AdBlue (the brand name of diesel exhaust fluid) is a solution of deionized water and high purity urea, which is used in the exhaust of diesel vehicles to reduce emissions into the atmosphere using Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology. It is used in cars, lorries, vans, buses and some agricultural and construction vehicles.
If the AdBlue in a vehicle is completely depleted, vehicles are designed to just stop working until it can be refilled. So it is important to keep AdBlue regularly topped up.
Typical AdBlue consumption is around 2% to 6% of fuel consumption – so for every 100 litres of diesel used, you will need between two and six litres of AdBlue. Car owners will top up their AdBlue during servicing or from small containers available at most garage forecourts.
But what about businesses operating multiple vehicles?
Companies with fleets of diesel vehicles, for example businesses in the transport industry with a large number of HGVs, will typically store their own AdBlue on site for their fleet. Not only is this more convenient, but it also makes sound financial sense as AdBlue prices fluctuate. Buying in bulk when the prices are low helps to reduce the running costs of a fleet.
But AdBlue has a relatively short shelf life of 12 months, so it is important not to store too much. Tanks are available in a huge range of sizes, from 100 litres to 15,000 litres, making it easy to buy the right size of tank for your business needs.
If you store AdBlue on your site, it is essential to store it safely. This is because AdBlue is corrosive to some materials, and will pollute surface water and ground water. In addition, storing it incorrectly can lead to contamination of the AdBlue, which in turn can lead to expensive damage to engines, leading to downtime of vehicles.
It is important to only use a polyethylene tank designed for storing AdBlue, to prevent corrosion of the tank and to minimise the risk of leaks and contamination of the AdBlue.
An opaque UV stabilised tank will mean AdBlue can be kept outside while also staying out of damaging direct sunlight. Any pipework and dispensing equipment should also be suitable for use with urea, so they won’t corrode. The tank should be bunded to give an extra layer of protection, in case damage to the tank should occur.
Do not use any old diesel or oil containers to transfer AdBlue to the storage tank, because even very small quantities can cause contamination of the AdBlue and damage the SCR system of a vehicle.
The AdBlue dispensing area should be isolated from surface water drains and you should have an emergency kit on site to deal with spills of any size.
AdBlue should be kept out of direct sunlight and should be stored between -6°C and 25°C. It will freeze at -11°C. Although it can be used once it has thawed, as it will return to its original state, to prevent unnecessary downtime it makes sense not to allow it to freeze. If stored at above 25°C, the storage life of AdBlue will be reduced to just six months.
If your business uses a lot of AdBlue, it makes sense to store your own supply on site. And if you use the correct equipment, it is easy to store it safely.
Here at Tanks for Everything, we stock AdBlue tanks from 100 litres to 15,000 litres, so you can store it safely on site, whatever the size of your business or fleet.
You can see our range of Adblue storage tanks and accessories here.
