Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 16:14:40 -0400
Reply-To: "Horace K. Sawyer" <firestream@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Horace K. Sawyer" <firestream@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: Octane/Fuel is best? Pipeline difference, tars
In-Reply-To: <3745705B.E0B7CB2C@bama.ua.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
One of my jobs involves legal action on right of ways for utilities that
come through our county.
A representative of a gasoline pipeline company and I were meeting one day
and I asked about the logistics of shipping various fuels through his
pipeline, just because I was curious. What I learned was interesting!
His company ("they") ships various manufacturer's gasolines. One of them
is Amoco. The fuel originates from refineries in Houston, Texas and makes
it way to my jurisdiction in north Georgia on its way to whose knows where
from there. When they need to ship Premium or regular unleaded, they dump
it in in the tube. For a while, there is a mixing of the fuels and a blend
is acheived. That mix zone becomes mid-grade unleaded. Imagine that. The
blend is subject to being closer or less closer to the advertised octane
rating. The same goes for premium -- it is going to contain a mix close
to the beginning of the run and the end. Of course, it all ends up in a
huge storage tank somewhere at the distribution center where trucks are
loaded for daily delivery. The rep's point to me was mid grade unleaded is
basically a waste of money!
When they ship Amoco premium, sometimes called "white gas", they go through
special procedures (can't remember the details) to make sure the pure grade
product is shipped. The rep told me it is the *only* gasoline that is the
actual product that is advertised. That's what you get when you see the
white gas through the viewing window on the pump handle. Big advertising
deal, but apparently there is merit to the idea.
Soooo, moral of the story is, that was enough to convince me to buy Amoco
gold from now on so that I know I'm getting the highest quality fuel in a
gasoline.
As far as diesel shipping procedures, we had to adjourn before we got to
that in detail. I believe he said a separate pipeline (tube) ships diesel,
kerosene, and similar fuel oils.
Also, I was advised lower grade octane fuels contain more tars. These tars
clog up intake systems and etc that is not as much of a problem with high
octane.
So what do you think?
H K Sawyer
-------------
91 Westy
several diesels
No financial interest in Amoco.
