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Tag Archives: fuel conditioner

Carbon Cleaners, Fuel Addtives, Fuel System Cleaning

Using Fuel Additives at Higher Dosages – Overdosing

March 13, 2015 Andy 14 Comments

A question I am regularly asked is whether fuel additives can be added at a higher dose or added to less fuel in order to make a stronger concentrate, and whether this is more beneficial.

The answer in most cases is no. This is because additives are specifically designed to work with a certain amount of fuel. This ensures that any deposits are removed and dispersed in a controlled manner and that too many deposits aren’t purged through the system at once.

Polyetheramine-based cleaners, for example, work much better when treating the correct amount of fuel (i.e. a full tank of fuel) and allowing the chemistry to gradually remove deposits in a controlled way. If you add a cleaner designed for sixty litres of fuel to ten litres of fuel, not only do you run the risk of removing deposits too quickly but you also lose the benefit of the extended duration that sixty litres will provide.

The reason for this is that many additives are designed to work with fuel flow where the actual action of removing deposits requires the fuel to be in motion. Therefore, deposits are removed layer by layer as the fuel is moving 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 concentrate 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 is a procedure that should be carried out by a professional and is not really 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?

An example we’ll use here is a high-strength cleaner, such as Archoil’s AR6400, which requires 400 ml to treat a full tank, versus their fuel conditioner AR6900-D MAX, which is treated at a ratio of 1,000 to 1. 400ml vs 50ml.

So, why is this?

Different chemistries work in different ways. High-strength cleaners in particular generally require a much larger volume of chemistry, polyetheramine being one of them.  Such cleaning power requires volume.

Some fuel conditioners act differently as there are nano-detergents that will provide an effective clean over a gradual period of time but with substantially less volume. For comparison, if you added AR6400 or AR6400D concentrate (or a similar product) to a full tank of fuel, you would start to notice a difference within ten to twenty miles of driving if there were excessive fuel system deposits. That is how quickly some concentrate cleaners work. With a fuel conditioner such as AR6200 or AR6900, noticeable improvements might take a few tanks. Rapid cleaning requires a volume of chemistry. Gradual cleaning, however, can be achieved at a nano level. Although cleaning takes long, it requires a very small amount of chemistry.

The concept behind AR6900 was very simple and this, we believe, should be the objective of all fuel conditioners – To deliver as many benefits as possible with the smallest amount of product possible.

Archoil has succeeded in producing a product that does as much as it possibly can at the nano level. This includes protecting against water, fuel contamination and corrosion, lubricating and cleaning the fuel system, removing carbon through the use of the catalyst, and improving the quality of combustion to improve MPG, etc. All of these benefits are achieved at the nano level; therefore, only a very small amount of the product is required.

What AR6200 or AR6900 cannot do is clean rapidly or provide additional anti-waxing protection because these processes require much higher volumes of chemistry. Also, the additives in these products are not necessarily about the chemistry themselves. The chemistry is there to deliver a process. Imagine adding a couple of drops of concentrated black dye to a bath of clean water. You will find that that dye will disperse very quickly and make the water black or gray depending on the amount of dye. AR6200 works in a similar way. It disperses very quickly, delivers a process, and produces the benefits that are described.

Andy

fuel additivefuel additive overdosingfuel additivesfuel catalystfuel conditioner
Carbon Cleaners, Fuel Addtives, Fuel System Cleaning

Fuel & Carbon Cleaners – What Happens to the Carbon?

March 10, 2015 Andy 5 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 are more likely to discover sludge, gum, varnish, debris, and similar deposits. The larger deposits are captured by the fuel filter. These and other deposits that have found their way through the fuel system are normally 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 normally 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 hot side of the turbo, intake, inlet valves, EGR, catalytic convertor, DPF, and the remainder of the exhaust tract. The reason why carbon remains is because 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) that it creates. The difference is that to ignite and burn solid carbons a higher temperature must be reached 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 and therefore enable natural engine processes and inherent heat to gradually “burn off” the deposits. This is certainly the case for combustion chamber deposits.

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

It is important to note that there also is a natural cleaning mechanism. When the combustion process is of sufficient quality – normally through an efficient fuel system (no injector deposits), sufficient 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 with the aim of maintaining 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 get up to the proper temperature, etc., or a combination of these.

