Would you like to learn about different types of diesel fuel additives and their purposes? Well, we have researched 19 different types of diesel fuel additives and have the information for you.
Diesel fuel additives serve different purposes that ultimately help your vehicle. Knowing about what types of diesel fuel additives are available can help you make informed decisions about which additive is best for your vehicle.
So whether you need to store your vehicle's fuel for an extended time, need to clean your vehicle's fuel injectors, or need to drive in cold weather, there is a diesel fuel additive for you.
1. Antioxidants
Antioxidants keep fuel from reacting with oxygen, prolonging the life of the fuel. They do this by bonding with free radicals and preventing their chain reactions from spreading. Here is an example of a product that contains an antioxidant.
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2. Fuel Stabilizers
Stabilizers use chemicals to inhibit the gasoline from breaking down and reacting with other chemicals. These can be used to keep gas fresh when storing it. You can store fuel with a stabilizer additive for up to two years. Here is an example of a product with a stabilizer in it.
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3. Metal Deactivators
Fuel can sometimes have trace metals like copper, vanadium, and iron dissolved in them. This can increase the rate of oxidation. Metal deactivators are proven to remove these trace dissolved metals. Here is a product that can remove trace metals.
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4. Dispersants
Dispersants prevent sludge and deposits from building up on surfaces. Deposits not only reduce efficiency but can damage the engine itself. Using a dispersant helps to extend the life of your engine. Here is a product that includes a dispersant.
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5. Corrosion Inhibitors
Corrosion inhibitors prevent corrosion to the fuel storage and distribution system.
As the fuel storage and distribution system gains more and more corrosion on their walls, the metal gets thinner, making them more prone to leaks down the line. Here is a product that has a corrosion inhibitor along with some other fuel additives.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
6. Lubricity Additives
Lubricity additives help to increase the lubricity of fuel to reduce damage to internal parts. Lubricity refers to how well a substance works as a lubricant.
Using a lubricity additive, a thin film will coat your engine's internal parts, helping to ease the stress from metal on metal contact points. Here is an example of a product that works great as a lubricity additive.
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7. Cold Flow Improvers
Cold flow improvers prevent diesel fuel from gelling in cold weather and clogging the engine. These keep paraffin wax inside the fuel from sticking together and forming clots.
These can be critical if you live in an area with very cold winters. Here is a product that can keep your diesel fuel from gelling in cold weather.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
8. Wax Anti-Settling Additives
Wax anti-settling additives help to improve your vehicle's performance in cold weather. They are used as a preventive measure to keep wax crystals from forming out of your fuel.
This can happen if the temperature reaches below 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Since this product only works as a preventive measure you have to be sure to use it if you think the temperature may drop below 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Here is an example of a wax anti-settling additive.
This product has a wax anti-settling additive as well as a cold flow improver. These two together make this product a great diesel fuel additive for colder climates.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
9. Cloud Point Depressants
To understand cloud point depressants, you need to understand cloud point and pour point. Cloud Point refers to the temperature at which wax crystals first start to form in the fuel. Pour point refers to when the fuel can no longer flow.
Cloud point depressants lower the temperature at which wax crystals first start to form. This allows your fuel to remain fully liquid in colder temperatures. Here is a product that can help to lower the cloud point in your fuel.
This product has both a cloud point depressant and other fuel additives to make it great for winterizing your fuel.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
10. De-Gelling Additives
De-gelling additives are to be used once your diesel fuel has reached pour point and can no longer flow through the system.
They work by using chemicals to change the pour point of the fuel, which thaws ice and melts the wax in the fuel. Here is a product that works great as a de-gelling additive.
Remember that this product is to be used after your fuel has gelled and not as a preventive. If you need a preventive, look for a winterized fuel additive instead.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
11. Cetane Boosters
Cetane boosters help to improve the ignition performance of your vehicle. This can also affect how well the vehicle performs in cold weather. A cetane booster reduces the likelihood of misfires, no-starts, noise, torque fluctuations, and vibrations.
It can also improve your idle smoothness, increase power, improve miles per gallon, and extend the life of your engine. Here is a great cetane booster.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
12. Fuel Injector Detergents
Fuel injector detergents clean deposits off of the fuel injectors as well as the combustion chamber. You can think of them as detergent for your fuel injectors.
By using them every few months you can extend the life of not only your fuel injectors but, your engine as well. This product works great at cleaning deposits off of your fuel injectors.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
13. Antifoam Additives
When you are filling up a truck with diesel, it is common for air to be introduced and trapped in the fuel. This air floats to the top and forms a foam that can reduce the miles you get per fillup. Antifoam additives break down these films that trap air and break apart foam.
This can give you greater miles traveled per tank of gas. Here is a video about how foam can decrease your gas mileage and a product designed to remedy the problem.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
14. Biocides
Because diesel fuel is an organic material, it is susceptible to bacteria and fungi growth. If your fuel does have bacteria or fungi growing in it, it can cause the fuel to not function properly or at all.
It can be useful from time to time to treat your fuel with a biocide to remove and kill all organic life growing in the fuel tank and fuel lines. This product has a strong biocide in it to kill and remove bacteria and fungi growth.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
15. Demulsifiers
A demulsifier helps water to separate from the fuel. This water can then be easily removed from the fuel by either draining or filtering it out.
Removing the water from your fuel can help to increase the efficiency of your fuel and prevent corrosion to the engine greatly extending the life of the engine. Here is a product that has a demulsifier as well as other helpful diesel fuel additives.
This product not only has a demulsifier to help to remove water from your fuel but it also has several other helpful diesel fuel additives to help improve efficiency and maintain the integrity of your engine.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
16. Dehazers
Dehazers are like demulsifiers in that they help to remedy water in your fuel. Where a demulsifier separates water from the fuel, a dehazer removes water from the fuel.
You can use a dehazer if water build-up in your fuel is decreasing your efficiency or if a small amount of water has got into your diesel fuel. Here is a great product with a dehazer to help remove water from your fuel.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
17. Marker Dyes
Marker dyes are another diesel additive, but this one is a bit different. They are not added to improve performance; they are added to identify the purpose of specific diesel fuels.
Different color diesel fuels have different tax rates and so it becomes necessary to be able to easily identify them. The public uses undyed diesel fuel, but there are two common colors typically added, red and blue.
Red diesel fuel is used for off-road vehicles and agriculture. It is taxed at a lower rate to allow farmers to have higher profit yields.
Blue diesel fuel is used by police and government vehicles. Since they are government-owned vehicles, it doesn't make sense to tax that fuel since the money goes back to the government.
Some people buy red diesel fuel at a lower tax rate and then remove the dye with chemical compounds to resell for a profit. This is illegal and can lead to fines or jail time.
18. Smoke Suppressants
Smoke suppressants do just that, suppress smoke. They do this by reducing the amount of excess oil that gets burned. This can greatly reduce the amount of smoke that your diesel engine produces.
This can also help to lower your vehicle's emissions and make passing an emissions test easier. Here is a product with a smoke suppressant.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
19. Combustion Catalysts
Combustion catalysts work by increasing the efficiency at which fuel is burned. This can improve fuel economy by 7-10%. Here is a great product with a combustion catalyst to improve your fuel economy.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many different diesel fuel additives with a wide range of functions. Selecting the right fuel additive for your needs can be important, so knowing what options are available is good.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you would like to learn more, check out some of these other posts:
One of the biggest problems in Diesel Fuel is water. I would include Fuel Power from FPPF Chemical Company as a Water Eliminator. It bonds with water through Hydrogen Polar Bonding and creates a combustible liquid that will burn with Diesel Fuel without causes any harm to the Fuel Injection System.