Shopping Cart Diesel Fuel and Injector Failure - Part 3

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Diesel Fuel Contaminants
• View Cart All contaminants found within diesel fuels are detrimental to both the engine and the fuel itself, and there
are many types of contaminants.
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Contrary to popular belief, water is the most damaging contaminant found within diesel fuel and is
a primary catalyst to additional fuel breakdown and the formation of other contaminants. Water
can be present in diesel in dissolved, emulsified, and free states.

Main Menu Water has many detrimental effects to the fuel. Dissolved water, for instance, can affect fuel stability,
while water in its free and emulsified states can be more problematic to the engine fuel system. Not only
can water cause damage to the fuel system, including the sensitive fuel injectors, it also promotes
• Home microbial growth within a fuel tank. When enough water is present, being that it is heavier than diesel,
it will fall to the bottom of a fuel tank where additional acids can be formed, causing damage to tank walls
• About Pecuniary and bottoms. A layer also forms between the diesel and free water boundary and this is where microbial
• Contact Us contaminants will grow, feeding off the hydrocarbon, but living within the water.
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Dissolved Water
• MSDS
• Filter Replacement All diesel fuels have the ability to retain
Chart water within the fuel in a dissolved state.
The ability of the fuel to hold the water in a
• Enclosure Standards dissolved state is highly dependent on the
• Terms of Sale temperature of the fuel and its overall
condition. Much like a mug of hot coffee can
• Warranty retain a certain volume of sugar dissolved
• Privacy Policy within the water, it is the same for water in
fuel. Taking the mug of hot coffee and sugar
as an example, the coffee will dissolve the
sugar and hold it chemically within the water
while it remains hot. Sugar can continue to
be added and dissolved, but at some stage
the hot coffee will be saturated with sugar
and no longer be able to hold any more
within solution. At this point, sugar will start
to collect at the bottom of the mug, instead
• The Real Story of Bad of dissolving into the coffee. This is what is
known as the Saturation Point. Additionally, as the mug of coffee cools down over time, more and more
Diesel Fuel sugar will fall out of solution and down to the bottom of the mug. This phenomenon is identical to that
• Diesel Fuel & Injector with water contamination in diesel fuel.

Failures All diesel fuels have the ability to retain water in a dissolved state up to a certain volume. With most #2
• Diesel Fuel Polishing diesel fuels found around the world, it is typically around 140-240ppm (0.014 – 0.024% by volume). In
fact, many of the world’s diesel engine OEM’s clearly specify that water contamination must remain below
• Diesel Generator 200ppm to ensure the reliable operation of the fuel injection system. The graph above illustrates a typical
Service saturation curve for a diesel fuel. As can be seen, the ability for the fuel to retain water in a dissolved
state is highly dependent on temperature.
• Motorhome Diesel
Fuel Problems Emulsified Water
• Municipal Services
This is the state whereby microscopic water droplets have
Emergency Power fallen out of a dissolved state and, due to the turbulence and
• Drinking Water & the mixing effects within an operating diesel system, the
water becomes emulsified and is unable to fall away and to
Sewage System the bottom of the tank. The images to the left show diesel
Emergency Power fuel with water contamination in an emulsified state. Note
that the water contamination within the examples have been
• AFC Cleans Fuel dyed blue to provide a more clear representation of the 2
Tanks states.
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Emergency Power
• Primary Power Diesel Free Water
Generators
Free water is water that falls out of suspension in the fuel and gathers at the bottom of the fuel tank, as
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Explained
 seen to the right. This can only occur once the diesel fuel
Guides Menu has been saturated with water in a dissolved state and the
temperature conditions are not high enough to hold
additional water.
• Understanding Diesel
Fuel Problems Diesel fuel that is found to be in a hazy condition is typically
found to be contaminated with water to some degree held in
• Fuel Treatment and a dissolved state. Diesel fuels should be continually
Continuing monitored for water contamination levels whilst in storage
and maintained at levels below 200ppm.
Management
• In-line Fuel Cleaning Microbial Growth
• Determining What
There is one simple rule when it comes to microbial growth in a diesel fuel tank; it cannot exist without
Fuel Treatment
the presence of water. Many fuel consumers, however, never actually treat the cause of the problem, but
System is Right rather treat the symptom of the problem. There are literally thousands of products and brands on the
market all offering their own unique benefits to remove and prevent microbial growth. The ONLY
for You
method, which actually guarantees the prevention of microbial growth, is to remove the catalyst (water)
• Cleaning a Fuel Tank and prevent the contamination in the first place.

