What is Fuel Polishing
The Bug Basher from Pump Engineering is an advanced automated diesel fuel polisher
Our polisher (aka conditioner or scrubber) is used for the management of stored diesel fuel. Fitted with the latest Magnetic Fluid Conditioner to treat microbial contamination as well as improve hydrocarbon combustion. The Bug Basher is a significant part of any fuel management strategy.
More on the Bug Basher Fuel Polisher
Also known as Fuel Scrubbing, Fuel Conditioning, Fuel Filtering and Fuel/Water Separator
Over time the quality of stored fuel can deteriorate due to contamination. The most common form of contamination is water in the fuel leading to micro-bacterial growth and eventually to sludge and biomass pollution of the fuel. Most quality diesel fuel suppliers will only guarantee their fuel for six months when in bulk storage. The fuel itself will also deteriorate over time forming a fine sediment.
A fuel polisher, also known as a fuel conditioner or fuel cleaning system has a number of elements to clean diesel fuel. The fuel is taken from the storage tank by the Bug Basher’s high specification pump and pumped around the fuel cleaning system (recommended 3 times per filter cycle) through standard biomass filters and in our case more specialised fluid conditioners (eg. magnetic). The fuel is then returned to the fuel storage tank as clean as it was when first delivered by the supplier.
So, what goes into a fuel polisher
Water particle filters
Water particle filters remove water from the diesel fuel.
Magnetic fluid conditioner
Magnetic fluid conditioners work using magnetic inductance to change the characteristics of the hydrocarbon molecules within diesel fuel. The results are more complete combustion, cleaner exhaust, better fuel economy and a cleansing of microbial contamination.
Magnetic fluid conditioners have come from 40 years of research into the basic properties of electrons by Nobel Prize winner Hans Dehmelt of the University of Washington in Seattle. The electron has only four known characteristics: mass, charge, spin and magnetism. Magnetic fluid conditioners change the spin isomers of hydrogen that make up about 13.9% of petroleum diesel (C12H23) mass. By altering the spin properties of the electron, we can enhance the reactivity of the fuel and related combustion.
Physical fuel polishing is far superior than just chemical treatment of microbial contamination with biocides. Chemicals do a good job, but microbial growth comes back in time and the addition of these chemicals cause the organic matter to form solids that settle in the fuel storage tank. The best approach to Diesel Fuel Management is the periodic cleaning of all stored diesel fuel using an automated fuel polisher (conditioner) like the Pump Engineering Bug Basher Fuel Polisher system. An automated fuel polisher removes the need for chemical treatments to rid the system of microbial contamination, further reducing costs and maintenance of diesel fuel storage.
Benefits of Diesel Fuel Polishing
- Removes water in diesel fuel
- Removes residue and helps prevent it from forming (by removing any water in the fuel).
- Fuel filters last longer and allow the clean diesel to pass more effectively.
- Cleaner fuel increases the fuel efficiency of the diesel engines that use it.
- Running diesel engines on cleaner fuel lowers maintenance costs and increases their effective life span (also more environmentally friendly).
- Reduced costs and by avoiding the required replacement of contaminated fuel (also more environmentally friendly).
- Increased confidence emergency generators and critical equipment start when needed.
Using Pump Engineering’s Bug Basher Fuel Polisher System as part of a Fuel Management plan can prevent diesel fuel degradation during long term storage leading to lower costs and provide a more efficient, reliable fuel supply.