Impacts of Bio Diesel Blends on Fuel Filters Functions Laboratory and Field Tests Results

摘要

From the end of the 90's, the use of bio diesel fuel (FAME) in blends with petroleum diesel fuel is increasing year after years with a minimum share of 10% defined by the European Parliament for 2020. In parallel, vehicles fleets working with B30 (EM590 - RME) have been developed in France under the impulsion of bio diesel fuel producers. Diesel fuel filter is THE safety component of the diesel fuel line and its main functions are to protect the injection system (HP pump + injectors) from wearing by particles and corrosion by water. More, fuel filter over clogging can generate loses of engine power by restricting the fuel flow. SOGEFI Filter Division tests and expertise show that the use of bio diesel fuels containing up to 30% of FAME have no impacts on the clogging mechanisms of star pleats filters based on 8μm mean flow pore size double layers media (cellulose + melt blown).For more efficient filter media (5μm) laboratory tests have shown a significant risk of accelerated clogging and field test are still in progress to confirm or not. Due to specific properties of bio diesel, water droplets emulsions are more stable in these fuels than in petroleum diesel fuel and initial water separation efficiency of filters is systematically impacted. More, measurement performed on used fuel filters from B30 field tests show a complete lose of the water separation efficiency after less than 20000 km due to bio diesel oxidation components deposition on the media fibers surface that change their hydrophobic properties. SOGEFI Filter Division is developing a new filter able to maintain water separation efficiency higher than 95% in bio diesel blends up to B100 (even with fine water droplets emulsions) and able to resist to water separation efficiency decrease on vehicle.