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• Diesel Fuel
Conditioner
• Storage Tank Fuel
Conditioner
• Tank Cleaning
Additives
• Water Eliminator
• Fuel Tank Vent Dark Fuel
Breathers
Asphaltenes are a bituminous material found in most diesel fuels with the concentration varying between
• Mobile & Portable batches and geographic location around the world. They are a natural contaminant from the refining
Tank Cleaning process of producing various fuels out of a base crude oil. Asphaltenes are not soluble in fuel and are
generally less than 2μm in size in their natural state. However, within diesel fuel they have a tendency to
• Automated Tank agglomerate, forming clusters in the order of 100-200μm, making them a key component to premature
Cleaning fuel filter blockage. Asphaltenes are NOT always filtered out by fuel producers in the refining process due
to their small size and the expense of removal.
• Mobil Fuel
Dispensing In some countries in Continental Africa and South America, emissions standards are less stringent and
fuel sulfur levels are higher. In these locations, diesel sulfur levels remain at 500-5000ppm and there is
• High Flow Filtration & some evidence to suggest that such fuels are manufactured with blends of light cycle oils from the
Water Removal refining process in order to use more from each barrel of crude oil. Fuels in these locations are generally
black in color and contain large quantities of asphaltenes which makes the purification extremely
• Fuel Filter/Water challenging, and in many cases, very expensive.
Separator
It is a fact that most filter elements in use for diesel fuel applications
• Replacement Filters are changed often due to the effects of asphaltenes. Filter elements
that are coated by a black, tar-like substance have typically been
affected by asphaltene contamination as seen in the picture on the
right.

The Effects of Diesel Fuel Contamination

Water and particles are the two contaminants that cause the greatest
damage within a diesel engine fuel system. Not only are they a
primary contributor to failure, they are also the two sources for
secondary failure points within an engine and degradation of the fuel.

Here are two classifications for the types of failure within a fuel
injection system: Partial Functional Failure and Catastrophic Full Functional Failures. Partial Functional
Failure can also be referred to as a performance failure. Catastrophic Failures are well understood and
result in the fuel injector or engine ceasing to function.

Partial Functional Failure

• Liqui-Cult Fuel Test
Kit Often, partial functional failure of an engine will go unnoticed until it is too late. Engine inefficiencies are
• FUELSTAT Fuel Test seldom felt by a user, but can result in real world losses in revenue. A major reason for engine
inefficiency can stem from partial failure of the engine’s fuel injection system, which is less well
Kit understood. Injector partial functional failure is rarely well documented and poorly investigated for use in
• Grabbing Fuel formulated strategies to mitigate similar future events.
Samples A partial functional failure within a fuel injection system is generally one that reduces the performance or
• Fuel Tank Access efficiency of the injector and thus the overall performance or efficiency of the asset. The symptoms of
such performance failures within an injection system may include the following:
Port
• Fuel Pumps Low power from the engine
• Pressure/Vacuum Reduced engine RPM
Gauges Increased fuel consumption
• Water Sensor Alarm Poor cycle times or low speed
• Rotor Sight Glass
Smoke
• Digital Flow Meter
Lower gear selection
• Fuel Hoses
Noise
• Water Finding Paste
Poor starting
• Smart System
Poor idle
Monitoring

Many of the symptoms mentioned here are difficult to monitor accurately. An excellent example showing
engines with various levels of fuel injector partial functional failure can be seen in the proceeding images.
The varying levels of smoke opacity, with engines running at the same RPM and load, is directly related
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to poor fuel combustion – with the fuel injectors being primarily at fault. The two engines closest to the
right side of the photo show little or no smoke from the exhaust stack, while the engine closest to the
Easy Fuel Tank Sampling middle of the photo shows a high degree of smoke (DPM – Diesel Particulate Matter) emanating from the
Grab fuel samples from engine.
storage tanks at any
depth.
www.diesel-fuels.com

Prevent Water
Accumulation in Fuel
Tanks
The Water Eliminator is an
easy, economical solution
to water accumulation in
fuel tank.
www.diesel-fuels.com

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Backup Generator Fuel

Maintenance
Reliable backup electric
power requires pristine
fuel 24/7. Fuel
maintenance get you A diesel fuel injector’s performance, be it an electronically controlled unit injector (EUI) or high pressure
there! common rail (HPCR), drops from its designed functionality the moment any of the designed tolerances
www.diesel-fuels.com within the injector alter, thus affecting the design of the fuel spray profile within the combustion chamber.
The changes in these injector tolerances can occur through the erosive and abrasive effect that
contamination plays on metal surfaces, the alteration in injector nozzle hole size, or the number
of open holes. As further evidence of this, Robert Bosch, author of the book “Diesel Fuel Injection 1st
Edition” wrote that “deviations of less than, or equal to, 2° from the optimum injection direction will lead to
a measurable increase in black smoke emission & fuel consumption.”

