PECM Issue 71 2024 | Page 10

EDITOR ’ S CHOICE CASE STUDY

NORTH RIDGE PUMPS

Two new ATEX heavy duty centrifugal pumps for the bulk transfer of gas oil

Today , we dispatched two brand new ATEX long-coupled centrifugal gas oil pumps to a client of ours .

They ’ re going to be used for highvolume marine diesel transfer from tankers to tanks and storage vessels .

What is gas oil ?

It ’ s also known as red diesel , tractor diesel and agricultural diesel . It has no connection with what the Americans call ‘ gas ’, short for gasoline , or natural gas which comes from the North Sea .

Gas oil is a liquid fuel that ’ s made from crude oil . In fact , it ’ s exactly the same as ordinary diesel , also called white diesel , which you ’ ll find on the forecourt at any UK petrol station . The only difference is it ’ s a low tax version .

So why is it called red diesel ?

Even though red and white diesel are the same fuel , they ’ re taxed very differently . In the UK , white diesel is taxed at a standard rate of 52.95 pence per litre – the same as petrol . Whereas red diesel or gas oil has considerably less fuel duty added to it - just 10 per litre .

Driving fraudulently

Obviously , this means that some diesel vehicle owners and businesses using diesel might be tempted to fill up with it instead of normal diesel - and make big savings .

However , it ’ s illegal to do this on British public roads which is why red dye was added to the fluid from the 1960s . It helps authorities and Customs & Excise to quickly identify if a vehicle was being run on gas oil .

How is gas oil produced ?

Gas oil is made from crude oil that is pumped out of the ground . Depending on the way this is distilled , a range of fuels can be produced .

First , the crude oil is pumped up from underground as a thick , black liquid . Then it ’ s heated in a distillation tower containing trays at different temperatures . After this it ’ s separated as the various components of the oil rise to different levels in the tower ,

10 PECM Issue 71