FA-ST Filtration Analysis Services Technology Ltd

+44 (0)1246268900
sales@fa-st.co.uk

Diesel Filtration

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Unit 4 Foxwood Road
Dunston Trading Estate
Chesterfield, Derbyshire
S41 9RF

sales@fa-st.co.uk

What is Diesel Filtration?

Diesel filtration is the method of removing contamination and water from diesel fuel, by pumping the fuel through a porous material – or filter- in which contaminates contained in the diesel fuel are retained, whilst the diesel and its additives pass through. Contaminates can be classed as dirt, sediment, sludge, airborne fibres and water.

The process of filtering diesel is can be also referred to as diesel cleaning or diesel cleansing. Contact us to discuss your precise requirements.

Diesel Fuel Filtration Services

FA-ST Ltd offer all types of remedial work to help alleviate and cure these types of problems described above in relation to contamination and water ingress. We can offer a full package from the sampling and analysis of the fuel. This will pinpoint any issues with the fuel. We can then offer a solution to cure these issues and offer guidance to help maintain good quality clean and dry fuel.

We can also offer permanent filter systems for storages, transfer pumps & motors, spill prevention equipment and storage units for IBC’s and other small containers. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Diesel Fuel Cleanliness Guidelines

The overall cleanliness of diesel fuel is created by several factors, low quality fuel purchased, poor storage and housekeeping practices is a big problem that all industries in particular transport and power generation have to deal with. The fuel cleanliness issues start at the refinery. There the fuel output filtration is typically between 50 and 80 micron. Particles smaller than this are unfiltered and remain in the fuel during its life. The contamination in the fuel only rises when it is taken from the refinery, as it will go through several more container transfers before reaching the final cars, boats, tankers, storage tanks or barrels. These transfers all contribute to dirt and water accumulation. This causes issues for the end user, who will be oblivious to the issues as they are non visible. Only will an end user realise they have issues when assets return poor running performance.

Much of the asset performance issues is related to micron size of the contamination and the water accumulating in fuel as it reaches pumps and injectors. Assets that use injector systems, typically around a decade ago, their maximum diesel fuel system pressures rarely exceeded 3000 psi, however with today’s advanced systems this can be as high as 30,000 psi. To generate these higher pressures, lower micron sized injector orifices and tighter tolerances in delivery equipment coupled with contaminated fuel can cause misfires, blockages & engine stoppages. Most engine fuel filters are nominal 15 or 10 micron with low efficiencies to allow fuel flow through to the engine. The most damaging particle size by volume is 5-10 microns. Thus particles that are now in similar size to the injector bores are making their way to combustion chambers unchallenged. This over time will cause a build up of contamination, leading to running issues.

Laboratory analysis revealed that particles in the 5 to 10 micron sizes were actually the most abrasive size group and were the cause of shortened component life. It turned out the 7 micron particle was the perfect fit between high tolerance clearances and would actually grind away at inner metal surfaces, causing accelerated wear resulting in a drop in delivery pressures and causing servo value orifice erosion. A particle of contamination, is not typically spherical nor smooth, it will be of haphazard shape and aggressive in nature, causing wear as it contacts inner surfaces.

Water ingress to storage tanks is a major problem, particularly for companies who have to store large amounts of fuel for standby for back-up generator systems for example. Diesel is hygroscopic, which means the fuel will attract and hold onto water often caused by condensation at a molecular level by its nature. Water is created by condensation through temperature changes, also when the level in the storage drops due to asset demand, it draws in unfiltered air, which contains moisture also. Particularly with older mild steel storage tanks these degrade forming rust particles, this forms within the void between the level of fuel and the tanks. This rusts falls away and causes sediment within the fuel. This is in a tank of age, is a problem. Especially if any maintenance on the tank is carried out, vibration through these activities often occurs. Displacing the rust particles from tank internals into the fuel. These will be particularly damaging to systems. Please give us a call within your issues, we will have a solution for you.

Other sources of water ingress are through poorly maintained manhole access points, these can fill with water and seepage can occur through filler caps, breather points and tank lids and faulty seals.

Faulty tanks, cracked pipe work can all contribute to contamination problems within storage tanks.

Fuel Storage Tank Care & Maintenance

Tank cleaning is a major operation which may require complete draining of the tanks, and should only be done by professionals. It is therefore commonly carried out infrequently, normally on the schedule of several years coinciding with (statutory) inspection and maintenance requirements. Good housekeeping can help extend periods between tank cleanings.

Water bottom measurements can be made on an appropriate time interval (via automatic gauging or regular tank dipping with water finding paste) and water can be removed when necessary. This is important since any water and sediment can be stirred up when the tank is filled. After fuel delivers wait 1 hour for every 30cm of fuel to settle and if water and sediment are observed, additional settling time is one way of bringing the fuel back into specification.

It is very hard to stop water from entering the supply chain of fuel; therefore good housekeeping is essential. Hardware, tanks, and pumping systems should be routinely inspected and maintained. Fuel should be checked periodically for contamination by water to ensure there is no free water present in the fuel entering the engine, and dissolved water does not exceed 200ppm. This is monitored by regular sampling and analysis. Engineers can then decide what action to take.

Fuel Storage Tank Care & Maintenance

This section explains the importance of fuel cleanliness to the successful operation of Cummins® Engines. Modern fuel systems have been developed to reduce emissions and fuel consumption, and improve engine performance. These high pressure systems operate at pressures approaching 2100 bar [30,500 psi] and with component match clearances typically from 2 to 5 microns for injectors. At these pressures, very small, hard particles are potential sources of fuel system malfunction. Excessive contamination of diesel fuel can cause premature clogging of diesel fuel filters and/or premature wear of critical fuel injection system parts. Depending on the size and nature of the particles, this can lead to:

  • Reduced component life
  • Component malfunction
  • Fuel system and/or engine failure
  • Increased exhaust emissions

Determining fuel cleanliness requires measuring both the size and number of particles per size class in the fuel, i.e. the particle size distribution. The International Standards Organization (ISO) has developed a protocol for expressing the level of contamination by coding the size distribution called ISO 4406.

ISO 4406 cleanliness codes are expressed as a series of three numbers (e.g. 18/16/13), which correspond respectively to the number of particles greater than 4, 6, and 14 microns. For example, the numbers in the ISO 4406 rating of 18/16/13 translate to:

  • 18 – Up to 2,500 particles larger than 4μm (per mL of fuel)
  • 16 – Up to 640 particles larger than 6μm (per mL of fuel)
  • 13 – Up to 80 particles larger than 14μm (per mL of fuel)

Engine builders and fuel injection equipment manufacturers have found that the particles greater than 4 microns and greater than 6 microns are particularly critical to the durability of the fuel injection system. They also recognize that the fuel systems must be robust to hard particles smaller than 4 microns that are difficult to filter out, even with the finest filtration. To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of filtration, Cummins Inc. has adopted the recommendation of the World Wide Fuel Charter that fuel supplied to engines meet the ISO 4406 code of 18/16/13 maximum for respectively 4, 6, and 14 micron particle sizes.

Cummins Inc. recommends that if the fuel does not meet the ISO cleanliness code of 18/16/13 in bulk storage, additional filtration be applied before the fuel is delivered to the equipment’s fuel tank.