Fuel degrades over time. Imagine this worst case scenario: just when you need to switch to your emergency power supply, the fuel has gone off and the generator won’t start. Maybe the fuel lines are blocked or water has contaminated the system. At such a critical time, the last thing you need is another problem to resolve.
ADERCO stabilises fuel, meaning it can be stored reliably for prolonged periods of time, without oxidation and without build-up of sludge in the fuel tank and lines.
Modern fuels contain an increasing percentage of non-distilled products and are more prone to contamination problems. At the same time, modern engines are incresingly sensitive to fuel quality – particularly diesel common rail injection systems.
ADERCO breaks down contaminants in fuel and prevents harmful agglomorates from forming.
Replacements parts, shipping of parts, down-time: these are all costly to an organisation. Furthermore, equipment failures can lead to contract penalties, off-hire charges, and costly emergency recovery plans.
ADERCO reduces engine wear and improves reliability, giving you a more linear operation with predictable and sometimes extended maintenance schedules.
Diesel fuel may contain up to 7% bio content, which may be less stable than refined diesel and may also attract water and bio contaminants. The bio fraction of the fuel may also start to degrade more rapidly than the refined fraction, resulting in stratification in the fuel tank and potential problems with injectors. These problems are most likely when the fuel is stored over a period of several weeks. ADERCO surfactant treatments, such as ADERCO 5000, are designed to homogenize fuel, preventing the different fractions from separating. It also drives out water contaminants and inhibits the formation of bio contaminants.
Modern ultra low sulphur (ULS) fuels have undergone an aggressive process to remove essentially all of the sulphur, leaving only 0.001% (or 10 parts per million – PPM). It seems that in some cases, this can leave the fuel with a poor lubricity rating. ADERCO L1050 Lubricity Improver was designed to mitigate this risk and has been show to restore lubricity in even very ‘dry’ fuels. It is extremely concentrated, requiring only one litre per 20 tonnes of fuel. This means that the cost to treat one litre of fuel is very low, certainly compared to the potential cost of any damage caused by poor lubricity.
Industry needs to show it is making every effort to improve its approach to the environment. ADERCO has been proven to reduce particulate matter (a recognised carcinogen). It can also reduce gaseous emissions and noise – click here for more details. In addition to these direct benefits, ADERCO also has indirect benefits: by providing a more linear operation (see above) the supply chain can be rationalised, giving a lower carbon footprint.
Fuel stores are another key area where ADERCO can help the environment at the same time as improving efficiency. At some point all fuel tanks need cleaning and, eventually, they will need to be decomissioned. The sludge that builds up is obviously harmful to the environment and requires specialist cleaning teams and disposal. All of which is costly and could incur downtime.
ADERCO will clean fuel tanks in situ, during operation – another problem solved.