of a light cycle oil and also a newly developed additive (containing 30 wt % naphthalene as the simple diaromatic hydrocarbon in tetralin). The prepared fuels (with effective additive dosage), when stored for 60 days, maintained the total sediment accelerated (TSA) parameters, confirming the stability of the fuels. The additive converted the unsaleable fuel into fuel that complied with the requirements of ISO 8217. The developed additive can be used for industrial applications in marine fuel production.