Just playing with numbers...
250 million US vehicles.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ihs-automotive-average-age-car-20140609-story.html
Say an average of 18 gallon gasoline tank. No idea if that is close to average, but I would guess between 15 and 20.
About 100 million barrels of fuel storage capacity in vehicles. If the average moved from 40% to 80%, an additional 40 million barrels from “stocks” to users.
That is more than half the gasoline refinery stocks in the US, almost half of the refinery and ULSD refinery stocks.
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_stoc_ref_dc_nus_mbbl_m.htm
It could make a difference.
I can’t recall the month it took place but an IEA report showed up with a huge drawdown and nobody could explain it. I did similar math and figured that is what it was.
I had a CEO once who thought that aging invoices was a gift that could keep on giving. That tank filling is a one time thing too but I think it was a contributor to breaking the feeding frenzy in 1999. As I recall it was taking place right about this time of year.
You being in refining would be closer to the consumption patterns than I but this is the doldrums time of year. Nothing short of war is going to influence the kiddies right now. As long as the price bumps up and down a bit they really don’t care what it is unless they think they may lose some money. For every winner there is a loser. It is like they spend all day just screwing each other with monopoly money. I always think of Eddie Murphy, Mortimer and brother and orange juice for some reason. It isn’t funny though. The whole world is messed up by this foolishness and lots of people lose real money and real jobs. What a shame. All just puppets on little strings.
I suspected that hydrofining to strip sulfur from diesel was a contributor to the cost spread and it took place with the ULSD but does it account for as much as a dollar that we are seeing? Thank you EPA. No wonder so much diesel finds more profitable outlets with exports.
I love the smell of red diesel compared to the pansy ULSD stuff and the red just lubricates better it seems. It feels like it burns better for some reason. Best diesel I ever had was from the company refinery at Cyril... almost straight Red Fork condensate. They hardly had to do a thing to it. It was pretty much just jet fuel since that and the rigs were the biggest market for it all. Sold to all the bases in the area. My Pontiac Bonneville Brougham Diesel took a bit to get up to speed but it would run a hole through the wind. Dad got bit by a recluse spider one time and I made it from OKC to Ft. Smith in about 2 hours. If the cops had tried to stop me we’d have had a real pursuit cause they would have had to make me stop. Dad survived but got awful sick.