SFA International

Specialty Fuel Additives for Hydrocarbon Fuels

Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms
   
Aliphatic A class of organic compounds with the basic - CH2 - structure.  These are known as saturated compounds.
   
ANWAR Arctic National Wildlife Reserve
   
Aromatic A class of organic compounds with the basic - CH - structure.  The most simple example is benzene.  Aromatic compounds are carcinogenic.
   
Asphaltenes Condensed aromatic material occurring in petroleum products.   They are aromatic in nature and generally contain sulfur.
   
ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials.  This organization sets procedures and standards for testing products across a wide range of industries.
   
Barrel A unit of measurement for petroleum fluids.  It is equal to 42 U.S. gallons.
   
Bio-Diesel Fuel produced from fats and naturally occuring oil.  They are known as Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME).
   
Biogenic Products produced by life processes.  Ethanol made from corn would be a biogenic process.
   
Blender Net Production The amount of product produced by a refinery that is available for consumer use.
   
BTU British Thermal Unit.  A BTU is enough energy to heat one pound of water one degree Farenheit.
   
Carbon Dioxide The product of complete reaction in the combustion process of combining carbon with oxygen.  The molecule, CO2, contains one atom of carbon and two atoms of oxygen.
   
Carbon Monoxide A product of incomplete reaction in the combustion process of combining carbon with oxygen.  The molecule, CO, contains one atom of carbon and one atom of oxygen.  It emulates the oxygen molecule, O2, replacing it in tissue and causes death from oxygen starvation.
   
Catalyst A compound that changes the rate of a chemical reaction.  A catalyst can increase or decrease the rate of a reaction.
   
Cetane Improver An additive that raises the vapor pressure of Diesel fuel making it easier to burn.
   
Coal A carbon-containing fossil fuel.  The U.S. has the largest coal deposits in the world.  Coal can be used to manufacture liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
   
Combustion Catalyst An additive containing oil-soluble metals that improves combustion.  These products cause more complete combustion improving fuel efficiency, reduce particulate matter (smoke) and NOx in some cases.
   
Crude Oil Petroleum fluid as it comes from the ground.  Crude oil is the product of decomposition of organic matter from plants and animals.
   
Diesel Refers to Rudolph Diesel, 19th century inventor of the compression-ignited engine.  These types of engines are referred to as Diesel engines.  The word Diesel should always be capitalized as it refers to a proper name, contrary to some language experts.
   
Diesel Fuel ASTM No. 2 fuel.  This fuel has a lower vapor pressure and higher boiling point range than No. 1 fuel.
   
Distillate Product that evaporates with heat and (sometimes) vacuum to form higher vapor pressuer, low density products.  In the petroleum industry, this refers to all products removed from crude oil by distillation.
   
Emulsifiers Products that cause otherwise immisicible materials to combine.  Soaps and detergents are examples of demulsifiers.
   
Ethanol An alcohol with the formula CH3CH2OH.  This is the alcohol present in alcoholic beverages.
   
Export FAS Refers to Free Along Side Ship - Product price includes shipment from the manufacturing plant to the dock ready for loading on a ship.
   
Gasoline A high vapor pressure fuel with a low ignition temperature used in spark-ignited engines.  It is formulated from naptha.
   
Henry Hub A standard for pricing natural gas.  It is the price of natural gas in Erath, LA.  This is similar to prices for Diesel fuel and gasoline at the New York Harbor.
   
High-Speed Rail Passenger trains that are powered with electricity and generally operate in excess of 150 mph.  
   
Hybrid Vehicle A vehicle with an electric drive.  The electricity is supplied by a reciprocating engine powering a generator and batteries for electricity storage.
   
Hydrocarbon A class of organic compounds containing hydrogen and carbon.
   
Hydrogen The smallest atom has a molecular weight of 1.008 and contains one electron and one neutron.  It generally occurs as a dimer, H2.
   
Kerogen The organic material in shale oil.  This material is broken down by pyrolysis or heating to recover the hydrocarbon product.
   
Kerosene A higher boiling point fuel in the ASTM No. 2 grade range.  It is the type of fuel used in combustion turbines in aircraft and for home heating.
   
LED Low Emission Diesel, a term referring to recently regulated fuels with ultra low levels of sulfur in the United States.  Typical fuel for over-the-road vehicles contain 15 ppm sulfur or less.
   
LNG Liquified Natural Gas.  Natural gas in the liquid state.  It is liquified by reducing temperature and increasing pressure.  It is liquified for transportation purposes.
   
Lubricity A characteristic of fuel referring to its ability to lubricate metal parts.  Aliphatic fuels such as gasoline (naptha) and LED fuels generally have low lubricity causing galling (abrasion) of moving metal parts in the fuel system.
   
Lubricity Agent A product that adds lubricity to fuels that have no lubricity.
   
Mag-Lev Trains Magnetic Levitation trains that are elevated above the rail bed by a magnetic field.  These trains travel up to 300 mph.
   
Methane The most simple of alcohols.  The formula is CH3OH.  Methanol is highly poisonous if consumed although it is widely used as an antiseptic.
   
Minemouth Refers to coal prices at the entrance to the mine.  These prices do not include any transportation costs.
   
Molecular Weight The sum of the weights of the atoms in a molecule.
   
Naptha ASTM No. 1 grade fuel.  This has the lowest boiling point range and highest vapor pressure of petroleum fuels.  It is the feedstock used in manufacturing gasoline for spark-ignited engines.
   
Natural Gas Low molecular weight aliphatic hydrocarbons ranging from methane to butane occurring in conjunction with crude oil.
   
NIMBY Not in My Back Yard
   
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Mixtures of compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen.  These gasses contribute to air pollution.
   
No. 2 Refers to ASTM No. 2 grade fuel, also known as Diesel fuel.
   
Non-OPEC Countries that do not belong to the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries.
   
Nuclear Energy Refers to energy coming from the fusion or fission of atomic nuclei.
   
Octane Number A measure of the rate at which hydrocarbon fuels burn.  Some hydrocarbons burn faster causing pre-ignition or "knocking" in spark-ignited engines.  Octane number of a fuel is a comparison to pure normal octane at 100.
   
Off-Road Diesel ASTM No. 2 fuel used for non-transportation processes.  In the U.S. today with LED regulations, it is generally the same as on-road LED fuel.  It is not taxed as are transportation fuels.  It contains a dye, generally red, to identify it as untaxed fuel.
   
OPEC The Organization of Oil Producing Countries.  These consist of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
   
Particulate Matter A product of incomplete reaction in the combustion process.  It is synonymous with soot or smoke.  It is generally measured as milligrams per cubic meter of exhaust.
   
Pyrolysis A chemical reaction occurring at very high temperatures, generally in excess of 500o F or 260o C.
   
Refined Petroleum Petroleum products that have passed through the refining process and separated into various boiling point fractions.
   
Residual Oil ASTM No. 6 fuel.  This is the material remaining after vacuum distillation.
   
Shale Oil A geological formation found in the western U.S.  It is rock containing kerogen.
   
Sulfur A chemcal element present in petroleum fuels that combines with oxygen in the combustion process to form sulfuric acid, a strong acid.  This acid in boiler exhausts is known as acid rain.
   
Tar Sands Petroleum deposits containing a high level of sand.  There are large deposits found in Canada and some deposits in the U.S.
   
Viscosity A measure of the thickness of a liquid.  Refined hydrocarbon fuels and water have a very low viscosity.  Syrup is a product with a higher viscosity.  There are a number of methods of measuring viscosity that relate to energy to stir or time to pour through a standard opening.