Catastrophic Full Functional Failure

Catastrophic full functional failures are those that simply cause the engine to cease functioning. They are
often dramatic events, highly visible to operations and high in cost and resulting downtime. It is for these
reasons engineering, CM, and RE businesses typically focus their attention on monitoring, predicting,
managing, and reducing such events. Additionally, hourly-based planned maintenance strategies are
specifically designed around preventing such failures through known MTBF, advised by both OEM and
industry specialists alike. An excellent example of this are the mandatory fuel injector replacements at
half engine life (based on operating hours) that many OEM’s advise as part of their warranty or
maintenance program. An obvious question should be raised here. If an engine is provided fuel at the
OEM specified fuel cleanliness level, then why would the fuel injectors need to be replaced
halfway through the life of the engine?

Clearly, OEM’s are aware that cleanliness levels such as ISO 18/16/13 do not provide the fuel injection
system with a cleanliness level that will ensure its ultimate reliability, and it is for this reason that fuel
injector change outs are recommended at engine half-life.

There are many types of common engine failures and most are typically well understood and managed
by engineering and maintenance practitioners. However, there are some engine failures which can never
be properly diagnosed, making it difficult for professionals to develop a suitable solution to the problem.
Some of these more common engine failures can be misdiagnosed, and if correctly analyzed, attributed
to failures within the fuel injection system.

High velocity and high-pressure fuel flow, with even the smallest amount of contamination, will gradually
erode the sealing surfaces of the injector valve seat. Once valve wear has initiated, a chain reaction
gradually occurs, resulting in a partial functional failure evolving into the full functional failure of the valve
and the need for replacement.
The Failure Chain Reaction

Valve erosion initiates

Fuel leakage through the valve mating surfaces initiates
Localized hot spot generation through the leakage zone causes fuel oxidation
Reduced fuel pressure at nozzle
Reduced volume of fuel delivered. Engine management system compensates by increasing
injection event time (more fuel).
Reduced fuel atomization
Soot generation within the cylinder
Increased emissions
Loss of power
Partial Functional Failure Point
Leakage rates continue to increase as wear continues
Fuel consumption increases as the engine controller unit tries to compensate for leakage
Visible and audible signs
Full Functional Failure Point

There are three principal locations inside a high pressure common rail fuel injector that suffer from the
erosive and abrasive effects of contamination, resulting in a loss of functional efficiency. These are:

Fuel injector nozzle holes

Needle valve and seat
Electronic Peizo or solenoid controlled valve

HPCR Fuel Injector Critical Zones

Nozzle

There are two predominant diesel fuel injector nozzle designs that are in circulation today: the area
around pintel tip (SAC) and valve covered orifice (VCO) type nozzles. Modern HPCR fuel injectors
typically utilize the VCO type as it completely covers the nozzle holes. This design enables the injector to
abruptly and completely shut off the fuel at the end of an injection event, thus providing a more stringent
control of the fuel injection event. The two designs can be seen below.

SAC-Type (left) – VCO Type (right) fuel injector

nozzels

Due to its design, the VCO type needle valve has extremely fine tolerances and is highly susceptible to
valve misalignment during rise and fall. Remembering that the rise and fall can occur 29 times per
second at 1400RPM in a large high-speed diesel engine, any misalignment, or changes in the tolerances
within the valve, will give rise to variations in the flow area, the volumetric fuel passing through the
various holes, and the atomization of the fuel – all of which effect the combustion of the fuel and fuel
efficiency.

Fuel injector nozzle holes generally have two failure conditions which result in a partial functional failure
of a fuel injector. These two conditions are Blockage and Erosion. HPCR fuel injectors are finely tuned
and balanced precision devices that are designed to inject a very fine fuel mist consisting of micro-fine
droplets into the combustion chamber with millisecond precision timing. Fuel droplets burn from the
outside in, and as such, it is important for the fuel injection system to maintain the consistency of the mist
for correct and efficient combustion to take place. Modern HPCR fuel injection systems are specifically
designed to reduce the droplet sizes of the fuel while increasing the number of injection events per
engine cycle. When correct combustion takes place as designed by the injector manufacturer, the fuel
droplets burn out completely before they reach the engine cylinder liner. Failure to complete combustion
in this way results in the build up of soot within the engine which results in increases in nitrogen oxide
(NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and diesel particulate matter (DPM).

To maximize combustion efficiency and reduce emissions, modern HPCR fuel injectors typically have 5-8
very fine holes which are machined into the injector tip using a process called Electro Discharge
Machining (EDM). These holes allow the fuel to exit the fuel injector and immediately atomize within the
combustion chamber. The size of these holes will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and depends
on the size and application for each fuel injector. Hole sizes are typically 20μm-250μm.

