Why Donaldson fuel filters should be a part of your fuel maintenance

Today’s diesel engines need to maintain high-performance levels to remain compliant with stringent emissions regulations. Fuel tank maintenance is critical for ensuring your site is safe, limiting the likelihood of a spill, and preventing costly downtime and the inconvenience of not being able to use it if something unexpectedly fails. This blog will talk about typical fuel tank maintenance checks you should be carrying out regularly, and why Donaldson fuel filters should be a part of the routine.

Typical fuel maintenance checks

If you are storing fuel or have a fuel tank on site and you don’t already have a maintenance programme in place, you should! Periodically inspecting the tank and fuel testing can help flag up any issues before they become larger ones, preventing any serious problems which can lead to unscheduled downtime and costly replacements.

It is always better to perform ‘preventative maintenance’ over ‘corrective maintenance’. Don’t allow a smaller, easily fixable problem to grow into a much larger and harder-to-fix problem. There are two main checks you should carry out, tank checks and equipment checks.

Tank checks

Here are some of the questions you should be asking yourself for each one:

• Can you see any corrosion, rust, cracks, or warping on the tank body or bund?
• Is there evidence on the surrounding ground of fuel leaking e.g. damp spots?
• Is the tank secured from unauthorised access and are the locks maintained?
• Is there any problematic or nasty-looking water and sludge present in the tank?**
• If there is a drip tray in the cabinet, does this need emptying of excess fuel?

** If this is the case, you should consider IPU’s Fuel Cleaning service, which involves tank cleaning and fuel polishing, leaving your fuel clean and dry.

Equipment checks

• Does the pump turn on and operate free of any unusual noises or problems?
• Is the meter calibrated correctly to count the fuel dispensed accurately?
• Do all isolation valves open and close as they should?
• Does the equipment look in good condition, clean and free from any leaks?
• Have all filters been checked and replaced if almost full to prevent blocking?
  
  

Why Donaldson fuel filters should be a part of the routine

Fuel filtration plays a key role in fuel maintenance. Today’s diesel engines need to maintain high-performance levels to remain compliant with stringent Tier 4 emissions regulations. With current high-pressure common rail fuel injectors operating at pressures up to 2,000 -3,100 bar / 30,000 -45,000 psi, it is important to deliver CLEAN diesel fuel every time. We offer fuel filtration products to protect your fuel systems –including injectors, pumps, and engines.

Modern engines also operate in a wide range of environments that include vibration, fuel pump pulsation and surging fuel flows. It all adds up to big challenges for your fuel filters.

Donaldson fuel filters raised the standard in filter performance with their Donaldson Blue filters providing 4x cleaner fuel than the best competitor’s filter. Not only do they average 4x lower particle concentration than the competition’s best product, but it is also able to do this under heavy-duty vibration too, protecting your hard-working equipment and maximising your uptime.

All Donaldson Blue filters are integrated with Synteq XP™ media technology, which provides better contaminant removal and superior contaminant retention.

As well as this, our single-stage filter design ensures that the engine receives clean fuel. These filters offer high efficiency, low flow restriction and excellent dirt-holding capacity – with no complex, backup filter required.

For consistent, superior filtration performance under dynamic engine operating conditions, choose Donaldson Blue. We currently have four types filters in the range:

• Fuel Filter
• Air filter
• Coolant filter
• Lube filter

For more information about our Donaldson Blue products and what we offer, Click here.

IPU vent traps – an extra level of protection for your fuel

Even with good fuel housekeeping procedures, water and particle contamination can get into storage tanks through the atmosphere. Night-to-day temperature changes cause tanks to slowly inhale and exhale. As biodiesel is hygroscopic it absorbs water from any new air that touches it. The inhale-exhale process also allows dust and other particles access to your fuel.

To help give an extra level of protection for your fuel, we recommend installing an IPU Vent TRAP (Thermally Reactive Advanced Protection) filter. They are fitted to the fuel tank and prevent condensation as a result of external temperature change, and absorbs water, preventing it from dripping into the fuel tank. It then ‘breathes’ the water back into the atmosphere.

There are 3 main benefits of the Vent TRAP filter:

• Protection against water contamination up to 3 microns
• Suitable for all diesel fuel and lubricant tanks up to 40,000 litres
• Low maintenance and easy to service, only needing attention every 4 months

Simple and inexpensive, the IPU Vent TRAP is the ideal support tool in the battle against fuel contamination. Knowing you have clean and dry fuel gives you the confidence that your generators will work when you need them the most.Click here to request a quote or to get in touch with one of our experienced team members, who will be more than happy to offer help and guidance.