Even though the government is continuously insisting on mixing ethanol in petrol, the plan of blending ethanol in diesel will not be taken forward at present. The biggest reason behind this is the flash point of diesel, which is a very important parameter related to the safety of the fuel. The government conducted testing of the mixture of diesel and ethanol and after this, the scheme has been stopped for the time being in view of the safety standards.
What happened when ethanol was mixed in diesel?
Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told in the Rajya Sabha that the government oil companies through their Research and Development Centers. ethanol And diesel blending was tested. The help of certified laboratories, automobile companies and technical institutes was also taken in this investigation. During the test, it was revealed that after adding ethanol to diesel, its flash point reduces significantly. Due to this, ethanol-blended diesel did not meet the prescribed flash point standards. This is the reason why the government has decided not to pursue the plan of mixing ethanol in diesel at present.
What is flash point?
Now the question is what is flash point? If understood in simple language, it is the lowest temperature of a fuel at which the vapor coming out of it can catch fire for a short time if it comes in contact with external spark or fire. That is, the lower the flash point of a fuel, the greater the risk of its vapors catching fire under certain circumstances.
Why is this safety parameter important for diesel?
Diesel is stored in large tanks. Apart from this, it is transported over long distances through tankers and is also stored at petrol pumps. In such a situation, fuel safety is very important. If the flash point of diesel falls below the prescribed standards after adding ethanol, safety concerns may increase during storage, transportation and handling. Therefore, considering the test results, the government has currently stopped ethanol blending in diesel.
Ethanol will continue to be used in petrol
The government considers ethanol blending in petrol as an important step towards reducing dependence on oil imports and reducing pollution. But in view of the safety standards in case of diesel, blending of ethanol will not be done at present.
