Why is Diesel so damn expensive?

[yourout]

Diesel is easy to make compared to gas so why is it $3.20 a gallon when regular is $2.60?

[Broken_Hero]

1. I have no idea.

I was just thinking on that earlier today, when i filled up on gas...gas was 2.25 a gal, yet diesal was 3.19...i was feeling pretty good i didnt own a diesal....

[Enraged_Ape]

2. Because "Chronicles of Riddick" was such a huge international hit

My suggestion is, if you want a Telly Savalas look-alike for your movie, you hire his daughter Nicolette Sheridan. Although she might be kind of pricey now, too.

Seriously, I remember when diesel was the "cheap" fuel--at least 20 or 30 cents below regular grade. Now it's up there with premium. I have no idea why that is.

[merwin]

3. Diesel follows the patterns of heating oil (since they're pretty much the

same thing).

That means that in the winter diesel skyrockets. In the summer it's about par with regular unleaded.

[Bushwick Bill]

4. Post hurricane focus has been on gasoline, not diesel

My guess from what I've read is that there has been a concerted effort after some refineries were shut down and damaged from the hurricanes to keep them refining gasoline to keep prices down. Apparently, refineries would normally have switched to heating oil production (and its cousin, diesel fuel). Similarly, the Europeans have been able to give us some refined products in the form of gasoline to make up for our shortfalls, but can't do the same with diesel fuel. The article and comments at the link below are very useful.
http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2005/10/19/23401/836#more

[ToolTex]

5. Why is natural gas so expensive? We've been told for the past 30

years that Oklahoma alone has enough NG to supply the entire country for the next 200 years. I recently drove through Oklahoma and didn't see one single gas well blown down or flooded behind broken levee walls. WTF? Maybe some one could ask the criminals in the WH if they have any explanation.

[Strelnikov_]

8. Not Even Close, By A Long Shot

I was reading an article that stated that we would be out of domestic natural gas in 9 years. So I went over to EIA and came up with the following numbers.

Have I made a mistake, or should I go put a down payment on my 'Unibomber' cabin today.

And how do they think LNG can even come close to taking up the slack? Using figures from the following article (3.3 BCF/ship, 50 day cycle), we would need 8,300 LNG shipments per year, with a fleet of 1,140 ships, just to satisfy 2003 consumption levels.

Sure, there is a huge amount of gas reserves in other parts of the world, but assuming this level of imports to 'secure' our energy future is folly.

If this is the plan, I'm starting to feel like one of those people in the Superdome about Monday evening.

Dry natural gas reserves/production/consumption:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/gas.html

All 2003 data

Dry Gas Reserves TCF

US 189.04
CAN 56.57
MEX 14.86
260.47 TCF

Dry Gas Production TCF

US 19.04
CAN 6.45
MEX 1.49
26.98 + 0.51 TCF LNG Imports = 27.49 TCF

Dry Gas Consumption TCF

US 22.38
CAN 3.21
MEX 1.82
27.41 TCF

260.47 / 27.41 ~ 9.5 years


Dry natural gas: Natural gas which remains after: 1) the liquefiable hydrocarbon portion has been removed from the gas stream (i.e., gas after lease, field, and/or plant separation); and 2) any volumes of nonhydrocarbon gases have been removed where they occur in sufficient quantity to render the gas unmarketable. Note: Dry natural gas is also known as consumer-grade natural gas. The parameters for measurement are cubic feet at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 14.73 pounds per square inch absolute.

Info on LNG shipping.

http://www.energybulletin.net/5517.html

[Lexingtonian]

6. Because they've cornered the market in it

Yes, they do that kind of thing.

[Coastie for Truth]

7. Read the "Petroleum Refinery" examples in

1. "Linear Programming: Methods and Applications" by Saul I. Gass

2. "Linear Programming and Extensions" by George Dantzig

3. "GASP - a General Activity Simulation Program" by Phil Kiviat (one time neighbor and a good Dem), Julius Belkin (relative of a relative), and NR Rao (night school prof).

It's called "constrained optimization" - or "how do you twiddle the knobs in your refinery to maximize profits."

[AZCat]

11. I think I had the Gass book for one of my classes...

but I sold it back to the school - that was back in the "Ramen" days.

[bemildred]

9. Because the US military uses huge quantities of it? nt

[rfkrfk]

10. diesel, jet fuel, home heating oil ,,, same stuff

worldwide demand for diesel is strong.
diesel has more energy than gasoline.

[Coastie for Truth]

12. Different "cuts" of the same feed stock

Differences in boiling point (vapor pressure) and molecular weight -- and some changes in viscosity (and "open cup" ignition temperature).

That's what a "still" (distillation tower, distillation column) is all about. I had to read the incredibly boring McCabe and Smith "Unit Ops..."

[Digit]

13. It was the same back in the early 80's when I had my diesel rabbit

I always paid more for fuel than for regular gas.
Then again, I did not have to have emissions tests.

[Kolesar]

14. NRDC claims diesel take more crude oil to produce

From what I recall at www.nrdc.org
Or was it the Union of Concerned Scientists (?) http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/

[happyslug]

15. Taxes are a factor National Average Gasoline: 19.1 Diesel: 19.39

For example Pennsylvania's tax on Diesel is 5 cent per gallon greater than on Gasoline.


Gasoline and Diesel Tax Rates:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs03/htm/mf205.htm