FAQs
How do you protect stored fuel from contamination?
Good housekeeping and purchasing clean, dry fuel from a reputable supplier are definitely step one.
In mission critical applications such as emergency power generation, Wilkes recommends use of the AN-1 automated fuel re-circulation/filtration system.
Traditionally, biocides and filtration were the only treatment available. In many cases, we have seen this regime do more harm than good. The use of an adequate fuel quality management program and service, along with regular fuel testing to monitor fuel integrity, are an absolute necessity and will cut costs. Periodically adding stabilizer is another common practice used, for example, with nuclear power plants, which all have back-up diesel powered generators.
Installing a dedicated system like the AN-1 that automatically operates and purifies fuel is becoming a rapidly accepted standard for hospitals, data storage, and telecommunications companies.
Also recommended is the practice of removing any water within a storage tank and regularly monitoring for microbial contamination. Since most tanks do not have a water sump or an inclined bottom that can be drained at the lowest point, water must be extracted from within the fuel supply. To remove water from fuel tanks, Wilkes inerts Nitrogen to eliminate the oxygen, so that water never forms. This patent pending process prevents the cause of fuel issues before they can start.
Optimal fuel quality is achieved by separating water from fuel, filtering fuel, and polishing fuel. The Wilkes AN-1 solutions automates that process so when you absolutely need your generator to function, you won't be questioning whether you've done enough to maintain the fuel.
What are the problems related to long-term fuel storage?
Temperature, humidity, and condensation are very important factors to consider in managing fuel quality. The presence of free water provides the medium for microbiological growth, resulting in the formation of slime or acids that can cause corrosion of metal surfaces; such as storage tanks, pumps, injectors, etc.
Other key factors leading to fuel deterioration, polymerization, and stratification within storage tanks are chemical incompatibility and stress caused by heat and pressure from pumps, centrifuges, and heaters. Since most diesel engines return considerable amounts of fuel back to the tank (due to fuel not being completely used during the combustion process), it is easy to see that the engine itself contributes to fuel deterioration.
What does optimal fuel quality mean for me?
Optimal Fuel Quality means Peak Engine Performance. New engines will retain maximum engine efficiency much longer using good quality fuel. Regular fuel maintenance, including filtering and polishing, will extend the life of both old and new engines.
Wilkes fuel conditioning technology optimizes fuel quality and eliminates the build up of organic solids, tank sludge, acid formation, and clogged filters. It enhances combustion by reducing the size of the fuel droplet sprayed by the injector, eliminating carbon build up, and reducing harmful exhaust contaminants.
The implementation of Wilkes technology lowers operating cost and brings equipment in compliance with the Clean Air Act, reducing environmental concerns about smoke, particulate, and oil sheen on the water.
Can diesel clog my filters?
Yes, it can. The stuff that clogs your filters is actually fuel in some way, shape, or form. 90% of this organic debris are byproducts from the breakdown of the fuel. It is not sand, dust, stones, rust or inorganic matter that blocks your filter.
The inorganic material like sand, dust and other particles will not cause your filters to clog. In fact, a lot of sand in a fuel filter would act as extra filtration. The pores between the sand particles are much larger than the pores in a standard fuel filter element. Sand filters are commonly used to filter water. A hair is approximately 80 micron in diameter and fuel filter media elements range all the way from 30 micron for a prefilter down to 2 micron in a fine filter.
Aren't my onboard engine filters supposed to keep my fuel system clean?
At best, filters, separators, and centrifuges remove debris suspended in the fuel before it reaches the engine. Stopping, preventing, or reversing the process of fuel breakdown is a completely different matter that can be addressed, and resolved, with Wilkes fuel maintenance programs. It is not very likely that filtration (either the filter on the engine, or an external filtration system) will remove the sludge coating from the walls and baffles of your storage tank, and the use of biocides will almost always aggravate the situation. Filtration has no effect on fuel break down processes.
Simple inorganic debris, dust, sand, rust, etc. can easily be removed from the fuel stream with a filter. This inorganic material will be trapped in the filter without clogging it. Most of the debris we see on the filter elements (the stuff that plugs our filters) is the result of the fuel having begun to form solids.
How does fuel stability affect the user?
Fuel stability is a serious concern for the diesel fuel user.
The chemistry behind diesel fuel instability involves the chemical conversion of precursors to species of higher molecular weight with limited solubility. The conversion process often involves oxidation of the precursors. Fuel solvency plays a role, since the development of insolubles is always a function of both the presence of higher molecular weight species and the fuel capacity to dissolve them.
Fuel is an unstable, organic liquid that goes “bad”. Your vendor will always sell you the highest fuel quality possible. However, due to a variety of circumstances, fuel may have “aged”, oxidized, and/or contain water. It may have been contaminated before it was delivered to you or to your vendor.
The journey fuel has to travel from the refinery to the end user destination is open to opportunities for the introduction and promotion of contamination. It is pumped through pipelines, barged, trucked, and stored intermittently in tank farms throughout this journey. Daily changes in temperature and exposure to the atmosphere will cause condensation and water build up in storage systems. None of this will help improve fuel quality.
When your fuel is finally used, it is exposed to the heat and pressure of engine injection systems, centrifuges, pumps, and heaters, causing an increase in asphaltene agglomerations, which negatively impacts combustion efficiency and emissions.