IM P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M D U R A B I L IT Y

The next step in fuel systems evolution is known as the "Common Raíl Fuel System." Unlike a
unit injector system, which produces high-pressure pulses at each cylinder far each injection
event, the common raíl pressurizes a high-pressure manifold which supplies injection pressure to
all cylinders at ali times. Electronic fuel nozzles at each cylinder control delivery of the high-
pressure fuel far each combustion event. They also have the capability to deliver multiple
injections within a single combustion event with unprecedented precision and repeatability.
Common rail systems are rapidly replacing today's unit injector systems.
However, the new performance comes with a price. Maintaining very high fuel pressures in the
manifold means that fuel gets very hot. This hot fuel has very low viscosity and lower film
strength which reduces resistance to accelerated wear from abrasive particles in the fue l. The
lower film strength also increases the potential far scuffing or seizure from ingesting large amounts
of water in the fuel.
This makes clean dry fuel even more important far the successful operation of current and
future fuel systems. lncreasingly complex and sophisticated fuel system technology also
requires fuel filtration technology to evolve'at a rapid pace. New combination 10-micron primary
filter / water
separator elements are already available far many applications. High efficiency filters are also
being improved to trap microscopic abrasive particles more effectively and provide double or triple
today's debris holding capacity. Finally, bulk fuel filtration will become more common to ensure that
clean fuel is delivered to the machine rather than trying to clean up contaminated fuel on the
machine.

High efficiency fi lters are a lso being

improved to trap microscopi c
abrasive particles more effectively
and provide double or tr iple
today's debris holding capacity.

25
Sorne fa cts aboutf I
biodiesel ue
The use of biodiesel fuel is a growing trend in sorne parts
of the world. To date, biodiesel use has been largely lirnited
to
on-highway and agricultura! applications, although its
popularity is growing. This is the result of three factors:
- Sporadic shortages of diese! fuel
- lncreasing cost of diesel fuel
- lncreasingly stringent vehicle exhaust ernission regulations
WHAT IS BIODIESEL?
8iodiesel is actually a refined organic oil, which has been
treated to rernove glycerin, a natural byproduct. Pure biodiesel
could be
burned in place of diesel fuel, but is significantly more expensive
than diesel. The additional expense to produce and blend biodiesel
fuel is usually offset by tax credits or other governrnent subsidies .
The large-scale production of biodiesel also benefits the
agricultura! industry by consurning large volurnes of grain.
26
Biodiesel can be refined from a variety of sources.
The most common are:
- Soybean Oil
- Used Cooking Oil or Fryer Grease
- Oil frorn Palrn, Canola, or Rapeseed
8iodiesel offers the advantage of being able to expand the current
supply of diesel fuel by adding several types of organic oils that
burn effectively with the diesel fuel. Although these oils are usually
more expensive than pure diesel fuel, governrnents often promote
biodiesel use by offering tax incentives or subsidies.
The concentration of biodiesel blended with petroleum
based diesel fuel is stated as a "B" number.
- 85 - 5% biodiesel / 95% petroleum diesel.
- 820 - 20% biodiesel / 80% petroleurn diese!
- 8100 - Pure biodiesel / also known as "neat" biodiesel
The sale of biodiesel in sorne areas of the world is being
heavily promoted through a variety _of claimed benefits by
environrnental and biodiesel industry lobbyists. Sorne of the
clairned benefits have merit while others have little basis in fact.
These clairns rarely include sorne of the problems, which may be
caused by the use
of biodiesel.
 BIODIESEL PRO'S AND CON'S
PRO'S
Reduced diesel exhaust emissions:
Unburned hydrocarbons ....14%
Carbon monoxide ..............9%
Particulate matter .............8%
Biodiesel may form a slimy deposit on
the surface of fuel filter media
resulting
Biodiesel may cause slimy deposits to form on the surface of the filter
in premature
media resulting in rapid ffilter plugging. This problem
ilter plugging.
gets worse as the concentration of
biodiesel increases.
lmproved fuel lubricity
lncreased resistance to fuel system
scuffing and seizure due to low
viscosity, or low lubricity fuel.
Ability to degrade naturally in the event
of fuel spills.
CON'S
lncreased diesel exhaust emissions:
NOx .................................. ..2%
Reduced fuel economy
8100 pure biodiesel has 5% - 7% less
energy than pure petroleum diesel fuel.
lncreased fuel filter plugging
Biodiesel is an effective solvent and can act as
a paint stripper. lt will loosen deposits found in
the fuel tank and lines from petroleum based
fuels.
Biodiesel wi l l loosen deposits
found in the fuel tank and l ines
from petroleum based fuels.
Leopard spots on the filter surface is
a clear sign of microbiological growth.
27
 I M P R O V I N G FU E L S Y S T E M D U R A B I L IT Y

