An additive is an extraneous substance that is added to a substance in very small quantities to enhance the existing properties of the substance, to impart some desirable properties to the substance, or to supress certain properties.
Why does fuel oil require additive treatment?
As we have seen, fuel oil is a residue that remains after crude oil is refined. The properties of fuel oil like viscosity, sludge content, presence of paraffinic and asphaltic particles and sulphur pose difficulties in the combustion of fuel oil. By treating the fuel with a suitable additive, many of these difficulties can be overcome and thermal energy can be extracted from the fuel to the fullest extent.
Why are additives not added by the oil suppliers at the refinery itself?
The answer to this question is largely a commercial one. Oil companies are supplying a residual or a waste product at a relatively fair price. Blending of an additive into bulk quantities of fuel oil is both complicated and a costly procedure. Besides, the fuel oil could be destined for a wide variety of uses some of which require additive treatment and some of which do not. There is also the possibility that in certain industrial processes the compounds in the additive may actually do harm to the product that is being manufactured.
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