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Tag Archives: fuel catalyst

Carbon Cleaners, Fuel Addtives, Fuel System Cleaning

Using Fuel Additives at Higher Dosages – Overdosing

March 13, 2015 Andy 14 Comments

I am regularly asked whether fuel additives can be added at a higher dose or added to less fuel to make a more potent concentrate and whether this is more beneficial.

The answer in most cases is no. This is because detergents, cetane improvers, dispersants, lubricants, etc., are designed to work with a specific amount of fuel. This ensures that any deposits are removed and dispersed in a controlled manner and aren’t purged through the system too quickly.  It also reduces the risk of overloading the fuel with too much cetane improver or other functions that risk negating the benefits they set out to achieve.

For example, amine and Polyetheramine-based fuel cleaners work much better when used with the correct amount of fuel and gradually allow the chemistry to remove deposits in a controlled way. If you add a cleaner designed for sixty litres of fuel to ten litres of fuel, you run the risk of removing deposits too quickly and lose the benefit of the extended duration that sixty litres will provide.

Another reason for this is that fuel cleaners are designed to work with fuel flow where the actual act of removing deposits requires the fuel to be in motion. Deposits are removed layer by layer as the fuel moves through the system. The stronger the concentrate – and the less fuel that is treated – the lesser the amount of total motion that occurs.

Therefore, do not be tempted to treat with a much higher concentration except when professionally instructed to do so and when, for example, a heavily-contaminated fuel injector requires urgent attention. In this instance, some cleaners can be safely added directly to the fuel rail or fuel filter. However, this procedure should be carried out by a professional and is not relevant to in-the-tank fuel cleaners.

Another question we are regularly asked is why some additives require a lot of product, whereas others require such a small amount?

Higher-strength cleaners contain more chemistry and are designed to deliver the maximum amount of cleaning power and functions in a single bottle.  Treat rates typically vary from 100:1 to 200:1.  Regular use fuel conditioners are designed to deliver a modest amount of cleaning power and functions and are safe for continuous use.  Treat rates vary from 500:1 to 10,000:1

Also, note that different chemistries work in different ways. High-strength cleaners, in particular, generally require a much larger volume of chemistry, pibsa, amine, polyetheramine, etc.  Such cleaning power requires volume.

With a regular use 1,000:1 fuel conditioner, noticeable improvements might take a few tanks, whereas a higher strength single-tank cleaner will work within a single tank of fuel.   The challenge is to deliver as many benefits as possible with the smallest amount of product.

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Carbon Cleaners, Fuel Addtives, Fuel System Cleaning

Fuel & Carbon Cleaners – What Happens to the Carbon?

March 10, 2015 Andy 7 Comments

Frequently we are asked about fuel-based carbon cleaners. Specifically, what happens to carbon deposits that are removed through the use of fuel cleaners, and can these cleaners damage an engine?

Let’s begin by discussing the first part of that question.

Within the fuel system, you’ll seldom find carbon itself. You will likely discover sludge, gum, varnish, debris, and similar deposits. The fuel filter captures the larger deposits. These and other deposits that have found their way through the fuel system usually are dissolved and dispersed in a controlled and manageable way using dispersal-based detergents. That’s why it is important to use additives at the recommended dosage so that deposit removal is completed in a controlled manner. High-strength fuel system cleaners that carry out this process typically contain a lubricant to ensure the entire system is lubricated during the cleaning procedure. This too, minimizes the risk of any issues.

Most actual carbon formation occurs in the combustion chamber and post-combustion areas. This includes the turbo’s hot side, intake, inlet valves, EGR, catalytic convertor, DPF, and the remainder of the exhaust tract. The reason why carbon remains is that there is insufficient heat to burn it off. Chemically, a liquid hydrocarbon fuel – such as gasoline or diesel – is very similar to the solidified fuel (carbon) it creates. The difference is that a higher temperature must be reached to ignite and burn solid carbons because the flash point has changed.

High-quality fuel detergents, combined with fuel catalyst technology, reduce the threshold temperature at which the carbons can burn, enabling natural engine processes and inherent heat to gradually “burn off” the deposits. This is undoubtedly the case for combustion chamber deposits.

Sometimes there also is a degree of active cleaning from any cleaning chemistry that can survive the combustion process and thus is still active post combustion. However, as described above, most carbon is removed by reducing the temperature at which it can burn.

It is important to note that there also is a natural cleaning mechanism. When the combustion process is of sufficient quality – generally through an efficient fuel system (no injector deposits), good fuel quality (more often than not, only achieved with fuel conditioners), and an engine that is up to full operating temperature – engines are designed to self-manage carbon build-up. The clean(ish) gases will naturally remove carbons to maintain a respectable level.

The issue arises when this equilibrium is broken, and more carbons are deposited than can be naturally removed. This could be due to a flawed engine design, poor fuel quality, fuel system deposits, driving style, failure to let the engine reach the proper temperature, etc., or a combination of these.

This is why catalyst technology is so vital in carbon cleaning and for keeping a system clean. When a catalyst is added to the fuel, it improves the combustion quality to such a degree that it reduces the amount of hydrocarbons created, particularly when the engine is cold. These cleaner gases then work together with the active work the catalyst is doing to reduce the temperature at which these deposits can burn and be removed.

