off road diesel mandate exposes need - cleaner fuel hydac

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5 6 | P E I . O R G | Second Quarter 2016

New diesel engines used in off-road equipment for construction,

agriculture and power generation must be “Tier 4” compliant

by 2018 to meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

emissions standards that reduce the allowable levels of particulate

matter and nitrogen oxides (NOX). The Tier 4 standards have been

required since 2011 for diesel trucks and buses on U.S. and European

highways. (Europe’s version of the standards is known as “Stage IV.”)

By Aaron Keck and Rob Sabo

OFF-ROAD DIESELMANDATE EXPOSESNEED: CLEANER FUEL

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Second Quarter 2016 | P E I J O U R N A L | 5 7

To meet the standards, new

off-road equipment — excavators,

farm tractors, heavy forklifts, airport

ground service equipment, generators,

pumps, compressors, etc. — is being equipped with a variety

of emission control technologies, including exhaust aftertreat-

ment systems, electronic engine controls and sensors. The

changes have boosted performance and reduced emissions,

but they’ve also increased the owners’ cost and associated

expenses. What’s more, the fuel systems in these new engines

are faced with significant design constraints as a result of three

key changes in the diesel industry:

1. The use of high-pressure common rail (HPCR) fuel

injection systems.

2. The conversion to ultra-low

sulfur diesel (ULSD).

3. The addition of biodiesel

fuel blends to the stock

diesel fuel.

HPCR INJECTION SYSTEMSDiesel fuel injection systems

are changing dramatically to

provide cleaner combustion

and meet Tier 4 requirements. Today’s fuel systems

boast injection rail pressures of up to 43,500 pounds per

square inch (psi) conditions compared with the 1,000- to

3,000-psi systems in mechanical fuel injectors from the

1990s. In addition, fuel system component tolerances are

New off-road equipment is

being equipped with emission

control technologies

including exhaust after-

treatment systems, electronic

engine controls and sensors.


now as small as 1 micron — one-fortieth of what the eye

can see.

With the new generation of high-performance, low-

tolerance diesel fuel systems, the need for cleaner fuel has

become increasingly apparent.

Equipment owners, operators and fleet managers are

experiencing more repair and downtime costs, thanks to poor

fuel quality in Tier 4 engines. Many of these failures are the

results of inadequate fuel filtration leading up to the point

of injection.

Numerous Tier 4 engines require a fuel cleanliness

level of 11/8/6 at injection and 15/13/10 in the fuel tank.

(The three numbers correspond to the number of particles

of a size greater than 4, 6 and 14 microns per milliliter of

fuel, respectively.)

According to the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO) 4406, the Worldwide Fuel Charter

standards at storage are 18/16/13, a dissolved water con-

tent less than 200 parts per million (ppm) and no free or

emulsified water.

ULSD 15 AND BIODIESEL BLENDSULSD and the addition of biodiesel blends of B2 to B20

have added two more challenges to achieving the fuel clean-

liness levels needed by today’s new engines and fuel storage

systems. The removal of sulfur during refining also removes

some of the natural lubricity compounds, so anti-wear additives

must be blended with the fuel.

Typically, ULSD 15 is hydrophilic with saturation

levels between 25 and 100 ppm at room temperature. The

addition of biodiesel causes these saturation points to rise

dramatically: B2 up to 250 ppm; B5 to 500 ppm; and B20

to 1,600 ppm. As free water appears in the storage tanks, bac-

terial growth and premature degradation of the fuel storage

systems can occur.

Until recently, filtration technology has not kept up.

Absorption technology easily can be overwhelmed by all of the

water and result in many more element change outs than in

the past.

This drives up filter costs, requires extra maintenance

and, in some cases, leads to lost business. When one retailer’s


dispensers clog up, customers natu-

rally will turn to another retailer for

their diesel.

Coalescing technology also has

not improved, with cellulose still being the most commonly

used media. Under current conditions, there are three major

problems with this technology:

1. The reduction of overall water-removal efficiencies

compared with the past.

2. The water that can overwhelm the filters, saturate the

cellulose and destroy the media (think of wet card-

board) if not properly drained.

3. The formation of ice crystals on the media in low tem-

peratures. This can cause additional

cold start issues, allow water to

enter the injector systems and foster

microbial growth.

TODAY’S OUTDATED FILTRATION STRATEGIES FOR CONTAMINATION CONTROL

Typically, absorptive filters and

coalescing filters applied at the point

of dispensing have been used for

contamination control. These are typically spin-on style filters

providing filtration of particles down to 25-30 microns.

Alternatives for dirty or contaminated tanks include tank

cleaning, polishing services, kidney loop systems and microbial

“spiking” agents (to kill bacteria). Although these systems can

In most cases, one cannot

get the required ISO levels

in today’s fuel systems

through a single-pass

particulate and water-

removal media at the point of

dispensing.


