Have you ever had a contaminated jet fuel tank? One of my recent customers, a jet fuel storage facility (liquid terminal) had a fuel tank that contained 75,000 barrels of contaminated jet-A fuel. Our initial testing showed high amounts of particulate and significant discoloration. Our Millipore particulate tests showed a contamination level of B7, which meant that we needed to take significant action to lower the particulate counts. The fuel was also “straw-colored” (or yellowish) in appearance, which is definitely not how clean jet fuel should appear! Our Saybolt color analysis showed a discoloration level of 13, which was well below the minimum requirement of 17. We decided that we needed to install a multi-stage filtration system to lower the particulate counts and to remove the color bodies causing discoloration. We needed to quickly help them achieve their fuel quality requirements.
We immediately got to work by mobilizing an on-site service crew with the appropriate filtration technology to help the company to achieve their goals. The first stage of filtration implemented a 0.5-micron paper fuel pre-filter to efficiently remove particulate contamination. Due to the extreme discoloration, clay treaters were installed in both the 2nd and 3rd stages. Dual-stage clay treatment allowed us to maximize resonance time and to achieve the best possible results. After passing the fuel through our multi-stage fuel filtration system, our Millipore particulate tests showed a B2 level and the Saybolt analysis showed a level of 30! Overall, the outbound fuel quality was exceptional, and it significantly exceeded the minimum requirements. We provided a rapid solution that resulted in clean fuel, a significant cost savings and, ultimately, a very happy customer!
Do you have any questions or comments about jet fuel filtration or about our industrial filter rentals?
Give us a call and ask to speak to me directly, or send us an RFQ and mention my name.
— Todd, Technical Sales