Stop by the booth and say HI, too!  We will have show specials, be putting on a couple of seminars, and will have installers available if you would like LG-X units on your coach!

Here’s how you find Larsen Marine:  http://www.larsenmarine.com/

We’ll be taking fuel samples and meeting with people all day, too!!

Maintain your fuel! It's a big investment!!

It usually isn’t the problem of your fuel distributor, your maintenance staff (hired or in-house), or the engine manufacturer.  Diesel fuel has its own dirty little secret:  it can degrade all by itself.  And it will, if it is stored long enough without any maintenance.  Add to that the strong potential of water in the bottom of a tank and we have the beginnings of a dramatic situation.  The good news is that we know how to fix it!

Two big things have happened since Y2K in the world of diesel fuel consumption:  1. the widespread use of the common rail fuel injection system, and 2. the federal mandate to manufacture ultra-low sulfur (15 ppm, known as S15) diesel fuel.  One could argue if either one is actually good for the end user or not, but the fact is that we have them both, and they are here to stay.

Simply put, a diesel engine demands high quality fuel (or food, if you will) or it simply isn’t going to be happy.  Primary and secondary filtration on a new engine is often starting at 5 microns and ending at 2 microns!  Injectors that used to pour fuel into an engine at a “loosely” regulated rate now have nozzles so small that you can’t see the opening with the naked eye, and the rail head that supplies fuel to those nozzles is holding the fuel under 20,000/30,000 psi!  There just isn’t much room for error in this new engine world.

At the same time, refineries have had to alter the process that makes diesel fuel so that it meets the government mandate for ultra-low sulfur.  The cracking and refining process that is necessary artificially ages the fuel and badly affects the stability (meaning storage life) of the fuel.  Long term storage of fuel is now considered 8-12 months.  Anything not consumed in that time is going to create quite a problem for the “Tier” rated engines.

All is not lost!  Fuel is a major investment and should be treated just like your engine is.  Put it on a preventive maintenance schedule.  You already check the air filter, the coolant, and the lube oil, so why not check out the bottom of your fuel tank, too?  A visual sample is fine if you are NOT mission critical.  If you are, have the fuel quality tested, too.  If the fuel fails to meet ASTM D975 (the specification for diesel fuel), then have it polished.

Fuel polishing is not fuel filtration.  There’s a big difference, and an important reason to make sure you know what you are getting.  Filtration is generally defined as the process of separating suspended particles from a fluid by flowing both through a porous material in which the fluid can pass while the suspended particles are retained.

Will filtration remove a fluid from a fluid (like WATER from DIESEL)?  Well, some filter media (the stuff the filter is actually made from) will absorb water – like paper, for instance.  Not always, though, so keep an eye on what kind of filters you buy!  Water blocking filters are more expensive than particulate only filters, but to Diesel Fuel Doctor’s eyes almost always worth it.

So, to recap, filtration removes anything from a fuel that won’t fit through a certain size hole (the micron size rating of the filter).  And, the water absorbing tendency of the filter media may or may not remove free and entrained water in the fuel.

Fuel Polishing is defined as the removal of water, sediment, non-combustible particulate matter and microbial contamination below levels stated in ASTM D975 (Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils) while resuspending combustible particulate matter to maintain ASTM standards for BTU value, lubricity, and Cetane. 

Fuel polishing uses centrifuges, coalescers, fuel conditioners, and – yes – filters to remove non-combustible particulate matter (sand, dust, cigarette wrappers, lady bugs, etc.) from fuel.  In short, everything that wasn’t really supposed to be there in the first place.  Because water is heavier than fuel, the centrifuges and coalescers do a good job of removing that, too.  We then use water blocking filters to pick up the last little bit of suspended – or “entrained” – water available.

The primary difference between fuel polishing and fuel filtration is that fuel polishing acknowledges that fuel itself can degrade and cause solids.  Fuel filters will simply pull the solids out because they plug up filters whereas fuel polishers break down the combustible solids so that the fuel stays within the industry specifications.

With today’s engine packages, this is more important because the solids that fuel – particularly diesel, kerosene, home heating oil, and some of the JP (jet propulsion) fuel, creates are exactly the aspects of fuel that add lubricity and BTU value to it.  If you cycle the fuel through filters time after time after time after time to remove all of those solids, you’ll eventually knock the fuel out of spec!  It simply won’t have the power or lubricity that your diesel engine will require!  

Boating poses a different set of issues for the use of biofuels than driving does.  If filters clog or an engine stops in a car, you can coast to the side of the road and call for help.  That isn’t always the case in a boat.  Bad weather, remote locations and the difficulties of a tow are just part of the issue.  There can be a real threat to personal safety and the safety of passengers.  Add to that the higher cost of repairs in the marine world and the question arises:  Is it worth it?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

E85, as a fuel, has some interesting properties.  We have been made aware of all of the positives:  good combustibility, renewable resource, etc.  (I’m from Michigan.  I’m for anything that will help get our stumbling economy rolling again!)  But, E85 has a couple of other interesting properties that users should know.  It has a very short shelf life and likes to separate into layers in a relatively short time after it is produced (in a matter of months, actually).  That means that if it is not continually mixed, the engine burns different qualities of stuff!