Essentially, a high-end fuel cleaner and carbon remover provide an environment where the combustion quality is much better, and the exhaust gasses are much cleaner. The cleaner exhaust gasses will naturally scavenge and remove carbons from the combustion and the post-combustion areas. The caveat is that this process requires heat. The catalyst will reduce the temperature at which the carbons can be removed and burned off, but it also needs heat.

This is why it is tough for such chemistries to clean the EGR system. The problem is that an EGR and intake are designed to cool recirculating exhaust gasses. Doing so reduces the efficacy of any post-combustion cleaner or chemistry. Unfortunately, this also applies to the rear of the intake valves of direct poor injection engines. Those two areas are challenging to clean because the gasses going through are cooled.

Also, it is difficult to remove existing deposits in these areas. However, by using a high-quality conditioner with the fuel catalyst in both diesel and petrol applications, you’ll at least give the engine and emission control components a much easier life. This is because the engine and emissions systems will have fewer carbons to manage. This results in fewer deposits and hopefully removes the need to use high-strength cleaners or invasive measures to remove carbons manually.

What about the safety of cleaners and the risk of the fuel system or engine damage?

Providing products are used as per the instructions, the risk of any damage is incredibly low. The few rare cases of alleged damage we have witnessed weren’t caused by a product. The product just revealed or exacerbated an underlying mechanical issue with the fuel system.  Still, this is incredibly rare.

Furthermore, manufacturers err on the side of caution, so even if a product is used aggressively or improperly, it is still likely to be safe to use up until a certain point.

To summarise, fuel system deposits are generally dissolved, dispersed, and combusted naturally. Carbon is usually combusted through heat and added fuel-borne catalyst. They are proven safe processes when used correctly and responsibly.

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Fuel Addtives, Fuel System Cleaning

Fuel Catalysts & Archoil’s AR6200 / AR6900-D MAX

January 24, 2014 Andy 58 Comments

We regularly receive questions regarding fuel catalyst technologies and how they work. In particular, we receive many questions about Archoil AR6200 and AR6900-D MAX. The existing definition of “burn rate modifier” and the phrase “lowers burn rate by up to 400 degrees” has caused confusion.

In simple terms, a catalyst facilitates a better burn of the fuel. Each fuel type will have a flash point and auto-ignition point, which are determined by temperature and other factors. But these are different from the burn rate.

Both petrol and diesel are composed of carbons and these carbons, or carbon chains, require up to 1200ºF to burn thoroughly. This has nothing to do with the flash point. The flash point is the temperature at which the vapor of the fuel will ignite with the help of an ignition source. The auto-ignition point is the temperature at which the fuel vapor will ignite without an ignition source.

Once the fuel has ignited, it creates an exothermic reaction (heat). This rapid increase in heat burns the fuel (carbons) and establishes the explosion in the combustion chamber, thus resulting in a massive release of energy. This forces the piston downwards and causes the crankshaft to rotate.

If you can reduce the temperature at which the carbons burn, say by up to 400ºF in the case of AR6200, you can improve the burn. This is achieved by increasing the surface area of fuel droplets and starting the burn rate of hydrocarbons at a lower temperature to yield more available BTUs from the combustion process. The fuel becomes more aromatic (a sign of increased chemical stability), and a longer residual burn occurs. By commencing the burn rate lower, the lower-end hydrocarbons are burnt, and the combustion process is more residual and complete. This practically eliminates unburned hydrocarbons and wasted energy in the form of black smoke or emissions.

Altering the burn rate in this way does not directly increase horsepower. It increases the energy released through the explosion, which raises torque output. Burning the fuel more fully will also increase torque and lower emissions, as proven by the AR6200 carbon mass balance tests. This is the same process with all hydrocarbon fuels such as petrol, diesel, ethanol, heating oil, heavy fuel oil, etc.

Now, you might wonder, will AR6200 affect the octane rating of petrol?

We have proven with ASTM D2699 tests that there is no change. Octane is simply a measurement of when gasoline will automatically ignite. Increases in cylinder pressures and temperatures can make the fuel ignite prematurely, thus creating the dreaded engine knock/pinging sound. Octane boosters or anti-knock additives reduce the volatility of fuel so that it ignites as instructed via a source of ignition rather than on its own.

AR6200 only affects the temperature at which the carbons will burn once the fuel has ignited. It does not directly alter the flash or auto-ignition point. However, tests have shown that the improvement in combustion quality and stability means that the propensity of pre-ignition is reduced with AR6200. And this can have the effect of “raising” the octane. However, this cannot be demonstrated with a simple D2699 knock engine.

But isn’t this contradictory? Not really. When fuel is not entirely burned it can leave pockets of fuel that subsequently ignite a second time, again causing engine knock. The improvement in combustion quality from using AR6200 helps eliminate this because all fuel carbons are burned entirely the first time. AR6200 is not altering the auto-ignition point of the fuel but instead correcting another inherent source of engine knock – remaining unburned fuel.

We hope this helps and if you require any advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us; either I or a member of my team will be pleased to assist you.

ar6200ASTM D2699carbon mass balance testD2699 knock engined2699 octane testfuel catalyst

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