As a fuel injection event takes place, diesel fuel is sprayed into the combustion chamber, which unlike
gasoline engines, is typically housed inside the piston crown. As the piston moves downwards in its
power stroke, sprays from the injector protrude further into the volume of the combustion chamber. Fuel
should be burnt out before any droplet reaches the cylinder walls. When, however, the spray pattern
generated by the injector is not as designed, the fuel droplets become larger and therefore take longer to
burn out. Soot generation, high DPM, and smoke are by-products of this problem. The soot generated
within the combustion chamber gradually builds up on the injector tips, causing blockages to occur as
well as accumulation within the exhaust system, the valves, and on cylinder walls where it is typically
removed by the piston moving up and down and thus washed into the engine sump where it
contaminates the engine oil. Excessive soot build up within engine lubrication oil is directly correlated to
poor fuel injection or combustion.

Fuel injectors that have one or more of the

nozzle holes blocked due to contamination or
soot build up will cause an increased fuel
velocity through the open nozzle holes, thus
reducing atomization. Micron sized
contaminants can also gradually block some
or all of the individual nozzle holes as a result
of tight injector clearances and the
electromagnetic conditions present inside.
Nozzle holes that remain unblocked will see
an increased flow rate, causing fuel to be
ejected faster and increase the potential for
wear.

The jetting of fuel (a continuous stream of

Blocked Fuel Injectors
Injector Orifice Errosion
fuel in a concentrated direction) within the
cylinder can eventually result in the engine
lubricating oil to be washed from the side of
a piston and cylinder if left unchecked. This
loss in lubrication film can result in the
development of a hot spot and uneven
thermal expansion of the piston, potentially
causing the eventual piston seizure to the
cylinder sleeve, resulting in a catastrophic
failure. Interestingly, such failures are
commonly categorized as lubrication failures
and not the result of poor fuel injection. In
March 2004, staff members of the
Department of Mechanical, Aeronautical &
Chemical Engineering at the University of
Pretoria South Africa delivered a paper at the
International Conference of the South African
Institute of Tribology, which provided hard
evidence of such failures.

The common approach to rectify the build up

Clean Injector on left, soot accumulation
on Injector on right
greater problem that should be corrected as a first step.
of soot or contamination within the injector is
to seek out and use diesel fuel additives that
are designed to clean soot from the injector
tip and internal deposits. While this can be
an effective means of cleaning the injector, in
most cases the problem continues, as the
root cause of the problem (contaminated fuel
and worn injectors) has not been corrected.
Again, it must be stressed that the build up of
contamination and soot is a symptom of a far

Needle Valve

Contaminants in diesel fuel also have an erosive effect on the needle valve within the injector. This valve
is designed to seal off the fuel within the injector following an injection event. Poor sealing of the valve
can result in the fuel injector dripping fuel into the cylinder and onto the piston crown. This problem is
more predominant within HPCR fuel systems with the fuel injector being pressurized 100% of the time.
Such problems were less evident with EUI systems where full fuel injection pressure only exists for 5% of
the engine run time. The image below provides two examples of fuel injector needle valves from an EUI
SAC type fuel injector tip. The valve on the left failed within 1000 hours of operation in an Allen diesel
engine used for power generation. The valve on the right is shown as evidence of a near new condition
(100hrs), although some scratches are shown as evidence of the contaminated fuel this facility was
faced with.

Dripping fuel injectors can cause a multitude of problems and catastrophic failures. The predominant
failures caused by dripping fuel injectors are excessive piston crown temperatures causing the crown to
deform or melt, resulting in engine failure.

Control Valve

All electronic controlled fuel injectors, either EUI or HPCR, incorporate a control valve that is used to
control the timing of each fuel injection event. In EUI type fuel injectors, the valve is controlled via an
electronic solenoid. Most new HPCR injectors are controlled via a Piezoelectric actuated valve, which
enables far greater control of valve movement (distance) and a far greater control of speed. No matter
how the valve is actuated, it is by far the most critical component and the most sensitive to
contamination. In most applications where HPCR fuel injectors are employed, the control valve inside the
injector only opens a distance of approximately 20-30μm. When open, high-pressure fuel up to 40,000
psi travels over the metal sealing surfaces at speeds faster than a jet airplane. Extremely fine
contaminants suspended within the fuel gradually erode and damage the sealing surfaces and the fine-
machined tolerances.

Additional problems occur within the control valves when ultra-fine contaminants below 4μm, enter the
critical clearances between the valve pintle and the valve body. The trapped silt within the clearance
zone restricts the movement of the pintle, which results in sluggish movement of the valve, poor injection
timing and eventual seizure. Such seizures typically result in the solenoid coil or the Peizo failing or a
fault signal within the ECM. These failures are almost always classified as electrical faults by either
manual detection or the ECM, when in fact it is contamination that has initiated the problem.

High velocity and high-pressure fuel flow, with even the smallest amount of contamination, will gradually
erode the sealing surfaces of the injector valve seat. Once valve wear has initiated, a chain reaction
gradually occurs, resulting in a partial functional failure evolving into the full functional failure of the valve
and the need for replacement.

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