Introduction
One of the most cost effective parts
and the most important item of any premium diesel fuel additive package is the detergent
component. Because the fuel injection system
is the heart of the power production system, it must be kept as clean as possible for as
long as possible in order to insure maximum life of the engine horsepower production
system. So, if the fuel additive buyer truly
desires to purchase a good performing premium diesel fuel additive, he must specify a good
detergent component.
The premium diesel fuel additive
detergency content determines the extent to which a dirty fuel system (with deposit
build-up) is cleaned up and the entire system is kept clean and free of deposits over an
extended time-period. Diesel fuel detergents
effect the cleanliness of the fuel storage tanks (stationary ground and vehicle tanks),
the complete fuel delivery system (supply pump and injection components), and the
combustion and post-combustion chamber areas (piston top, cylinder heads, valves, rings,
sleeves, and exhaust ports).
The inherent buildup of fuel system
and related deposits (both pre-combustion and post-combustion sections) negatively effect
an engine’s performance and drastically diminish the fuel’s complete “BTU
to energy conversion process”. Because
this energy conversion process is incomplete, the engine will experience less than
expected power production. The vehicle driver
(or operator) will readily notice this situation and “feel” the need to push the
accelerator peddle harder to the floor and downshift the transmission. This increases the engine RPM which results in
significantly increased fuel consumption reducing engine fuel economy (lower vehicle MPG -
miles per gallon of fuel).
As carbonaceous deposits form in the
injector bodies, the heat of combustion will cause them to become hard and
“varnish-like”. Ultimately, these
deposits will cause sticking of the injector plunger and other moving parts in the
injector assembly. This results in erratic or
distorted injector spray patterns in the combustion chamber and more smoke emissions from
the unburned fuel. These deposits can also
cause improver sealing of tips and injector leaks which increases the amount of fuel
dilution in the engine crankcase. The end
result of these conditions will be higher engine operating temperatures with excessive
engine wear and the potential for a complete failure of the engine lubrication system.
The presence of fuel system (injector
and pump) deposits is compounded during cold weather operations. Because the paraffin content in the fuel changes
to a solid waxy material at low temperatures, any deposits in the fuel injection system
will impede the flow of fuel through the system. This
impediment contributes to fuel line (system) plugging and negatively effects the overall
efficiency of the entire combustion process.