This is why catalyst technology is so important in carbon cleaning and for keeping a system clean. When a catalyst is added to the fuel, it improves the quality of combustion to such a degree that it reduces the amount of hydrocarbons that are created, particularly when the engine is cold. These cleaner gases then get to 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 provides an environment where the quality of the combustion 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 incredibly difficult for such chemistries to clean the EGR system. The problem is that an EGR and intake are designed to cool recirculating exhaust gasses. By doing so, they reduce 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 very difficult 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 fuel system or engine damage?

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

Furthermore, manufactures 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. For example, one of our main fuel conditioners is EPA tested. As part of the procedure the product is tested at ten times the recommended dose to ensure no possible harm to the fuel system or engine.

To summarise, fuel system deposits are generally dissolved, dispersed, and combusted naturally. Carbon is generally combusted through the use of heat and an added fuel catalyst and/or fuel borne catalyst. They are proven safe processes when used correctly and responsibly.

airflow sensor cleanersar6200carbon cleanercarbon removaldpf cleanerdpf cleanersdpf cleaningdpf removalegr cleaneregr cleaningfuel additivefuel additivesfuel catalystfuel conditioner
Fuel Quality

Premium Diesel Versus Standard Diesel Fuel

February 6, 2014 Andy 2 Comments

In the course of our work, we are frequently asked whether premium diesel fuel is superior to standard diesel fuel. And our short answer is always a resounding, “Yes.” But when it comes to the other big question regarding premium diesel fuel – such as whether it is worth its higher price – more explanation is needed.

Premium diesel from the pump contains more detergent and additives than standard diesel fuel, which helps to improve an engine’s combustion performance. Depending on engine design, using a premium diesel usually results in an increase in performance and/or MPG, as well as reduced engine emissions and similar benefits.

So yes, premium diesel is better than standard diesel. But is it worth its higher price tag?

On that matter, we are not so sure. The main issue is that premium diesel fuels could be so much better considering the significant extra cost per litre. The additional detergent currently included is still barely enough to retain a clean engine on most fuel systems and engine types, and fails to actively remove existing deposits. Unfortunately, we find that diesel vehicles that solely use premium diesel fuels continue to accumulate deposits. Not so much in the fuel system, but in the combustion area, emission components (EGR, DPF), and intake manifold, intake valves, etc. Using a premium diesel will undoubtedly delay the formation of carbon deposits in these areas. But don’t expect miracles in regards to cleaning performance. The increased bio-diesel percentage contributes to an increase in fuel system contamination, biological degradation, and carbon build-up. Unfortunately, current fuels do not do enough to address these issues.

Please note, in the manufacturers’ defence, there are regulatory considerations, such as the outdated BS EN590 specification, that control what additives can be included in fuel. But those regulations are irrelevant to whether premium diesel, as it is made today, is a good value for the price you pay at the pump.

So if premium fuel isn’t worth the extra cost and standard diesel is lacking, what should you do? We suggest adding a high-quality diesel fuel conditioner with combustion catalyst technology to standard diesel fuel. Doing this will generally create a fuel that will outperform a premium diesel and be more cost effective, per tank. We have substantial testimony, as well as research data, that supports this. More complete fuel conditioners contain effective technologies to proactively clean and remove existing deposits, lubricate the diesel pump, remove water, prevent fuel degradation or contamination, lower emissions, improve performance, increase MPG, and so on.

It is simply a case of weighing the benefits of premium diesel versus the additional benefits of a fuel conditioner, while also considering convenience and cost.

Another issue to consider in this debate is consistency. It is not uncommon to encounter variances in quality with fuel from the same gas station. From what we understand, distribution agreements are in place between the fuel retailers and refineries that call for gas stations to sell fuel from the nearest refinery in the area, regardless of the brand. Additive packs are then added at the refinery, or sometimes directly into the station fuel tanks.

The same variance applies to petrol. Regular octane tests will reveal startling differences in fuel octane. One week it tests at 95.6 and the next at 96.8, and so forth. As you can imagine, this makes testing octane boosters extremely difficult because base fuels can be so inconsistent.

Some advice we will add is to “know” your petrol station. When possible, purchase fuels from stations that you know have a high turnover of fuel. Try to avoid filling your vehicle from tanks that are running low and also those that have just been filled, as this can agitate deposits and moisture. If you see a tanker, come back later. A fuel conditioner should protect against the inherent issues and inconsistencies found in our fuels.

Please note that in the future we will produce a video demonstrating one of the tests we use to measure the cleaning strength of fuels and fuel additives.

If you require any expert advice or help, please don’t hesitate to contact us and either I or a member of my team will be pleased to assist you.

BS EN590BS EN590 dieselfuel conditionerpremium dieselpump dieselstandard diesel

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