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Before and after the polishing process, fuel samples are taken as one of the visual aids to remediation. During the filtration phase the filters are removed and inspected for contamination. Upon inspection of the filters, the determination is made whether or not to continue. The filtration process will continue until all traces of contamination are no longer present in the filters. After tank cleaning and fuel polishing, fuel samples can be taken and sent to a third-party lab for fuel quality results.

Gulf Coast Fuel Polishing uses several different machines and methods to ensure that your fuel tank and fuel meet the fuel cleanliness level. Some of our equipment manufacturers include FuelTec Systems, Tankleenor by Gorman Rupp, Gamajet pressure washing systems, and custom-built systems for high volume filtration on larger USTs and ASTs. Fuel is picked up from the bottom of the tank where the root cause of contamination begins. Then, fuel is run through a series of filtration and water separation.  Last, the fuel is returned in the tank as cleaned fuel.

Most major oil companies, engine manufacturers, regulatory bodies, and similar entities recommend fuel polishing at least yearly if it is intended for emergency back up power. In critical facilities such as hospitals and first responder organizations, it is recommended that the guidelines set forth by the Joint Commission and NFPA be followed. Fuel samples should be taken annually to determine the action required.

Yes, it is said that 80% of engine failures with emergency power are due to bad and/or contaminated fuel. Fuels that are stored for long periods of time are susceptible to water accumulation thus causing bacterial growth. Have your fuel sampled today to ensure that engine failure isn’t caused by clogged fuel filters.

Fuel polishing is the technical cleaning process used to remove water, sludge, contamination, and microbial growth from fuel storage tanks. This process first removes water and contamination from the tank. The fuel is then run through a series of filters and coalescers down to one micron if necessary for meeting industry standards set by ISO 4406, Joint Commission ASTM-D975, and NFPA110.

ISO 14/13/11 is a target rating specified for diesel fuel. Fuels typically leave refineries clean, but contamination levels increase and occur throughout the shipment and distribution process. Fuel-hauling tanker trucks are not used exclusively for one particular fuel. Today, they could be hauling ethanol-blended gasoline and tomorrow they could be hauling diesel fuel in the same tanker. This meaning that ethanol-blended gasoline remaining in the bottom of the tanker would end up mixing with the diesel on a later delivery. Common contaminates include rust, scale, airborne dust, various types of oxidation, sludge, bacteria, and water. Gulf Coast Fuel Polishing meets the ISO standard through various types of cleaning procedures. Fuels that meet the ISO standards are at the optimal levels designed for diesel engine performance.

ULSD is hygroscopic.  It absorbs moisture from the air. This moisture not only causes problems with microbial growth, but it also creates issues with corrosion throughout the entire fuel dispensing system. A preventive maintenance program will ensure that today’s ULSD fuel does not cause a costly failure or unnecessary downtime.

What clogs my filters?

Microbial growth is the root cause. Most diesel engines use filters that are designed to filter particulates ranging from 10 microns to 20 microns in size. If a fuel tank has never been tested, treated, or cleaned, the microbial growth will turn into slim which will clog a filter immediately. In some cases, tanks have been treated with a biocide which kills microbial growth. This microbial growth will die off and settle at the bottom of the tank. The dead microbes can be stirred up from the bottom of the tank and find its way to the filters, depending on the particulate size it may or may not pass through the filter. The average cross-section of a human hair is 50 microns. The human eye cannot see anything smaller than 40 microns in size. Microbial growth refers to an increase in cell number, not in cell size. Bacteria grow and divide by binary fission, a rapid and relatively simple process. The increase in cell numbers clogs filters.

Why is my fuel dark?

Refined fuel degrades over time. Degradation darkens fuel when its components oxidize and go through a repolymerization process (a process in which relatively small molecules, called monomers, combine chemically to produce a very large chainlike or network molecule, called a polymer.) and agglomerates (small particles forming into a mass).

Diesel contamination takes on many names: Algae, Bacteria, Fungi Growth, Diesel Bugs, Slim, and Microbial Growth. Microbes (algae) grow at the interface between naturally occurring water in a fuel tank and the fuel itself. Simply put, the oxygen in the naturally occurring wateris the main culprit for algae growth in fuel tanks. Normal tank temperature cycles create water condensation on the inside walls of the fuel tank and that condensation settles at the bottom of the tank due to water being heavier than fuel. Keeping water out of your tank is preventative against microbial growth.