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D iesel particulate filters are used to reduce emissions in modern diesel systems. DPF's can help reduce emis- sions up to 80% by trapping soot in the vehicle exhaust so it doesn't end up in the air we breathe. As soot builds up it will eventually plug the fil- ter, reducing its efficiency. To keep the filters clear, these units typically use a process called regeneration to heat the filter above soot combustion tempera- tures (as high as 1100F°!). The regen- eration feature is programmed into the vehicle engine management system and usually occurs automatically in either a 'passive' or 'active' mode when needed to clear the filter. Passive regeneration is possible for vehicles that (1) have an oxidation cat- alyst incorporated into the aftertreat- ment device; and (2) when the exhaust temperature rises high enough to burn off the soot (e.g. during long periods at highway driving). THE PROBLEM Active regeneration is required if driv- ing conditions don't allow for high speed operation when the exhaust doesn't get hot enough to burn the soot. Vehicles such as these idle fre- quently and are subject to a lot of stop and go driving that can plug filters frequently. In active regeneration, an excess of fuel is sent to the particu- late filter to heat the filter above soot combustion temperature. This regen- eration cycle may repeat several times a day and become excessive, leading to increased fuel consumption. Other problems that may occur in high idling engines are lube oil contamination, EGR sticking and turbocharger prob- lems. One of our customers, Bachman Services, has a fleet of medium to heavy duty service vehicles and was experi- encing a variety of drive-ability prob- lems. These trucks are equipped with common 6.7L turbo diesel engine plat- forms which incorporate DPF units. The vehicles idle throughout the day and were experiencing the following symptoms: High regeneration rates, up to 7-8 times a day Turbocharger failures Exhaust system replacement DPF plugging Fuel pump failures Exhaust sensor failures The downtime related to these problems resulted in lost revenue and additional costs for repairs. The repairs cost over $65,000 and consisted of four complete exhaust system replacements, two fuel rails, three fuel pumps and three complete fuel injection systems. Not counted in the repair costs were several EGR valves and tows. OUR SOLUTION We agreed to work together to investi- gate and hopefully solve the problems the fleet was encountering. After dis- cussing the issues with the fleet mainte- nance manager and surveying the fleet, it was clear most problems were related to the fuel system. We decided to use an additive treatment to clean the system and eliminate any deposits or plugging that may be causing these problems. Innospec's ECOCLEAN® 4200 antifou- lant was chosen for this application. During the fleet study re-genera- tion rates started to decrease, eventu- ally reaching only one re-generation per day per vehicle. Other mechanical failures were reduced dramatically as well. While idling is a severe condi- tion and is often a necessary part of vehicle operations, the resulting fuel- related problems in this study were avoided after dosing with Innospec ECOCLEAN® 4200. Since less regen- eration was needed, less unburned fuel was sent out of the combustion cham- ber. The bottom line result was a 12% increase in fuel economy and nearly 30% improved uptime. ECOCLEAN® is a unique product that has been in use since 2006. It was initially developed by Innospec Fuel Specialties to eliminate fouling prob- lems that occurred in a large municipal bus fleet that used low emission, high pressure common rail diesel engines. Frequent injector fouling, back-fires and reduced fuel economy were caus- ing major problems to the municipality. After working with the fleet and engine manufacturer, Innospec's research department developed an additive that nearly eliminated this problem. Since the initial additive was developed, improve- ments have been made and a second generation additive, ECOCLEAN® 4200 was developed. If you are experiencing issues similar to those described here or would like to know more about this case study, please contact either: Steve Boracchia, Innospec Fuel Specialties LLC (email: steve.borac- chia@innospecinc.com) or Leo Verusso, Advanced Fuel Solutions (email: leo@ yourfuelsolutions.com) and we will be happy to talk further. Andrew McKnight joined Innospec Inc. in 2010 and is director of technol- ogy for performance fuel additives for the Americas. Stephen Boracchia joined Innospec in 1999 and is the senior East Coast regional sales manager. FUELS www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | OCTOBER 2015 15 FUELS BY STEPHEN BORACCHIA AND ANDREW MCKNIGHT, INNOSPEC FUEL SPECIALTIES LLC Sponsored Feature: Are DPFs Costing you Money? l F O N