Green Technology Certification

JUST IN:  Our fuel polishing systems have been certified green, see highlights.
Algae-X has now received the stamp for Green Clean products.  This represents a huge hurdle in fuel maintenance as it allows a facility operator to apply for grants that support green equipment installations and upgrades.
"Algae-X Diesel Fuel Conditioning is one of our newest and most exciting certifications.  Diesel fuel is one of the most used fuels in the world, and it is also often contanminated and may include sludge that clogs filters and fuel injectors.  The AXI fuel filtration and condition is a remarkably Green process that we feel has great benefits to the commercial industry.  How can a diesel services be Green?  Millions of gallons of diesel are dumped each year becasue the fuel is bad.  the AXI system will reciver bad diesel, maintain diesel for any storage system, and reduce soot (unburned fuel) in our air from these engines.  This is certainly an unconventional, but very exciting concept to investigate if your company uses diesel in vehicles or emergency generator situations." www.cleanfuelmanagement.com

Clean fuel.....It's what we do.

ASTM Revises Standard Spec For Diesel

Today, August 23, 2010, the ASTM issued a revised Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils.  This replaces the long time spec issued by the ASTM back to 2009.  The new issue is number ASTM D975 -10a and replaces all others.  It appears that this spec is issued to clarify the different grades of fuel based on Sulfur content.
For example: 1.1.3 Grade No. 1-D S5000—A special-purpose, light middle distillate fuel for use in diesel engine applications requiring a fuel with 5000 ppm sulfur (maximum) and higher volatility than that provided by Grade No. 2-D S5000 fuels.
The S5000 designation, as is evident, will show this fuel to be a fuel with heavy Sulfur concentration at 5000 PPM.  A fuel designated with an S15 would indicate a fuel with Sulfur at 15PPM or Low Sulfur Diesel.

According to the ASTM Spec, "The Sxxx designation has been adopted to distinguish grades by sulfur rather than using words such as “Low Sulfur” as previously because the number of sulfur grades is growing and the word descriptions were thought to be not precise. S5000 grades correspond to the so-called “regular” sulfur grades, the previous No. 1-D and No. 2-D. S500 grades correspond to the previous “Low Sulfur” grades. S15 grades were not in the previous grade system and are commonly referred to as “Ultra-Low Sulfur” grades or ULSD."

With the introduction of various levels of Sulfur in diesel fuels it became apparent that the need for diesel fuel maintenance is ever more necessary.  Plan accordingly.  If you have stored diesel fuel, know the affects of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel as well as how other levels of Sulfur affect you fuel.  Be prepared.  By performing routine maintenance on your diesel fuel you can avoid costly repair bills and increase your uptime significantly.


To learn more visit www.cleanfuelmanagement.com or give us a call at 757-673-7200.


"Clean fuel.....it's what we do."

Can diesel fuel plug your filters?

Yes, it can. The stuff that clogs your filters is actually fuel in some way, shape or form. In excess of 90% of this organic debris are fuel  bi-products. It is not sand, dust, stones, rust or inorganic matter that blocks your filter.  In fact inorganic matter such as sand, dirt, or rust only account for less than 25% of the debris that cloggs your filters.
The inorganic material like sand, dust and other particles will not cause your filters to clog. In fact, a lot of sand in a fuel filter would act as extra filtration. The pores between the sand particles are much larger than the pores in a standard fuel filter element. Sand filters are commonly used to filter water. A hair is approximately 80 micron and fuel filter elements range all the way from 30 micron for a prefilter to 2 micron in a fine filter.
So the next time you see a dirty filter, remember the stuff you see is actually deteriorated, oxidized, and spoiled fuel that is begging for you to apply a conditioner to allow it to go back into the fuel solution.
To learn more go to cleanfuelmanagement.com.

Does dark fuel mean my fuel is bad?

