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.

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!

What is the "stuff" that clogs my filters?

Filter plugging can have several causes. Low temperatures cause waxes that are part of the fuel solution to  crystallize (AKA-cloud point), which can lead to filter plugging. An example would be using summer diesel in cold weather. Wax or paraffin is part of the diesel fuel. Cold temperatures cause the wax to turn into crystals.  These crystals stop the flow of fuel through the filter.  A use of an anti-gel or heated filter will help with this problem.

Chemical incompatibility may cause dramatic filter plugging. This may happen when fuels with incompatible additive packages are mixed.

Contaminant build up resulting from excessive microbial growth and bio-degradation of fuel can cause filter plugging. Micro-organisms, bacteria and

What are problems related to long-term fuel storage?

Fuel stored in tanks for long periods (6 months and more) requires special attention.  This fuel suffers from multiple problems that influence it's quality.  One of the biggest concerns is water.  Some water is delivered with your new fuel.  This is emmulsified water and is suspended in the fuel.  Some of this entrained water will fall free but not all.  Free water is a different animal.  This water is introduced from changes in temperature, a poorly designed vent, leaking fittings and more.  The presence of free water provides the medium for microbiological growth that results in the formation of slime and acids causing

Isn't my filter supposed to keep my fuel system clean?

Well, filtration simply cannot and will not do that. At best, filters, separators and centrifuges remove debris suspended in the fuel before the fuel reaches the engine. Stopping, preventing or reversing the process of fuel breakdown is a completely different matter that can be addressed and resolved with ALGAE-X® Fuel Conditioners. It is not very likely that filtration, (either the filter on the engine, or an external filtration system) will remove the sludge coating from the walls and baffles of your storage tank and the use of biocides will almost always aggravate the situation. Filtration has no effect on

How do we protect stored fuel?

Good housekeeping and purchasing clean, dry fuel from a reputable supplier are definitely step one.
In applications, such as emergency power generation, we recommend installing a fuel re-circulation/filtration system like the fully automated ALGAE-X® STS Fuel Conditioning and Filtration System.

These commercial high capacity systems typically have the following basic components: a pump, an ALGAE-X® Fuel Conditioner, a filter/water separator, a water block or fine filter, a timer, and an

What is Diesel Fuel?

Diesel fuel is a very complex mixture of thousands of individual compounds with carbon numbers between 9 and 23 (number of carbon atoms per hydrocarbon* molecule) Most of these compounds are members of the paraffinic, naphthenic or aromatic class of hydrocarbons (HC). These three classes have different chemical and physical properties.

White Papers Now Available On-Line

Good News to All of Our Fans Past, Present, and Future!!!
Since we live in the information age I find it important to share the knowledge we have amasses from various sources with you who may make use of it for your benefit.  So this morning I have added a page to our website at http://www.cleanfuelmanagement.com/ for the sole purpose of listing white papers.

These reports have been written by various persons.  Where we can we give full credit to these people for their hard work and conviction.  We feel very fortunate that they have chosen to share this knowledge with us for our better understanding of fuel, the problems associated with fuel, and methods by which we can maintain the quality of our stored diesel fuel.

This link is not yet available on the site.  Click Here for these tidbits of very useful information.  And feel free to comment or offer suggestions for future blogs by signing in to the right or registering.  I will answer or blog any and all questions.

Keeping Fuel Clean....................It's What We Do!

Why Is My Diesel Fuel Clogging My Filters

Did you know, your diesel fuel is spoiling while you sleep?


Diesel fuel quality issues are creating a heightened level of concern for consumers worldwide. Fuel deterioration is a primary cause of clogged filters, loss of engine power, and worst of all, engine failure. By educating yourself, and preparing your equipment for this inevitable failure, you can avoid emergency problems and insure a continuous flow of clean, clear and optimal diesel fuel to your equipment.