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Refuel Systems | Diesel 101 | Refuel Systems

http://refuelsystems.com/en/Diesel_101

DIESEL 101 FUEL CLEANLINESS WHY TEST CSA TESTING

DIESEL 101 | REFUEL SYSTEMS

Diesel fuel is an organic compound that is used, not only as a combustible, but also as a coolant and lubricant.

THE NATURE OF DIESEL

Made up of thousands of hydrocarbons, diesel fuel begins to deteriorate as soon as it is produced. Today's ultra low sulfer diesel fuel actually deteriorates at a faster rate than traditional diesel fuel produced ten years ago due to advances and changes in refining technology and environmental requirements. This accelerated degradation results in greater challenges when trying to maintain fuel quality over time and can lead to emergency/back-up generator failures.

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Understanding how diesel fuel degrades and the factors that contribute to its breakdown is essential to eliminating single points of failure and protecting the critical infrastructure on which we rely.

According to a study performed by the University of Idaho in 1994, it is estimated that Low Sulfur Diesel degrades as much as 26% in the first 28 days.

Equally important are the several factors that contribute to diesel fuel contamination. These include:

Repolymerization and Oxidation

These are natural processes by which the diesel molecules lengthen and bond to produce varnishes and insoluble gums. These particles then drop to the bottom of the tank to form asphaltene (also known as diesel sludge).

Hygroscopicity
Low sulfer and ultra low sulfer diesel fuel is highly hygroscopic: it readily absorbs water from moisture in the air. Water contamination in diesel fuel is of particular concern as it can lead to the corrosion of steel components and the promotion of microbial growth. Increased use of additives and the introduction of biodiesel, for the management of mandated fuel sulphur reductions, have dramatically increased surfactant levels in diesel. Surfactant levels are the measurement of the tenacity in which the emulsified water and fuel molecules bond together. This change in fuel surfactancy has given rise to consistent failures of congenital separation and coalescence media used to separate water from diesel fuels.

Microbial Growth
Microbial growths that naturally occur in diesel can form a layer of organic debris that adheres to the walls and bottom of the storage container as fuel ages. The growths survive and flourish by living in or around the water line and feeding on the rich hydrocarbons present in the asphaltene layer. Adding fresh fuel to a contaminated fuel supply accelerates the development of these growths. Growths that break away from the sides and float freely in the fuel can unexpectedly clog fuel lines or filters during emergencies. These factors taken alone or together can interfere with the durability and performance of back-up and emergency generators, and back-up systems as a whole University of Idaho scientists have conducted tests to determine the timeline and percentage of degradation of stored diesel fuel #2. The results of this testing indicated that petroleum diesel fuel #2 degraded 26% after just 28 days of storage. Just as hydrodesulphurization produced unforeseen side effects in diesel fuel lubricity,

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06/01/2011 07:48 AM

Refuel Systems | Diesel 101 | Refuel Systems

http://refuelsystems.com/en/Diesel_101

additives and biodiesel create a less obvious, but equally dangerous unintended outcome: failure of existing fuel-water separators. In short, ULSD blends containing sufficient lubricity additives to pass wear requirements, and ULSD blends containing biodiesel, create conditions where commercial fuel-water separators fail to remove 40-100% of fuel-entrained water. The insidious aspect of this side effect Is that there is no way for an operator to know it is happening. - - Christine Stanfel - PhD - Ahlstrom Filtration - LLC

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