Equation predicts diesel cloud points

Diesel fuel cloud points can be predicted by an empirical equation developed by NOCA/Husky Research Corp. The equation can accurately predict cloud points from feedstock and product data readily available in the refinery. The applicability of the equation to a full range of summer, winter, and arctic diesel blends was proven by studies conducted on data from four Canadian refineries that process a wide variety of conventional crude oils and synthetic crude from bitumen. Results of the studies show that the variance between equation predicted and measured cloud point values are within acceptable reproducibility of measured data. Considerable time can be saved in the refinery when the equation is used for optimizing diesel fuel blend formulations. Applicability ranges from daily blending calculations, to use in linear programs for long-term planning for distillate utilization.