Dyes for Liquid Fuel Applications

Dyes for the Petroleum Industry

Navipol® Liquid Dyes, both xylene based and high flash (HF) versions, were specifically designed and developed as easy to handle, clean and highly soluble alternatives to powder / solid dyes previously used by the petroleum industry. Powder Dyes were commonly used as a visible method to differentiate fuel grades, for brand identification fiscal tax purposes, and easy identification of various industrial lubricant types and their end-uses. Dyes were typically manually added to tanks by shovel. This was labor intense and created an unhealthy and dusty work environment. Additionally, powder dyes were known for their inherent poor hydrocarbon solubility. Dissolution was limited even when contents were mechanically circulated, creating color stratification throughout the fuel as the solid dye particles partially dissolved, and settled, accumulating over time on the tank floor. This created the need for costly and ongoing routine clean-outs, taking equipment off-line. Pre-dilution techniques had limited success as the dyes were only 1-2 % soluble in hydrocarbon solvents such as xylene or iso-octane.

The beginning of liquid dye technology research and development can be traced back to the early 1960’s and a common red powder dye used, Solvent Red 24. The dye and variations thereof, had limited solubility in hydrocarbon solvents and all had similar technical problems previously outlined. Through the study of innovative chemical reactions and solubility enhancement chemistries, Solvent Red 164 was developed and successfully introduced and sold. To this day Solvent Red 164 is predominately used in refineries and terminals. Development of other colors followed, and today are sold under the Navipol® trademark. Navipol® Yellow and Navipol® Blue 98, along with Navipol® Red 164 comprise primary colors allowing for a secondary range of blends (Orange, Brown, Green, Purple and Black) that presently comprises Sunbelt’s full range of Navipol® Dyes.