Spotlight Feature Articles FUELS & LUBRICANTS | Page 3

FUELS & LUBRICANTS TOTAL EXCELLIUM CONCENTRATE DIESEL contains deposit control additive technology, reducing deposit build-up up to 93%. Eliminating carbonaceous deposit formation at the injector nozzle tip contributes to improve the engine efficiency and then save fuel. Furthermore, the reduction in consumption directly results in a reduction in CO 2 emissions. High tech engines and fuel filtration The high-pressure common-rail (HPCR) fuel systems used in low-emission engines are much more susceptible to damage from contaminants 20 times smaller than the diameter of human hair. That means more stringent requirements for fuel filtration, technology supplier Donaldson, told IM. “Today, the industry is measuring high efficiency closer to 99.9% for particles in the 4- micron range. A fraction of a percentage point can make a difference on whether a filtration system can achieve the fuel cleanliness requirements for HPCR components.” Without effective, precise filtration both on and off the vehicle, off-road operations can see significant downtime from injector failures. Advancements in fuel filtration are helping to overcome the potential for downtime by meeting the growing fuel cleanliness requirements of modern engines. “To respond to this need, advanced fuel filter media use more synthetics and synthetic/micro- glass formulations, and they rely on multi-layer structures to achieve higher efficiency and long life to achieve effective storage of both hard and soft particles in the media. This is a key area of fuel filter performance differentiation. As the high-efficiency filter picks up more contaminants, what could have passed through a filter in previous generations can now contribute to plugging today’s tighter filters. Proven media technologies such as Donaldson's Synteq XP address this by delivering a high level of efficiency and contaminant retention.” In addition to fuel filter media advances, fuel filtration solutions are engineered at the system level. “Today, it is common to use a fuel filtration system that utilises more than one filter, each with different purposes and varying degrees of performance. Donaldson also encourages filtration upgrades at the bulk storage stage to head off contamination and fuel quality problems before they reach the fleet.” “As the filtration industry looks to the future, we are continuing to evolve and refine the technology,” says Jason DeGuelle, Product Manager – Engine Filtration, Donaldson Company. “Advancements are also being made to ensure that filtration R&D takes into account the environments in which they ultimately operate — such as the mining industry.” DeGuelle adds that this includes factoring in engine vibration, fuel pump pulsations and varying fuel flows, among other operating conditions. Testing performance under real-world dynamic challenges has become a mainstay request for customers using HPCR systems. It is an increasingly important tool to differentiate filter technology and allow customers to make the best decisions on how to protect fuel injection systems. Purify Fuel & Solvay’s nanO2 fuel additives Purify Fuel and Solvay say they have developed a nanotechnology-based fuel additive blend designed to improve fuel efficiency, increase power and reduce harmful emissions in existing diesel-powered engines. First marketed 18 years ago, Solvay EOLYS Fuel Additives, an essential element in Purify Fuel’s fuel additive formulations (nanO2 ® ), have been used in more than 16 million new engines with similar nanotech combustion catalysts. They are designed to reduce greenhouse gases and regulate emissions while improving fuel efficiency. Through this effort, Purify Fuel’s nanO2 Fuel Additive Blends leverage Solvay’s nanotechnology expertise to create diesel fuel additive blends that reduce harmful emissions while improving fuel efficiency, Purify Fuel said. “The nanO2 Fuel Additive Blends can be introduced without any upfront costs to the 400 million diesel engines not already equipped with pollution control devices,” the company said. John Carroll, CEO of Purify Fuel, said: “It is exciting to be part of this partnership, and to be working on a technology that will make meaningful impacts to transform the rail, marine, fracking, mining and power generation industries, leading to a significant reduction in harmful emissions on a global scale. While we all know the world needs faster conversion to renewable sources, there is still a great deal of infrastructure that is operating on diesel that will take years to convert. We have a proven solution that is available now, that reduces costs, and improves air quality.” Sebastien Meric, Executive Vice President of Solvay Special Chem, added: “We are pleased to combine our 30 years of expertise in technologies for exhaust emission control & fuel efficiency with Purify Fuel to tackle both increasing emission and fuel consumption challenges.” This global technology, which will be available in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, provides advantages, according to the company, such as reducing harmful emissions by up to 35- 55%; improved fuel efficiency offsets the cost of the emissions-reducing fuel additive; and operator savings of 6-12% on net fuel costs. Carroll added: “If operators of existing engines implemented nanO2 to reduce emissions by 30%, it would have the equivalent effect of removing 100 million diesel trucks off our roads – buying the world more time to implement smart pollution control technologies.” Validating fuel/lube claims at equipment level The demand for energy will continue to increase as will the need to reduce carbon emissions resulting from this increase in energy usage. Any reduction in the use of hydrocarbons (diesel fuel) as a result of improved combustion efficiency can make significant savings to any company’s bottom line. Canadian fuel analytics specialist JULY 2019 | International Mining