Back to FPS Home Page
Reverso Pumps is the leading manufacturer and distributor of comprehensive Fuel Polishing systems for every application and price point. This page lists some frequently asked questions regarding fuel polishing.
   

What is Fuel Polishing?

Fuel polishing is the process whereby diesel fuel is moved through filter media using a pump which operates independently of any other pumps.

Why should I polish my fuel? Isn't diesel good for life?

Storage of diesel is often an overlooked area – a popular misconception is that diesel fuel is “good for life”. The reality is very different.

To fully understand the issues at play, it is worth taking into account several areas:
• The diesel fuel quality standard
• The specification of supplied diesel
• Known issues
• Recommendations from the fuel supplier
• Discovering issues before they become problems
• Short and long term solutions

To look at these issues, we have been in conversation with BP and have utilized their available library of fuel data.

To see the full report, click here.

How often would you recommend that fuel be polished?

Fuel polishing, in our opinion, should be a semi-continuous process. As the tanks heat up and expand during the day and contract at night drawing in the moist night air, water vapor condenses and drops to the bottom of the tank.

If the system were to run once per week long enough to filter 25% of the tank, you would not have any problems with your fuel. This will extend the life of your fuel from one year to two or three years. You would not have to replace the fuel on an annual basis - just the filter elements.

Is it cheaper to polish the fuel or replace the fuel on an annual basis?

Fuel polishing systems, when installed correctly, will prevent the accumulation of water in the bottom of the tank and extend the life of your fuel thereby reducing your replacement time.

Water at the bottom of the tank allows bacteria, mold and other biological organisms to live in the tank, feed on the fuel and create sludge. In addition, fuel oxidizes over time which creates the dark brown color that you see. This too can all be filtered out with a polisher.

(The use of additives such as ILFC Ten-35 should be added to the tank every time you fuel or every six months. This will cause all water in the tank to coalesce and drop to the bottom as Free Water where the polishing system can remove it before bacteria starts to grow. ILFC is also a stabilizer and Cetane enhancer.)

You can easily extend the life of the fuel beyond two years and in some cases three years with fuel polishing. The ROI on a large fuel polisher would be one year or less. 

How long should I run the polishing cycle?

We recommend you turn the fuel three times. Therefore, for a 100 gallon tank, with a 150 GPH system, will need to run for two hours.

Run cycle =
Volume of the tank x 3
Flow rate of the FPS

How long will an element last? How often should I replace it?

It depends on how dirty is your fuel. Unfortunately, there is not single answer this question.

The time it takes before the filter element reaches max dirt load can vary from 10 minutes to 300 hours.  It is completely dependent on the dirt load and type of contamination in the tanks.

Often we find masses of solids settle in the bottom of tanks, and these can clog elements, quickly.  It is for this reason that we have the 60 micron Stainless Steel element.  This can simply be backflushed, a procedure detailed in the operating manual, and available in Product Literature.

When clogged, the stainless steel element can be removed, and cleaned for reuse. When using our standard 10 or 30 micron paper elements the number of times it can be backflushed, depends on the type (sticky or not) of dirt lodged in the element.

In some installations in the U.S., where the fuel is like water, we have customers that replace the filter element only once per year in a permanent installation.

For mobile tank cleaning where the tank is dirty to begin with, we recommend the use of the 60 micron Stainless Steel element. This can be removed and cleaned many, many times. It is best to have two stainless steel elements, so that the machine can continue to work during the element cleaning process.

Once the 60 micron filter comes out clean, then you can switch to the 30 micron paper element and continue the process. This will prevent the expenditure of a large number of paper elements.

What is a Cetane Number?

The cetane number is to diesel fuel what the octane number is to gasoline. The higher the cetane number - the better the fuel will burn. It is the performance of diesel fuel’s combustion quality - not a measure of the fuel quality itself.  A higher cetane number indicates more energy is available to the engine. Therefore, you have greater fuel efficiency due to a shorter ignition delay time and more complete combustion of the fuel.

An appropriately high cetane number means improved cold starting, smoother running, less smoke at start-up, improved fuel efficiency, improved engine durability, fewer emissions, more power and reduced noise and vibration.

Why do I need to worry about Cetane Numbers?

The longer diesel fuel is stored, the lower the cetane number. Even if the fuel quality is good (low particulate, sludge or water buildup) the fuel will not perform at the level necessary for the engine to run at optimal performance.

How does the Cetane Number affect engine performance?

Running a diesel engine on fuel with a lower than recommended cetane number can result in rough operation (noise and vibration), difficulty in starting – especially in cold temperatures, low power output, excessive sludge deposits, increased exhaust emissions and excessive wear.

The ASTN Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils (D-975) states. "The cetane number requirements depend on engine design, size, nature of speed and load variations, and on starting and atmospheric conditions. Increase in cetane number over values actually required does not materially improve engine performance. Accordingly, the cetane number specified should be as low as possible to insure maximum fuel availability."





Reverso Standards CE Standard SAE Standard ABYC CE