Diesel Fuel Analysis Service

Our Diesel Fuel Analysis tests your diesel fuel for: levels of contamination, system wear and its chemical composition. These tests are performed in laboratory conditions and the findings, along with any recommendations or required actions, will be detailed to you in an emailed report.

The FA-ST complete UK diesel analysis & sampling kit - featured below - is perfect for use to submit your diesel fuel samples to us. The kit can also be used for Kerosene. It comes with a pre-paid jiffy bag and return address label, and is inclusive of the oil analysis service. If you have any doubt whether the kit is for you, please give us a call.

Diesel Analysis & Sampling Kit

Kit Contents

60ml PETG sample bottle, sample tubing, equipment ID labels, re-sealable plastic bag and a pre-paid addressed postal jiffy bag to return your sample.

All-inclusive oil analysis service

Price is inclusive of the laboratory oil analysis, recommendations and comprehensive report, which will be issued to you in pdf format via e-mail.

Fast Service Turnaround

Turnaround time from receipt of the sample in our laboratory to return of your initial report and recommendations is 2-3 working days and the bacterial analysis will take another 2-3 days as this is the incubation period. An secondary report is then issued.

PDF

Diesel Bug

Stored diesel fuel faces a significant risk of diesel bug infestation over time, primarily due to a combination of fuel contamination and moisture. This issue is commonly observed among boat owners who store their vessels with fuel in the tank during winter months. Regardless of tank size, diesel fuel in storage can undergo condensation, creating an ideal breeding ground for diesel bug growth.

The term 'diesel bug' encompasses various types of bacteria and fungi that thrive in fuel. Whether you're involved in fleet management or marine vessel operation, especially during prolonged mooring, understand how to recognise, prevent or treat diesel bug is crucial to guard against its consequences, such as clogged filters and engine fuel shortages. In the event of an infestation, filters may become coated with dark brown to blackish substance.

Diesel Bug Testing

The dip slides makes the determination of these microbial counts fast, easy and is unique in that both measurements can be made simultaneously. The FA-ST bacteria & fungi test kits contain dip slides that are coated with an agar culture medium.

Each test kit is complete and ready to use straight away, no special equipment or training is necessary.

Diesel Bug Treatment

Biocide will:

Ensure that any stored/remaining fuel in the fuel tanks remain protected against microbes for long periods.
Immediately starts to kill off the bacteria & fungus, the fluid also prevents the regeneration of microbes.
Safe to use as it is non-flammable, non-toxic, non-corrosive, totally combustible in fuel mixture.
Biocide is a soluble in both fuel and water phases for better and efficient killing off of the microbes.

Diesel Fuel Analysis Tests Performed

Contamination testing is split into a number of different individual test. We will perform:

Particle Counting (ISO) - It is a test for particle contaminant levels and not specifically wear debris. It does not distinguish between wear and dirt particles, but if it can be determined that nonferrous contamination has remained stable, then an increase in the particle count must be attributable to wear.
ISO 4406:2017 Standard - This classification of particle contents was introduced to facilitate comparisons in particle counting. Sudden breakdown in a fuel system is often caused by large particles (>14 micron) in the fuel while slower, progressive faults are caused by smaller particles (4-6 micron).
Bug Bacteria - Bugs are cfu/ml Colony forming units per ml. Fungus is reported as slight, moderate or heavy, because it doesn't form cfu's in the same way as bacteria. Yeast behave like bacteria and reported in the same format (i.e. 10-5 cfu). These can clog filters and cause engines to stall.

All flammable liquids have a flashpoint. It is defined as the lowest temperature at which the liquid can form an ignitable mixture in air. We can also test the diesel fuel which may have been contaminated with petrol. All flammable liquids have a vapour pressure. The vapour pressure is closely related to the liquid's temperature. So, as the temperature increases, so does the vapour pressure. When the vapour pressure increases, the concentration of evaporated flammable liquid in the air increases. It is therefore clear that the temperature determines the concentration of evaporated liquid at equilibrium. In essence, the flashpoint is the lowest temperature at which enough fuel vapor exists that it will ignite. Testing this value, will determine whether the fluid has been contaminated with a 3rd party fluid.

The density of diesel fuel varies slightly depending on the ambient temperature. Diesel fuel varies between about 0.81 and about 0.96 between the temperatures of about 15 degrees Celsius and about 25 degrees Celsius. The specific gravity of a liquid is basically the ratio of the density of a substance when compared to a standard. In most cases that standard is water.

FAME Testing

FAME testing tests for the amount of biodiesel in your fuel. Current EU levels are at 7% and anything above this could cause issues for injectors, pumps or filters.