Tank Blanketing, for long term storage on big tanks?

Zed254 said:

You might want to install a pressure relief valve in your system to protect the vessel in case your blanketing valve fails. Ebay has a 1" Jordon 608 blanketing valve available, but the tag is hard for me to read. Might be a 5-30 inch with a maximum pressure of 1.50psi. Confirm before you buy!!!

Here are some installation considerations:

https://www.jordanvalve.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/608lg_api2000_im.pdf

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+1 on the relief valve. Need to include one for sure.

Jordan is a good valve. I've spec'd those on many jobs.

This blanketing valve is way bigger than I expected.

The diaphragms have to be large in diameter to get any force to move when dealing with inches of water column, if not pilot operated. I would set the pad pressure as low as possible. Then set the de-pad back pressure regulator as high as possible within safety margin. This will keep the tanks from "Breathing" out all of the pad gas with temperature changes throughout the day.

Thank you, I really appreciate the info, This is not a common topic as I searched for hours and google doesnt give half the info given here.

I'm confused. What is " pad pressure " and " de-pad back pressure "?

We have an N2 supply (probably a compressed gas cylinder) that needs to be regulated to some pressure acceptable to the blanketing valve regulator. We need a relief valve in the system in case the blanketing valve regulator fails open and allows the N2 cylinder to dump high pressure gas into the 600 gallon fuel tank. Pipe size will determine the volumetric flow of N2 gas into the fuel tank and safety systems (relief valve and associated discharge piping) need to be able to handle the massive volume of gas inbound in this event....or we lose the fuel tank in a compressed gas release event.

Post 19 has some design considerations recommended by Jordon Valve. Read them.

You are getting into industrial type stuff here and need to follow industrial recommendations, understand compressed gas behavior, and design to the conservative side for safety. N2 is a nice inert gas that someone pointed out is most of the air we breathe. But breathing 100% N2 will kill you.

SandBar said:

So I finally found a nice steel 600 gallon tank, and have been researching how to keep diesel viable for several years. Polishing every 6 months, check. Anti Gel and anti-bugs, check. Nitrogen blanketing seems great, keep all oxygen away and it cannot oxidize. I have nitrogen tanks here for other tasks, it looks as simple as installing a proper nitrogen blanketing valve with emergency pressure relief. Does anyone have experience doing this?

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I agree with your first 2 checked off diesel preservation efforts. However, rather than going the "Blanketing Gas" route, I would think you can reach your 5 year diesel life span goal by utilizing an additional 3rd check off item assuming your using B5 diesel or less (not B20 or greater). That entails building a large breathable tank vent desiccant air filter. Lots of ways to build one cheap using things like ~4" PVC pipe, desiccant beads, fine brass screen, coffee filters etc. and some hardware store fittings. Yes, it will require some maintenance of the desiccant beads but its simple and failure proof and 100% non-hazardous, unless you were to eat the beads.

Also, not sure of your tank's environment...if outside vs sheltered? If outside make sure you shield the tank from direct sun if possible, to help minimize significant day/night temperature fluctuations of fuel to better control fuel expansion/contraction induced breathing.

SandBar said:

Thank you, I really appreciate the info, This is not a common topic as I searched for hours and google doesnt give half the info given here.

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You will also need an upstream regulator on the cylinder, to drop the pressure to a level acceptable to the purge regulator. The purge regulator most likely cannot handle the 2200 psi from the cylinder directly.

I have a regulator upstream, standard ebay type one.

Hi guys. I landed here from a search for info on blanketing diesel fuel with argon. My interest is that I have a sailboat with a small diesel engine. The fuel tank holds 28 gallons to allow long passages at sea. We sail locally and use maybe 4 gallons a year. This year, for different reasons I used maybe 8 gals. I was told by many to keep the tank topped off (especially for winter storage) and treat with biocide and stabilizer.

In my mind, this regimen leaves fuel that ages significantly and I don't like that idea. I attempted to pump most of it out but that is really not practical and can get you thrown out of a marina.

I use argon in top loading heat treat furnaces because of its very fortunate characteristic of being notably heavier than air. I believe it settles in a short time and displaces all air below it. Nitrogen, being the same density as air, simply mixes with it. To purge with nitrogen, you must introduce an enormous amount of it to rid the container of (nearly) all oxygen.

I would like to hear thoughts on my proposed procedure of gently introducing argon through a tube into the tank fill port. The fuel will have been treated with stabilizer and biocide. The argon theoretically will blanket the liquid fuel although there will undoubtedly be some air left at the top of the tank. The boat sits on jack stands in dry dock for the winter so there is almost no sloshing. Is the concensus that this will protect from growth or that the upper part of the tank that meets some air can still develop growth?

wdonovan said:

Hi guys. I landed here from a search for info on blanketing diesel fuel with argon. My interest is that I have a sailboat with a small diesel engine. The fuel tank holds 28 gallons to allow long passages at sea. We sail locally and use maybe 4 gallons a year. This year, for different reasons I used maybe 8 gals. I was told by many to keep the tank topped off (especially for winter storage) and treat with biocide and stabilizer.

In my mind, this regimen leaves fuel that ages significantly and I don't like that idea. I attempted to pump most of it out but that is really not practical and can get you thrown out of a marina.

I use argon in top loading heat treat furnaces because of its very fortunate characteristic of being notably heavier than air. I believe it settles in a short time and displaces all air below it. Nitrogen, being the same density as air, simply mixes with it. To purge with nitrogen, you must introduce an enormous amount of it to rid the container of (nearly) all oxygen.

I would like to hear thoughts on my proposed procedure of gently introducing argon through a tube into the tank fill port. The fuel will have been treated with stabilizer and biocide. The argon theoretically will blanket the liquid fuel although there will undoubtedly be some air left at the top of the tank. The boat sits on jack stands in dry dock for the winter so there is almost no sloshing. Is the concensus that this will protect from growth or that the upper part of the tank that meets some air can still develop growth?

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Welcome to the outfit!

You have managed to find the discussion and a good place to post your question. Several of the guys are far more knowledgeable about fuel and long term storage than I - but all the same - we are happy to have you here.

Most of us run our diesel generators a couple hours every quarter....many run them every month. This is generator/engine maintenance. You heat things up to operating temperature and drive out any moisture collected in the system. And you can catch any leaks or problems on a nice sunny day that you don't want to crop up when you need the generator to run. I keep my fuel tank full......or close to it. This is about reducing the volume of moisture containing air that can enter the fuel tank. I've got a 50 gallon tank of treated diesel that I will empty for use in my truck every 3 years. The vent on this tank has a hygroscopic filter on it to reduce moisture intake from tank expansion and contraction. And it is an emergency tank for use when a hurricane makes things uncomfortable for me.

Argon blanket might help your situation but if your tank is not full you will still have a large volume of moisture containing air in the tank. When it gets cold this air will dump the moisture onto the sides of the tank as condensate and it might flow down the tank walls, through the Argon blanket, and into the fuel. Argon is a problem if you have ANY way for the argon gas to get into the boat's bilge or living quarters: your boat's living space is a confined space that will capture 'fugitive' argon. Use a fan to blow out the stale air before you enter the vessel at the beginning of the season.

I would run my engine for 2 hours at the beginning and the end of each boating season. I'm talking 2 hours straight....not just motoring out of a marina for 20 minutes. An engine needs to get warmed up to operating temperature.

I would go with the full tank of fuel during winter storage. Replenishment of ~1/3 of your 28 gallon tank each year with treated fuel should keep the fuel fresh.

The attached site suggests polishing fuel as a way to keep it clean when you run into bio problems.