CONTAMINANTS FOUND ON DIESEL FUEL STORAGE TANK FILTERS

As simple as the storage of diesel fuel should be, it is actually fraught with significant issues. Diesel fuel is believed to be transported and delivered into a storage tank as clean as it left the refinery, which is thought to be maintained throughout the storage duration. However, it is well documented that rapid fuel filter plugging often occurs upon pumping pre-filtered fuels. This study will address several examples of observations made from field samples of diesel fuels taken from plugged storage tank filtration applications. It will focus on the evaluation and characterization of the materials found on plugged diesel fuel filters. A case will be made for new fuel filterability requirements and standards in order to ensure diesel fuels can be suitably cleaned to meet the requirements of modern fuel injector system designs.