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 Charles “Mac” McPherson knows a lot about the petroleum industry. With over 35 years of experience, he has guided McPherson through dynamic times in this industry. The petroleum industry continues to navigate through challenging times. This industry has a definite impact on our daily lives because petroleum products touch virtually every industry. The impact of petroleum products spans the spectrum from global economics to knowing what type of motor oil you should put in your car With our “Ask Mac” question and answer session, Mac will be providing information to many of the questions people have about petroleum products.
Have a question for Mac? Click here!
Question:
Does gas have an expiration date?
Answer:
In general, gasoline should be used within a month of
purchase. When the engine will not be used for an extended period of time, it’s
best to drain the fuel tank and then run the engine until it stalls. If you
choose to store gasoline, keep it in a very nearly full, tightly sealed metal
container in a cool environment. Be sure to leave some room in the container to
allow for some expansion. Under these conditions, the gasoline can be expected
to remain of good quality for at least six months.
Question:
What is the difference between motor oils 5W30 10W30 20W50 and so on?
Answer:
Let's start with understanding viscosity.
Viscosity is the measure of the resistance of fluid. Water is thin having
a low viscosity and honey is thick having a higher viscosity.
Your owner's manual may tell you to use
SAE 5W-30 engine oil. What does this mean? SAE stands for the Society of
Automotive Engineers. They have created a standard for identifying the
viscosity characteristics of engine oil. The 5W-30 part of the symbol is
actually just a name. The W part of the name is an indicator of low temperature
viscosity properties while the 30 part of the name is an indicator of the high
temperature or operating viscosity properties. The numbers are just relative
indicators to help the consumer. In other words, a 5W oil does not have a
viscosity of 5, nor does a 30 weight oil have a viscosity of 30. What the
numbers do mean is that the viscosity characteristics of a 5W oil are lower
than that of a 10W oil. As well, a 30 weight oil has lower viscosity properties
than a 40 weight oil.
In a 5W-30 oil, the "W" stands
for winter performance. In winter weather the 0W oil will flow like a 0W oil,
and the 5W will flow like a 5W oil and a 10W will flow like a 10W oil just until
the engine warms up. This multi-grade performance allows faster oil flow
during cold start, however when the oil warms up, they all reach the designated
30 weight viscosity.
The best thing
to do is use the appropriate viscosity for your engine and climate as
recommended by the manufacturer. In general, newer vehicles will specify lower
viscosity oils such as 5W-30 while older vehicles will specify higher viscosity
oils such as 20W-50. This is because today's engines are built with tighter
bearing clearances to take advantage of the fuel economy benefits of lower
viscosity oils. It is not really a good idea to use thicker oil in one of these
engines because it will disrupt the oil flow characteristics of the engine and
may create excessively high oil pressure.
Question:
What is E85 and who can use it?
Answer:
E85 is a motor fuel blended with 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline
for use in Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs). E85 is a high-octane, alternative fuel
as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy. Besides its superior performance
characteristics, ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline; it is a completely
renewable, domestic, environmentally friendly fuel that enhances the nation's
economy and energy independence. Learn more about E85 on our Biofuels page
or by going to
E85fuel.com.
Question:
How many gallons of oil are in a barrel of crude oil?
Answer:
Although many people confuse crude oil with the traditional 55 gallon drum,
there are 42 gallons of crude oil in a barrel.
Question:
Do you have any tips for pumping gas?
Answer:
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground
temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage
tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline,
when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the
evening.. ..your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the
specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel,
ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in
temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not
have temperature compensation at the pumps.
When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode.
If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and
high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the
vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a
vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes
to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the
underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.
One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL.
The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air
occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine.
Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero
clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is
temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.
Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks
when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being
stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt
that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value
for your money.
Question:
What is the difference between AW and EP in gear oils?
Answer:
Anti Wear (AW) additives provides protection to reduce the friction and wear in between metal-to-metal contact. AW additives also provide boundary lubrication with the intent to reduce friction associated with wear between two surfaces.
EP (Extreme Pressure) additive, usually are used in some gear lube and greases to provide better protection. EP additives combine chemically with the metal and helps prevents welding and scoring between sliding surfaces in extreme pressure.
Question:
How do you calculate Gallons from Inches?
Answer:
This question was submitted by a visitor to McPhersonOil.com using the Ask Mac form asking for a conversion chart to calculate the number of gallons in a 55 gallon drum when a “stick reading” is done and you have the number of inches of the product in the drum.
- Most 55 gallon drums are approximately 23 inches in outside diameter and 35 ¾ inches in height.
- The one conversion that does not change is that there are 231cubic inches in a gallon.
Therefore to calculate the gallons per inch in a drum all you need to know is the inside diameter in inches.
 Inside drum diameter is 22.6 inches, therefore the radius of the inside of the drum is 11.3 inches
- 1 gallon equals 231 cubic inches
- Pi equals 3.14 ( from geometry)
- 1 inch height in a drum equals = Pi x RADIUS x RADIUS
~ 3.14 x 11.3inches x 11.3inches x 1 inch( height) = 401CUBIC INCHES
- 401 cubic inches / 231 cubic inches = 1.73 GALLONS PER INCH- Therefore the only measurement you need to know to calculate the gallons per inch in a drum is the inside diameter – 22.6 inches in this example.
- This measurement is true at 60 degree Fahrenheit. At different temperatures, technically you should temperature correct to account for any expansion or contraction of the material.
Question:
What is Octane and what does it mean?
Answer:
The octane numbers we see at the gasoline pump are an expression of the “anti-knock” properties of the gasoline as it relates to the performance in gasoline engines. The higher the octane number the better the performance of the gasoline in your car’s engine. The gasoline’s anti-knock property is determined in a lab as compared to a baseline, known blend of isooctane which has an octane rating of 100.
To learn more about the science of octane, visit howstuffworks.com
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