Diesel Fuel Polishing
Major refiners say that fuel begins to degrade significantly after only six months. Many companies and large facilities typically keep fuel in their backup generators for a much longer period than that, as the equipment is typically only used in emergencies.
Replacing the degrading diesel fuel every six months would be an excessive expenditure for most businesses. Fortunately, fuel polishing can reverse that degradation and save you from costly downtime and expensive damage to your equipment.
The process of fuel polishing leaves diesel fuel cleaner, purer, drier and brighter. Foster Fuels can restore fuel that is degraded by contamination or age to a nearly new condition with this process.
Why Should Fuel Be Polished?
As fuel is transported and stored, it tends to pick up minor contaminants. These contaminants can come from anywhere — small specks of dirt, water and other particulates find their way in through long hauls and storage periods. Fuel contamination can harm engine function when used and will affect the fuel’s integrity. You need to know your fuel is reliable and contaminant-free to increase quality control and efficiency.
Contaminated fuel can lead to filter clogs, downtime, and financial loss. The more fuel contamination, the more frequent your maintenance and repair costs will be. Components that regularly interact with contaminated fuel will break down more quickly as the contaminants interfere with their function, leading to expensive repairs no one wants to deal with regularly. Fuel polishing helps keep tanks clean, reduces breakdowns and ensures your fuel is contaminant-free.
Types of Fuel Contamination
Fuel contamination can lead to dozens of performance issues, increasing downtime and repair costs. Understanding the different types of fuel contamination will allow you to avoid contaminant issues in your fuel proactively. High-quality fuel polishing helps removes contaminants from your fuel, reducing wear and tear on your components.
1. Water Contamination
Water can absorb into your fuel in several ways. Humidity, condensation and even leaks might affect the water contamination in your fuel. As the temperature changes, the water turns into a liquid or is suspended in the fuel, and water can accumulate in the fuel’s low points.
The presence of water in your fuel affects fuel concentration and can cause microorganism growth. Some microorganisms and bacteria that make their home in water can even feed on fuel’s hydrocarbons, compromising its quality further.
2. Microbial Growth
Once water enters your fuel, it creates a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. These organisms can eat fuel components like additives, reducing fuel quality. Like all organisms, microbes produce waste after consuming food.
This waste looks like a sludge — when left too long, the sludge can contaminate filters and instruments, corrode aluminum and steel, and harm rubber components.
3. Particulate Matter
Any small, non-water or microbial contamination is particulate matter. Sand, dirt and dust particles are small enough to sneak into your fuel through the transportation process, open ports and degraded material. Too much particulate accumulation can lead to engine problems and other clogs and wear.
Fuel filters are essential for catching and trapping particulates, but even regularly-cleaned filters won’t get everything. Fuel polishing helps remove smaller particulates missed by the filter.
Benefits of Fuel Polishing
Fuel polishing has numerous benefits for your operation. The fuel polishing process can remove water and particulate contamination from fuel as well as reverse the effects of aging on diesel fuel in long-term storage. For facilities with zero tolerance for downtime, Foster Fuels recommends that polishing be planned for every third year as preventative maintenance.
Additionally, fuel polishing benefits our environment. By restoring fuel, the process prevents unnecessary waste from inefficient, contaminated fuel. Fuel and equipment are expensive to procure and maintain — wearing them down and reducing their inefficiency with contaminated fuel slows productivity and drives up expenses unnecessarily.
You should complete fuel polishing every third year. Some of the benefits you can expect from fuel polishing include:
- Waste reduction
- Improved fuel efficiency
- More reliable emergency equipment
- Increases safety
- Protects equipment
- Reduced downtime
Our Diesel Fuel Polishing Process
Our professionals will begin our fuel polishing services by evaluating the condition of the fuel in your tank. Then, we provide our expert opinion on how to restore it to nearly new condition. We employ experienced technicians with in-depth knowledge of fuel chemistry — you can trust our team to handle your fuel investment capably.
Specialized service prepares your backup diesel fuel for emergencies, saving your resources and reducing costs. Once evaluation and planning are complete, our team gets to work. We use the most advanced fuel filtration techniques to condition and stabilize your fuel.
A combination of specialized equipment, appropriate diesel fuel additives and appropriately-sized filters restore fuel in a commercial fuel storage tank to an almost new condition. In addition to a notably visible difference, the quality improves at the chemical level. Most importantly, diesel fuel polishing services maintain the combustion quality of your fuel. We can also facilitate third-party lab testing to confirm that your fuel has been returned to new specifications.
Attempting to complete fuel polishing services on your own without the necessary expertise could lead to dangers for you and your generator or other equipment. Instead, trust award-winning professionals who have been providing services throughout the entire country for almost a century. We’re committed to providing unrivaled service to keep up our reputation.
Trust Foster Fuels to Polish Your Fuel Supply
When it comes to Foster Fuels, you can trust that you’ll get the most up-to-date fuel treatment available in the industry. We use the newest technology, information and equipment to ensure our diesel fuel polishing services are the best they can be, so we can help your business stay ahead with fuel that lasts.
Working with Foster Fuels means getting unmatched convenience, quality and financial savings. Committing to fuel polishing services regularly keeps your equipment performing at its best, improving your bottom line in the event of an emergency. By using our polishing services, you’ll keep your generators ready for action in case of situations that could otherwise cause downtime, lost company hours and lower profits.
Our commitment to quality and service means we will come to you anywhere in the United States to complete our work. If you’re looking for unrivaled fuel polishing services, contact Foster Fuels today to take advantage of these benefits and more!