Expert Advice

Dirt, water and other contaminants cause damage to equipment, tanks, and diesel fuel itself. Rather than try to fix problems after they cost you time and money, develop preventive programs to avoid these problems to begin with. Following the below best practices for fuel storage will help prevent the expense and downtime that can be caused by contaminated diesel fuel.

Dirty fuel can cause premature failure in equipment of any age. Because of the extremely high pressures, this damage is even more pronounced in newer equipment with High-pressure Common Rail (HPCR) fuel systems.

Water causes damage to both fuel tanks and engine parts. Component life is also shortened by water etching, erosion, cavitation and spalling. Diesel fuel will always contain a certain percentage of water. The goal is to keep water levels within acceptable limits, well below the saturation point.

Microbial colonies can proliferate in any fuel tank. Microbial contamination varies in appearance, but looks very different from typical dirt. Most people don't realize they have a problem with their system until they experience filter plugging. By this time the situation is far more severe than just a few microbes.

Cold weather operability can be a huge problem. Equipment won't start in the morning or even if it does, it might stop suddenly in the middle of a job. These issues are usually caused by solids created in the fuel as the temperature decreases.

Ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and biodiesel both have reduced stability in storage compared to traditional high sulfur diesel. While it is true that removing sulfur improves stability, the hydro-treating process also tends to destroy naturally occurring antioxidants.

HPCR fuel systems used in today’s low-emission diesel engines deliver better efficiency but, are also more susceptible to injector failure. For equipment managers, every hour of downtime can cost thousands of dollars.

Find answers to your questions about diesel fuel and understand what steps you can take to achieve fuel cleanliness.