July 2018 | VehicleServicePros.com 17
engine oil analysis. Th is is due to the potential
inconsistencies of fuel, including how and where
it’s processed, the transport of the fuel, the storage
of the fuel and the geographic location of
the fl eet, etc.
Specifi cally, water contamination is the main
factor aff ecting fuel system fi ltration.
It is particularly challenging to address water
contamination with the more widespread adoption
of ultra-low sulfur diesel
(ULSD) and biodiesel use, due
to the issues with water separation
of these types of fuels.
Donaldson’s Du Guelle advises
byproducts of biodiesel
blend production in particular
– namely glycerols, and more
specifi cally glycerin – can be
detrimental to a fuel system
and subsequent fi ltration.
“Th ey won’t cause immediate
problems as long as they
remain warm and in liquid
form,” De Guelle says of glycerin.
“At low temperatures,
however, glycerin assumes a
solid waxy state where it can
drop to the bottom of tanks, get
caught in fuel fi lters and form
sticky, corrosive engine deposits.
Ultimately, these deposits
can immobilize a fl eet.”
To address this issue, he
recommends using biodiesel
blends with lower glycerin
levels.
While ultra-low sulfur
diesel has helped fl eets meet
current emission regulations,
use of this fuel is also not without
additional challenges.
“Th e reduction in the sulfur
content of diesel fuels has
resulted in low lubricity problems
which leads to increased
wear of engine components,”
Cummins Filtration’s Gwin
explains.
Th ere are fuel fi lters available
which include “lubricity
enhancing additives”
with a controlled release, says
Gwin. “Th e release mechanism
is designed so that the
lubricity enhancer will be
added to the fuel till the end
of fi lter life, thereby reducing
wear of engine components
over time.”
In addition, the fi ltration
process for ULSD has become
more challenging.
“It used to be with oil and
water, you pour fuel in
the tank, it mixes up and
then you can come back in a
couple hours and see where
it’s separated,” WIX Filters’
Chilton says of traditional
diesel fuels. “The oil and
water would be clearly separated where the
water is on top. ULSD doesn’t allow the oil and
water to separate the way it should, where it’s
clear like that. You have this constant mix of
water in the diesel fuel, where it’s so much
harder from a filtration standpoint to actually
separate it.”
To combat this issue, Chilton suggests using
specialized, multi-stage synthetic fi ltration
media to extract water and other contaminants
from the fuel.
Th is type of fi ltration media is used both on the
vehicle, and for bulk storage fi ltration.
“Generally speaking, a well-maintained fuel
storage system will allow the owner to change
the dispenser fi lter every six months or 500,000
gallons,” Luber-fi ner’s Hussein says. “However, if
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