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clean and polish the fuel, they usually do so with no particle

count measurements, water tests or ASTM 975 fuel testing.

In most cases, the benchmark for success is simply how clean

the fuel looks afterward.

These realities pose several problems.

First, in most cases, one cannot get to the required ISO

levels in today’s fuel systems through a single-pass particulate

and water-removal media at the point of dispensing. This is

especially true if the bulk fuel delivered to the storage tank is

contaminated or dirty. Bulk fuel from delivery trucks, trains or

barges is often between 25/23/21 and 21/19/17.

The use of cleanout services, polishing systems and kidney

loops for permanently installed systems can become costly

and can consume a lot of energy. In addition, cleaning and

polishing services are good only for the fuel in the tank at the

time of service.

Also, when chemicals are used to treat and kill bacteria

in a bulk system, the user is left with dead organisms and

FIGURE 1: ISO 4406 & OEM WORLD CHARTER RECOMMENDATIONS

20/20/18 TYPICAL BULK FUEL

18/16/13 STORAGE AND DRY TANKS

15/13/10 AT VEHICLE TANK

12/9/6 NEEDED AT INJECTORS

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The three numbers correspond to the number of particles of a size greater than 4, 6 and 14 microns per milliliter of fuel, respectively.

chemical byproducts. Both can have

detrimental effects on fuel quality and

the fuel injection system if allowed

into the combustion chamber of

an engine.

When HPCR pumps and injectors fail, most of these

failures are attributable directly to solid particulates and water

ingression. Figure 2 is an example of failed HPCR system

components. The pitting on the injector poppet is the result of

water. The injector seat is scored from ingressed particulate

and the upstream pump failure.

One catastrophic failure from a 4-liter to 6-liter HPCR

system can cost more than $5,000. This does not include

downtime costs and the inconvenience

of the loss of equipment. Such a failure

also may hamper construction sched-

ules, contribute to the loss of backup

power generation or both.

The solutions mentioned can

be especially effective if used in

conjunction with a good, proactive

maintenance plan. If water can be elim-

inated before it enters the system, most

of the other problems may be mitigated

with little effort. A small infrastructure investment upfront can

be justified by the prevention of one to two HPCR failures

in equipment.

SOLUTIONS, IMPACTS ON MODERN SYSTEMSTo achieve the lowest cost of ownership and meet fuel

system requirements, protect a fuel storage and dispensing

system at every point of transfer.

Start with a clean tank that is free of water and contami-

nates. After that, highly efficient single-pass filtration may be

used at the points of transfer to protect from water and solids.

As Tier 4 engines infiltrate the market, the need for better

filtration is becoming more apparent. Now, fuel filtration is

being addressed from fuel production to the fuel injector.

From the time diesel fuel is produced, particulate filtra-

tion and water removal technologies are needed to ensure

high-quality fuel to the end user.

As the first level of protection, high-flow coalescing filter

vessels can remove particulates down to 3 microns with indi-

vidual vessel flow rates of up to 951 gallons per minute (gpm).

At the point of bulk fuel delivery, the downstream fuel

in storage should be held to an ISO cleanliness code of

18/16/13 and a water content under 200 ppm, according to

the Worldwide Fuel Charter.

A number of bulk diesel filtration products are capable

of flow rates ranging from 70 gpm to 280 gpm using fully

synthetic particulate filtration and a water-removal efficiency

of greater than 99.5 percent in a single pass. A filter skid can

When HPCR pumps

and injectors fail, most

of these failures are

attributable directly to

solid particulates and water

ingression.


be applied as a fuel delivery filter or used as part of a high-

flow filtration system to ensure cleaner fuel. A filter cart

at 14 gpm or bulk diesel cart at 25 gpm and 70 gpm also

may be used to clean contaminated fuel tanks to meet

bulk fuel cleanliness recommendations.

Even with these efforts, the fuel in bulk tanks requires

additional filtration to meet the cleanliness required by

most original equipment manufacturers and injection

system manufacturers. For dispensing applications, a fine

filtration solution ensures clean fuel is being dispensed into

the equipment.

To keep out new ingression of water and solids during

filling and dispensing, one also must protect the ingression

of air into a bulk tank system. Desiccant air breathers may be

used to achieve this. In addition to dispensing filtration, each

piece of Tier 4 equipment requires adequate pre-filtration to

prevent fuel quality-related failures, premature engine filter

replacements or both.

Aaron Keck is an Applications Engineer in

Fuel Filtration at HYDAC. Reach him at

[email protected].

Rob Sabo is Group Product Manager for

Fuels at HYDAC. Reach him at

[email protected].

FIGURE 2: FAILED HPCR SYSTEM COMPONENTS


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Pitting on the injector poppet is the result of water. The injector seat is scored from ingressed particulate and the upstream pump failure.

off road diesel mandate exposes need - cleaner fuel hydac

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