Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/748269
KEEPING FUEL CLEAN: O ur location in the Eagle Ford oil fi elds of Texas contains a state- of-the-art fueling station to keep trucks, tractors and support equip- ment fueled up and ready to go on a moment's notice. As the onsite equip- ment manager, I also inherited the title of fuel manager and have been tasked with all of the responsibilities that go along with that title. I've encountered fuel related issues on many occasions and seen fi rst- hand the costs associated with fi xing them as both an equipment manager and in a previous job at a dealer. I've also been a part of many fuel related discussions, and have come to real- ize that most companies have little information when it comes to fuel storage and fi ltration. After yet one more expensive fuel system repair, I decided there had to be a better way to manage these expenses, and took to researching fuel fi ltration. New engines and fuel issues Ask any contractor, and they're all aware of the EPA tier emission regu- lations that have been enacted over the past 10 years. We all understand the intention of these regulations, and many contractors understand the general methods used to reach those goals, but most don't fully understand the impacts that these regulations forced on engine design, which in turn have affected how engines function. Today's diesel engines are dramati- cally different than their predeces- sors even from just a few years back. In many cases, however, the way we treat them hasn't fully caught up to those changes. What does fuel fi ltration have to do with emissions? Quite a bit, actually. To better understand that, we fi rst need to look at what has changed in today's engines. One of the major sources of emission reduction is obtained by establishing a more complete burn of the diesel fuel inside the combustion chamber. Ten years ago, most diesel engines used injection pumps that ran at roughly 3,000 psi. In today's motors, those pressures can reach as high as 36,000 psi or more, a signifi cant increase. Additionally, the sizes of injector orifi ces have been reduced. EquipmentWorld.com | November 2016 33 maintenance | by Elliot Stanton Diesel leaves the refi nery clean and gets dirtier every step along the way to your equipment. In the era of modern engines, spending extra time and money on fuel fi ltration is a wise move.