One of the stratifed layers is alcohol.  If an engine designed to run on gasoline ingests a straight shot of alcohol, significant damage could (and does) occur.  Alcohol also likes water.  An alcohol molecule will attach itself to a water molecule.  The resulting new molecule is heavier than the old one.  It will settle out of the solution and go straight to the bottom of a fuel tank.  Interestingly, that is wher the pickup tubes for the fuel delivery system are located.  The result?  On a perfect day, E85 runs just fine.  On a good day, the engine won’t start because there is more water than alcohol in the bottom of the tank.  On a bad day, there is more alcohol than water and you blow a head hasket or break a valve.

In a classic case of “right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing,” the makers of E85 were diligent in making sure that the fuel would run in the engines – but forgot to see what it might do in fuel tanks, too.  Turns out that E85 really likes the resin used in the manufacture of some (though not all) fiberglass fuel tanks.  It does a really good job of dissolving the resin and suspending it in the fuel.  A couple of things happen as a result:  filters plug from the resin and the fuel tank starts leaking because its integrity is compromised.

Biodiesel is a whole different animal.  Most engine manufacturers will honor warranty issues as long as no more than B20 has been burned.  (A quick check with your trusted mechanic will give you the answer to your specific engine type.)  The kick against biodiesel is that so many people are burning so many different things and calling it biodiesel.  Is it recycled french fry oil?  Is it animal fat?  Soy-based?  Canola based?  How was it blended?  Was it made in somebody’s kitchen?  B2, B5, B10, B20, B50, B100?  The American Society of Testing and Materials has written some reasonably good standards for biodiesel based on FAME (fatty acid methyl esther) and VAME (vinyl acid methyl esther) fuels.  The problem is that the whole biofuel industry is in such an infancy stage that there isn’t a real history developed to tell what will happen to the engine or, more specifically, the injectors.

In the end, we all love to be on the water:  oceans, seas, rivers, or lakes, and we want to spend as much time there as possible.  I’m not a tree hugger (though I don’t have anything against them), but I do believe we can be kinder to this environment than we currently are.  Maintain and tune our engines.  Make sure we burn the fuel we have (whatever it is) as completely as possible.  Make sure all the running gear (props, shafts, etc) is true.  Keep water out of the fuel tank.  Never compromise the safety of the souls on board or the vessel itself!

Generators, boats, industrial, rail, agricultural, retail stations.  We clean them all!

Superior Marine Services is located in Michigan City, Indiana.  Roy Cohen can be reached at 219.879.5636

Pinkerton Letter

Here is the before and after on the front tank.  See how the water settles down to the bottom?  And all the sediment that is in there?  Remember, the pickup tubes that send fuel to the engines run to the bottom of the tank, too!

You can also see that there was suspended, or “entrained,” water in the fuel.  The before sample is cloudy, and the after sample is clear.

This is before and after in the back tank.  No water in this one, but plenty of sediment in the bottom of the tank. 

We used four mobile fuel polishers (two at each end of the train) to clean the tanks and polish the fuel in one day.  The train wnet immediately on its way and made it to its scheduled preventive maintenance cycle afterward!

If you suspect poor fuel quality in your tanks, please contact us!

Yuk.  These are all things that I’ve heard before we get to “We can help make sure that never happens again.”

“You gonna filter the fuel?”  Well, no.  Actually we’re going to polish it!  And now is time to explain to you what that is – and what the difference between polishing and filtration is.

Filtration is generally defined as the process of separating suspended particles from a fluid by flowing both through a porous material in which the fluid can pass while the suspended particles are retained.

Ok, so how do you remove a fluid from a fluid (like WATER from DIESEL)?  Well, some filter media (the stuff the filter is actually made from) will absorb water – like paper, for instance.  Not always, though, so keep an eye on what kind of filters you buy!  Water blocking filters are more expensive than particulate only filters, but to Diesel Fuel Doctor’s eyes almost always worth it.

So, to recap, fuel filters basically remove anything from a fuel that won’t fit through a certain size hole (the micron size rating of the filter).  And, the water absorbing tendency of the filter media may or may not grab water in the fuel.

Fuel Polishing is defined as the removal of water, sediment, non-combustible particulate matter and microbial contamination below levels stated in ASTM D975 (Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils) while resuspending combustible particulate matter to maintain ASTM standards for BTU value, lubricity, and cetane. 

Fuel polishing uses centrifuges, coalescers, and – yes – filters to remove non-combustible particulate matter (sand, dust, cigarette wrappers, lady bugs, and – our personal record – a dead rat) from fuel.  In short, everything that wasn’t really supposed to be there in the first place.

Because water is heavier than fuel, the centrifuges and coalescers do a good job of removing that, too.  We then use water blocking filters to pick up the last little bit of suspended – or “entrained” – water available.

