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Old 02-15-2011, 04:38 PM   #110 (permalink)
mort
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I have another reason I'm not going to mix diesel into my gas tank. For a sealed tank, like a gas tank in a car, if there is any liquid fuel present the high partial pressure of gasoline saturates the vapor volume of the container. The saturated vapor is too rich to burn (above the upper explosive limit, UEL). Essentially a sealed gas tank with gas in it is safe. A diesel tank is also safe, but diesel has such a low vapor pressure the vapor is too lean to burn (below the lower explosive limit, LEL). But a mixture of the 2, for a wide range of concentrations of gasoline and diesel, allows explosive mixtures in the vapor volume of the canister. For extreme concentrations the mixture is safe, but at about 5% diesel the amount of gasoline that evaporates into a closed container drops below its UEL, and above about 50% diesel - 50% gasoline, the diesel vapor concentration rises above its LEL. A bad idea to mix in the same tank.

-mort
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