Shell launches new Dynaflex fuel

SHELL put on a huge show for the launch of its new V-Power with Dynaflex fuels.

And not just in South Africa, because it is rolling out the new fuels to 23 markets around the world this year.

The company brought in fuel retailers, the media, technology pundits – and even petrol attendants from all over South Africa. It had giant screens, new fuel trucks, demonstration modules, food stalls and lots of leather chairs and couches.

Many will have been impressed – it was an impressive set-up.

But among all the attendees was a scientist called Andreas Schaefer, who is based at a Royal Dutch Shell laboratory in Hamburg. Schaefer followed the script, telling everyone how brilliant the new fuel was, but then we sat down with him away from the razzmatazz.

“Is SA getting the same fuel as Europe?” We eventually got the answer: “No.”

We are getting the same additives (Shell does not like using that word, they prefer detergents), but the actual fuel will be the same lower quality fuel that the South African Petroleum Refinery churns out for Shell – and its other clients.

Essentially, Shell spent millions announcing that it is launching the same old fuel but with more Sunlight.

But surely more detergent makes the engine cleaner and more efficient?

Yes it does and that is a good thing, but it would have less to clean if the quality of the basic fuel was better.

The new fuel will be available from this month in both petrol and diesel for cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks and buses. So what does the new fuel do? It is named Dynaflex, which is basically the name given to the detergents.

Shell is claiming improvements in terms of fuel consumption and emissions, but again Schaefer admitted the tests were conducted in Europe using cleaner fuels than we have. The new fuel contains twice as many cleaning molecules as Shell’s regular unleaded 95 fuel.

One of its main attributes is to improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine, which generally only operates at 30% efficiency. Friction accounts for about 15% of the loss of efficiency in an engine and so including detergents to clean the engine should help to improve this. – BDLive