NAVAL DISTILLATE FUEL - AN EVOLUTION

In March 1969, The Deputy Secretary of Defense granted approval for the U.S. Navy to convert to the use of distillate fuel for ship propulsion. The announcement was made with the provision that the Navy still retain the capability of burning residual fuel and that the changeover be made at a pace so as to minimize any adverse effects on the oil industry. As a result of this announcement, the Naval Ship Engineering Center was directed by the Naval Ship Systems Command to initiate appropriate actions for the conversion. This decision, to change from the traditional residual type fuel, mainly used in steam generators, was the result of an intensive study by many activities within the Navy establishment as well as in private industry. Over the years, there have been sporadic efforts within the Navy, to consider the use of an improved boiler fuel that would reduce the problems that are associated with residual type fuels, i.e., sooting, slagging and corrosion of firesides. One of these efforts, and an immediate forerunner to the distillate fuel program, took the form of a proposal of tentative requirements for a low ash fuel, presented by the U.S. Navy at the meeting of the Tripartite Navies held in May 1967 at Ottawa, Canada. It is interesting to note that the current specification, developed after considerable contacts with the oil industry where tradeoffs of availability, price and significance of fuel characteristics were considered, is not too great a departure from that proposal.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper presented to SNAME and ASNE.
• Corporate Authors:

  Naval Ship Engineering Center

  Hyattsville, MD  United States 
• Authors:
  • Boyle, J F
• Publication Date: 1972-4-21

Media Info

• Pagination: 13 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Distillates; Fuel composition; Fuel oils; Fuels
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fuel quality
• Old TRIS Terms: Distillate fuel; Naval procurement
• Subject Areas: Energy; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00034795
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 27 1973 12:00AM