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| Past Issues |
July 2008 |
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FUEL QUALITY IS top of mind at Maintenance Technologies (MainTech), a company dedicated to a pro-active approach to good housekeeping when it comes to optimum fuel quality. “There is much to understand about contamination in diesel fuel,” says MD Leonard Kitching. Failure to do, so he says, results in costly mechanical failure, unwanted downtime and excessive fuel consumption. The starting point is regular inspection of fuel and fuel storage. MainTech uses a unique “Reach & Pump” system operated by trained technicians to remove water, sludge, rust scale and bacteria from storage and vehicle tank bottoms including hard to reach areas. The system permits tank cleaning without removing the diesel. “Using fibre-optic camera technology, the system allows a television screen view of the contaminants in the tank. Added value is the client’s ability to make informed decisions before undertaking potentially unnecessary maintenance,” says Kitching.
The Water Problem Given the hygroscopic nature of diesel, the fuel continues to attract water through condensation and water vapour. Tank cleaning removes the free water from diesel and tank bottoms; however, removal of the “emulsified” water (suspended water content) is more problematic. Overcoming and controlling the problem is achieved by using OEM and SABS approved after-market additives. With good housekeeping to support the treatments, quality diesel can be maintained. MainTech uses Dieselcure, a safe decontaminant, tested by SABS for compliance with SABS 342, EN590 and AST D975. (MainTech offers proof of certification on request).Compliance is a guarantee of safety, say MainTech and a requirement of all OEMs. Since its inception, MainTech has won support from several large fleet owners and a number of oil majors in the process of cleaning up and upgrading products and storage facilities at filling stations and elsewhere. Interested parties can rent the fibre-optic technology camera from a modest fee of R400.
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Copyright © 2008
FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line.
No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written
permission from the publishers.
Views published are not necessarily those of the publishers.
This is the muck that came out of a 23 000 litre underground
diesel storage tank. Do you want it to get into your vehicle’s
engine? Water in diesel gives bacteria a habitat in which to grow
and it is this that MainTech eliminates.
A MainTech technician seen setting up the equipment to eliminate
sludge and water from a 2200 litre diesel storage tank.
