FAILURE ANALYSIS OF FUEL INJECTION PUMPS FROM GENERATOR SETS FUELED WITH JET A-1

摘要

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has adopted the single fuel for the battlefield concept. Diesel fuel will be replaced by JP-8/Jet A-1 in compression ignition engines, thereby lowering the fuel logistics burden. These fuels have successfully undergone extensive testing in both the laboratory and in field trials. However, increased failure rates are being reported on a number of fuel-sensitive components during Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia. Five failed Stanadyne rotary fuel injection pumps were returned to the Belvoir Fuels and Lubricants Research Facility (BFLRF) at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) for disassembly and post-failure analysis. Particular attention was given to the possible effects of low-lubricity fuel. The results of the investigation indicate that most of the failures may be attributed to causes other than poor fuel lubricity. The reason for failure of specific components in two of the pumps could not be conclusively determines. However, it is believed that they would not have occurred as a result of short-term operation with Jet A-1.