The primary difference between fuel polishing and fuel filtration is that fuel polishing acknowledges that fuel itself can degrade and cause solids.  Fuel filters will simply pull the solids out because they plug up filters whereas fuel polishers break down the combustible solids so that the fuel stays within the industry specifications.

“Well, why is that such a big deal?” you might ask… (Go ahead!)

Because, the solids that fuel – particularly diesel, kerosene, home heating oil, and some of the JP (jet propulsion) fuel, creates are exactly the aspects of fuel that add lubricity and BTU value to it.  If you cycle the fuel through filters time after time after time after time to remove all of those solids, you’ll eventually knock the fuel out of spec!  It simply won’t have the power or lubricity that your diesel engine will require!  

Keep that in mind especially if you have a newer diesel engine.  If your powerplant says “Tier” anything (1,2,3,4), then it is going to be VERY finicky about the fuel it consumes.  If there is some sort of failure – catastrophic or not – and the manufacturer discovers that the fuel is out of spec, then there is a strong possibility that the warranty may not be available, either!

We have LOTS of different ways to make sure your fuel meets spec and that your tanks stay clean.  Fuel polishing as a service, dedicated equipment to bulk tanks, and in-line equipment for mobile equipment are all here if you need it!

Please contact us with any questions or comments you have!

I happen to have a business & economics degree.  The only reason for mentioning it is that my freshman year I had to take two classes in particular Econ 101, and Econ 102.  I’m sure they were filled with lots of interesting stuff, but I remember one thing from each:  The Law of Supply and Demand, and The Law of Substitution.

The basic deal with soybeans (the main source of oil for biodiesel in the US) and corn (the main source of ethanol for gasoline replacement in the US) is this:  1.  the supply is limited to what farmers can grow in a season, and 2.  it’ll all sell to the highest bidder.  The issue at hand is that soy and corn crops already have a purpose in life – to feed humans and to feed livestock that feeds humans.  If another industry comes along and is willing to pay more for it, then the crops will supply the new industry where demand is GREATER.

Something will, then, need to be a substitute.  Not sure what that is at the moment, but I guess we’re going to find out.  At the same time, these crops are becoming a substitute for petroleum.  Not so much because we don’t have enough of it, but because we’ve decided we don’t want to rely on it as heavily as we do.  A noble, if impractical, goal.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM that nobody is talking about is that we can’t produce enough crop to feed people and move away from petroleum!  Don’t believe it?  Well, here it is – by the numbers – and sources documented:

B100 US Biodiesel production limitations:

       76,767,000 – Acres of soybean planted/harvested in the US in 2009(1)

X               42.3 – Average yield of soybeans per acre in bushels(1)

  3,247,244,100 – Total bushels of soybeans produced in 2009

X                1.4 – Gallons of B100 produced from 1 bushel of soybeans(1)

  4,546,141,740 – TOTAL POTENTIAL Gallons of B100 produced in 2009

55,664,448,000 – Gallons of Diesel consumed in 2009(2)

4,546,141,740/55,664,448,000 = 8.17%

365 days in a year X 8.17% = 29.8 days

Well, there you have it.  IF we stopped using soybeans for EVERYTHING else and committed 100% of last year’s crop to biodiesel, we’d have made it about a month.  Still think it’s the way to go???

OH!  It’s a bit better for corn!!  So, here we go again!

E100 US ethanol production limitations:

       80,007,000 – Acres of corn planted/harvest in the US in 2009(3)

X             161.9 – Average yield of corn per acre in bushels(3)

12,953,133,300 – Bushels of corn harvested in 2009

X               2.5 – Gallons of ethanol (E100) produced from 1 bushel of corn(1)

32,382,833,250 – TOTAL POTENTIAL Gallons of E100 produced

137,916,660,000 – Gallons of gasoline consumed in the US in 2009(2)

32,382,833,250/137,916,660,000 = 23.48%

365 days in a year X 23.48% = 85.7 days.

100% of the corn and soybean production of the US would have run the country for roughly 2 months.  The diesels would rumble to a stop, people would convert to ethanol and then that would stop, too.  Oh, and there would be nothing but wheat and other crops to eat.  Can’t feed the cows, pigs, or chickens – or ourselves, either.

Here’s the documentation promised, too:

(1) USDA Farm Service Agency as quoted here: http://www.montanagreenpower.com/faq/altfuel.php#Q4

(2) US Energy Information Administration as quoted here: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_cons_psup_dc_nus_mbbl_a.htm

(3) National Corn Grower’s Association as quoted here: http://www.montanagreenpower.com/faq/altfuel.php#Q3

We, as a company, are all for green technology and the search for HUMAN friendly energy.  We don’t want to breath polluted air.  We want our kids healthy, happy, and productive.  We’re all for better efficiencies and practical, common sense uses of petroleum and other energy sources.  We just don’t see the use of feedstocks as a viable answer.

Got any comments or questions?  Feel free to contact us!