USING DIESEL FUEL IN COLD WEATHER

In cold weather, the paraffin molecules in diesel fuel decompose and precipitate to form paraffin wax and cause clogging, especially in filters. This will cause the engine to lose power or stall.

Some technical definitions of diesel fuel

Cloud point: The temperature at which the paraffin wax first becomes visible when the fuel cools.
Pour point: The lowest temperature at which the fuel can flow due to precipitated paraffin.
Cold filter plugging point: The lowest temperature at which fuel can pass through the filter under certain conditions.

The lowest temperature at which the engine can run is a temperature between the cloud point and the cold filter blockage point. The difference between these two values is about 10 degrees.
The lowest value at which the engine can run may vary depending on the pore diameters and amounts of the filters used in the engine. It should be kept in mind that the filter pores of the new series engines with common rail fuel system are kept small for good filtration.
Fuel in accordance with TS EN590 +A1 standards must be used in our machines. In addition, according to current standards, fuel companies can produce two types of fuel with different properties for winter and summer months and offer them to the market at specified date intervals. The cold filter clogging point values of these two types of diesel fuel are different.

If summer fuel is used in the winter season, paraffin formation will start even before the air temperature drops to the 5°C specified in the table below and will clog the filters and cause the engine not to run properly
or to stop completely. The table below contains the minimum requirement values required by the standard. Some fuel companies can guarantee even lower values (-20 or even -25 0C) for winter diesel.

Cold Filter Clogging Point (SFTN)	Unit	Value
Winter	°C	Most: -15
Summer	°C	Most: 5