The process of storing fuel and transferring fuel from the storage tanks to the fuel tank of a piece of equipment is a major source of fuel contamination. Connections, hoses, pumps, filters and the delivery system all have effects on the fuel. Between the storage tank and the fuel tank of a piece of equipment, there will be any number of hoses and piping. Damage to and poor maintenance of these hoses and pipes leave opportunities for foreign material to enter the fuel.
Diesel Fuel Contaminants
The internal components of modern injectors are often extremely small and very susceptible to wear or sticking due to particles and other kinds of contamination. Wear of internal parts of the fuel system will decrease the life of the components and may even cause malfunctions that could result in severe damage to the other engine components.
What is a Micron?
The unwanted particles found in today’s fuels are measured in microns. A micron is a unit of linear measure in the metric system used to measure distance from one point to another. The particles and contaminants that we are trying to filter out are far smaller than can be seen with the naked eye, magnifying glass or even a low powered microscope. A micron rating for a fuel filter is a generalized way of quantifying the ability of the filter’s media to remove contaminants of a particular size.
The Impact Of Fuel Quality For Off-Highway Engines
High-Quality Fuel Is Required. Every™ Engine.
The three-number coding system 18/16/13 corresponds to the number of particles of a size greater than 4, 6 and 14 microns per milliliter of fuel, respectively. A micron is the unit of measurement assigned to the size of unwanted particles in fuel. Particles 4 and 6 microns are so small they are impossible to see with the human eye.