This question has been  asked more than once. And what we really want to know is: “Will the dark fuel cause damage my engines?” Engines are expensive and damaging an engine can be costly so operating an engine on “bad fuel” is not wise.
We all know that most engine failures start in the fuel tank. When all mechanical parts are in good operating condition, the cooling and lube systems are working, the lube oil is clean and there is a sufficient supply of clean air getting to the combustion chamber, a diesel engine or turbine could  run just about forever. The only limiting factor is Fuel Quality. Dark fuel is symptom of poor fuel quality and even though, in most cases, it can be used, fuel in this condition will provide poor combustion and filter life problems.
“Dark fuel” is in a sign of oxidation and that the process of fuel degradation is in an advanced stage. Hazy fuel is indicative of water emulsified in the fuel. In general, dark hazy fuel will not damage your engine. It does however indicate poor fuel quality, which will definitely not provide you with peak engine performance.  And in turn cost you money by sending unburnt fuel out of the exhaust.
Using less than optimal fuel quality negatively impacts engine efficiency and accelerates the process that makes new engines old.
Diesel fuel can range from colorless, to amber or light brown color, depending on the crude oil and the refinery process used to produce it. In addition, dyes may be added to change the fuel color for tax identification purposes.
In time, stored fuel will darken due to oxidation, repolymerization and agglomeration of certain components. The darkening is accompanied by the formation of sediment that plugs filters and causes poor combustion. Fuel & Oil vendors suggest that if diesel fuel is stored for emergency use, it should be replaced with fresh fuel within a year, unless special precautions or remedial actions are taken such as fuel polishing.
The University of Idaho conducted tests on the life expectancy of fuels to determine the timeline on degradation of stored #2 diesel. The results indicated 26% degradation after 28 days of storage. Disposing of fuel and purchasing new fuel is a very expensive proposition. Many larger companies, government institutions, hospitals, etc. have the dumping of fuel and the purchasing of new fuel as standard and accepted practice.
The implementation of ALGAE-X® Technology eliminates these costly, wasteful, and environmentally unfriendly dumping practices. ALGAE-X® will preserve fuel integrity almost indefinitely and can help you put in place good housekeeping measures along with a quality fuel-monitoring program. For more information feel free to contact us, or visit Cleanfuelmanagement.com
Clean fuel.....it's what we do!

Your Diesel Engine Negatively Impacts Your Fuel

A diesel engine uses only some of the fuel it pulls from the tank. All of that fuel goes to the high-pressure fuel pump, AKA injection pump, and then to the injectors operating under enormous pressure and high temperatures.  Part of the purpose of this recirculating method of diesel engines is to provide a cooling affect from the cooler fuel moving through the injection circuit.

The surplus fuel the engine is not using goes back to the tank. This fuel is continuously re-circulated and exposed to extreme pressure and heat, which results in the agglomeration of asphaltenes, high carbon content, and heavy end fuel molecules. This then leads to the formation of larger and larger clusters of solids, which are very difficult to completely combust. These solids may grow so large that they will not pass through the filter element and become part of the polymer and sludge build up plugging the filter.

In addition, the hot fuel coming back to the tank will raise the fuel temperature in the tank, cause condensation and contribute to microbial contamination, fuel break down, bio fouling and the build up of sludge and acid.

Large fuel droplets and high asphaltene concentrations require more time, more energy and higher temperatures to combust than is available in engines during the combustion cycle and before the exhaust valve opens.

Any device in the fuel system exposing the fuel to stress (heat and pressure) such as pumps, heaters, or centrifuges will increase the formation of asphaltenes and negatively impact combustion.

So the next time you are running your engine think about how the stresses affect your fuel quality and how these stresses shorten the life cycle of the fuel.  Then call us for a solution....you'll be glad you did.

Clean fuel.....it's what we do!

System Reliability Requires Smart Testing and Maintenance

EPSS Reliability Requires Smart Maintenance

"Reliability and infrastructure health are not guaranteed simply by investing in and installing new equipment. Unexpected failures can compromise even the most robust facility infrastructure if appropriate testing, maintenance and due diligence teqhniques are not employed." Reprint from the BITS Guide To Critical Power, http://www.bitsinfo.org/.

Most emergency power supply system (EPSS) failures occurr because of the lack of smart maintenance and smart testing of equipment and fluids. Some facilities ignore the regular testing and maintenance and then simply replace major equipment when its condition deteriorates past the break even ROI or useable service life.  NFPA 110 has addressed the need for testing and maintenance and has updated testing and maintenance requirements in the standard.

To read the standard CLICK HERE and you can download for reference.

To learn how we at cleanfuelmanagement.com can help with the quality of your stored fuel, call us at 800-548-6252 or drop us an email at sales@cleanfuelmanagement.com

Clean fuel.....it's what we do!