Equipment World Digital Magazine
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Putting this high-pressure fuel through smaller injector orifices cre- ates a finer atomization of fuel inside the cylinder, and creates a more complete burn. The downside of this design is that this high pressure turns small particulate matter into destructive projectiles inside your fuel system. These particles blast their way through your pumps, your connec- tors and fittings, and finally, your injectors. As with all aspects of these new emissions compliant engines, the prices of these components have seen major cost increases as well. It's not uncommon for injectors to run $1,200 to $1,700 each. Fuel pumps can run thousands of dollars, and due to their complexity, are harder than ever to rebuild. Water's destructive impact In addition to managing particulates in the fuel supply, we also have to be much more aware of water intermixed in diesel. In our older Tier 1 engines, water could be a nuisance. In today's high-tech engines, it can destroy entire fuel systems in just a few short minutes. Unlike diesel, water isn't easily compressed and dam- ages injectors and high pressure pumps. What's more, some of the components in modern fuel systems are made from high-tech alloys that oxidize from exposure to water, creating additional particulates in your fuel system. But, the most frequent danger is that water in the fuel will blow out the tips of your injectors. And even on a four- cylinder backhoe or skid steer, you could be talking $4,000 or more on injectors alone. Reducing or eliminating failures caused by contaminated fuel can create substantial savings in parts and service. Reduced downtime is another major source of savings that comes with properly filtering fuel. These two areas alone justify sub- stantial investment in fuel filtration. Cleaner fuel for reduced emissions The other main area of savings for diesel filtration is in the emis- sions themselves. In removing the particulate from our fuel pre-burn, we eliminate those particles from the exhaust. Every contaminant that enters the combustion chamber of your engine is leaving through the exhaust, or worse yet, bouncing around in your engine. Anyone run- ning a diesel particulate filter (DPF) understands the costs associated in having those filters cleaned or replaced. Compared to DPFs, fuel filtration is inexpensive, and by reducing build up in the filter, you also reduce regeneration intervals and save the diesel required to do a burn off of the DPF. We've seen costs of cleaning these DPF's run $800 to several thousand dollars per occurrence, in addition to the down time loss. Our experience shows that these cleaned DPF's have a reduced sec- ond life, but with DPF and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) filters running $4,000 or more new, we continue to analyze costs of re- placement versus renewal via clean- ing. Either way, we're talking about a major cost of ownership in DPF filters alone. OEM fuel filtration By in large, engine and equipment manufacturers have upgraded their filtration systems. So the argument that engines already have fuel filters is valid, but not all fuel filtration systems are equal, nor are they infallible. Some filters only go down to 10 microns, whereas others can go as low as 2 microns. The differ- ences in those particulate sizes are substantial when talking about to- day's low-tolerance engine designs. As part of my research into find- ing clean diesel solutions, I talked with Dan Cummings, the owner of Tech-Smart in Reno, Nevada. Dan was raised on diesel and became a certified mechanic, working on heavy equipment in large mines and quarries across the western United States. (Dan's been an excel- lent resource for technical knowl- edge throughout my project, and I owe a lot of this article to Dan.) Dan was able to show me several options on the market that we could use to clean up fuel-related issues in our fleet. Seeing a demand for improved filtration, the market has responded with some excellent solutions. When talking to other equipment managers, the general belief is that filtration is a massive November 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 34 maintenance | continued The dirt on the outside of your machines may cause premature clogging of emissions filters.