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Copyright
© 2001 FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line.
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part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written
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| Past
Issues |
February
2007 |
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Diesel
Diet Plan |
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Diesel tankers at Sasol's Alrode depot load up with product from gantries equipped with advanced diesel filter systems.
Sophisticated tanker washing equipment at Sasolburg's main truck stop prevents cross-contamination of product which can cause serious engine damage.
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Quality at Source
Despite the Euro 4 spec on local diesel, electronically injected diesel engines continue to fail due to contaminants in fuel. It is generally accepted that fuel leaving the 'refinery gate' is clean but gets 'infected' by a host of 'toxins' as it passes through the supply chain to ultimately reach the combustion chamber. What does Sasol, SA's leading diesel manufacturer, do to ensure clean diesel throughout the supply chain?
According to Dr Johan Botha, head of Fuel Research and Development at Sasol, modern diesel engines operate at extremely high injection pressures through very small tolerance injection equipment, which can easily be damaged by moderate levels of particulates in diesel. "Diesel filter blocking is also a common occurrence in the market place," he says. "The nature of the particulates is that they can settle out of the products conveyed in the logistics system, accumulate and be picked up later by other products."
Sasol played a leading role in the introduction of the 'total contamination' specification in the South African National Standards for diesel fuel (SANS 342), Botha explains. "Sasol identified the need for preventing fuel contaminants in 2001, following contamination incidents in the market experienced by fuel producers who had to import product into the inland market via the Durban-inland pipeline and by road and rail."
Refinery filters
Sasol, says Botha, had by then already decided on a preventative 'quality at source' approach and installed filters to capture particulates at one of its refineries. "In addition to the anticipated requirement for Total Contaminants of 24 mg/kg in SANS 342, Sasol further approved capital to install similar filters at its other inland refinery by May 2007 as well as the installation of filters on tanks at all of its depots. These have been operational for more than 18 months with an excellent performance track record. As a result of these efforts, Sasol is clearly leading the way in terms of diesel filtration and ultra clean diesel.
"Customers and end-users, however, need to enforce good housekeeping practices at their storage facilities and further downstream to ensure prevention of contamination," concludes Botha.
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The quest for clean - Ensuring the diesel it supplies the local market is clean helps keep Sasol's international reputation 'free of contaminants'. |
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