WHAT IS FUEL POLISHING?
In its new low-sulfur, biodiesel-blended form, diesel fuel is susceptible to physical and biological contamination — especially when stored for medium to long periods for generator use. Left uncontrolled and without ongoing maintenance, generators may fail to start when needed, or develop failures that are extremely costly to repair. This is particularly critical at facilities where downtime carries commercial, life-safety, or national security implications.
Fuel polishing systems keep fuel in a continuous maintenance cycle during long-term storage, ensuring diesel is preserved in the same specification it had when it left the refinery.
A properly designed fuel polishing system must be capable of:
- Microorganism neutralisation
- Ferrous agent removal
- Multi-stage separation of both free and emulsified water
- Progressive removal of solid particulates to at least 2 micron (absolute)
- Automated dosing of chemical agents when required
Fuel polishing systems must not contain yellow metals or their alloys anywhere in the installation, due to the known adverse reaction with diesel and the risk of oxidation. A correctly engineered fuel polishing unit guarantees that fuel is continuously maintained to ASTM D975 and EN590 standards, and eliminates all risk of fuel-related downtime.