PROMOTES MICROBIOLOGICAL
GROWTH IN FUEL
Biodiesel acts as fertilizer to existing microbiological
growth in fuels .
Biodiesel is hydroscopic; meaning it attracts water.
Regular petroleum diese! fuel can contain up to 60
ppm of water, while biodiesel can contain 1,200 to
1,500 ppm of water ( 20 times more).The increases in
the water content promotes the probability of
microbiological growth and corrosion . Microbes only
need a minute amount of water to establish their eco
system and
thrive .
May attack certain metals in the fuel
system, such as:
Zinc
Copper based alloys
Cast iron
Tin
Lead
Cobalt
Manganese

BIOFILM
BIOFILM
The biofilm is a complex colony
of active microbiological
organisms .

RAG LAYER
The rag layer is the active interface
between the biofilm and water where
active microbiological growth is occurring.

28
 I M P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M O U R A B I L I T Y

Acid is a by-product of
microbiological growth.
Prolonged exposure to
this acid can cause severe
corrosion damage to fuel
tanks made from steel
and aluminum .

May attack and degrade sorne types of seals used in the fuel EFFECT OF
system, such as: BIODIESEL ON
WATER
Certain types of elastomers
COALESCER
Natural rubber seals EFFICIENCV
Poor oxidation stability:
One of the
Degrades twice as fast as petroleum diesel most
Should not be stored more than three common
and
months
effective
Requires special storage and handling requirements methods of
Due to the increased potential risk of the above problems posed by the removing
use of biodiesel, most worldwide diese! engine manufacturers do not water from
recommend biodiesel content greater than 5% (B5). diesel fuel
is the use
of
coalescer
Severe corrosion damage and deposits in a steel fuel tank caused
Early by
stages
acid of
from
corrosion
prolonged
damage
exposure
to antoaluminum
microbiological
fuel tank
growth.
caused
filters. The
fibers in the
coalescer
filter media
are
hydroscopi
c, and have
a very
strong
attrai:tion
far water.
The
attraction of
the
coalescer
fibers is
greater
than the
attraction
between
water
molecules
and diese!
fuel
molecules.
This
causes the
 I M P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M O U R A B I L I T Y
water to separate from the fuel and condense on the coalescer fibers.
As water continues to be attracted to the coalescer fibers, water droplets form and increase
in size. The droplets continue to increase in size until they break free of the coalescer
media and fall to the bottom of the water separator, where they are drained off.
The ability of the coalescer to separate and trap water is based on the attraction of the
coalescer fibers to water being greater than diese! fuel to water.
Blended biodiesel fuels significantly increase the attraction of water to the biodiesel
component of the fuel. This increased attraction between the water and biodiesel can be
greater than the attraction of the water to the coalescer fibers. The result is that free water
will pass through the coalescer and not be separated, effectively making the coalescer
useless. Large amounts of free water in the fuel is a leading cause of fuel system failure .

The use of biodiesel may prevent bulk

water coalescers from effectively
removing water from the fuel.
29
 I M P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M D U R A B I L I T Y

For decades, fuel caps on Caterpillar machines boldly

stated "Buy clean fuel - keep it clean."

L
But what is "Clean"?
Pafües > 4 m;cmos In arder to determine if fuel is clean, we must be able to
measure cleanliness, and then compare it to a standard.
Pafües > 14 m;cmns Fuel cleanliness can be measured using the same
procedures that are used for lube and hydraulic oils.
ISO SIZE CATEGORIES
The ISO system uses a series of three particle size
categories to identify the approximate number of particles of
three different sizes which are present in one cubic milliliter
oil. The three ISO particle size categories are shown in this
chart on the left.
ISO STANDARDS
Hydraulic and lube oil cleanliness is generally expressed
in terms of ISO rating. This refers to the lnternational
Standards Organization Standard 4406, which classifies
fluid cleanliness by the number and size of particles in a
certain quantity of fluid. Particle size is measured in
microns, which is very small.
A micron is one millionth of a meter
or 4 / 100,000 of an inch.
•A human hair is abaut 4/ 1,000 af an
inch ar 700 micrans in diameter
• The smallest partic/e that can be
seen by the human eye is abaut 40
microns
• The critica/ partic/e size far wear
partic/es in a madern diese/
engine fue/ system is 5 - 7
microns
I M P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M D U R A B I L I T Y
The number of particles greater The number of particles of each size are categorized in ranges shown in the chart.
in diameter than: Notice that each range is twice the size of the range that precedes it. The most
4 microns common ranges used to express fluid cleanliness are usually from 13 to 24.
6 microns
An example of dirty oil wou!d be 21/ 79/ 77. This would contain the following:
14 microns+
PARTICLE ISO NUMBER OF PARTICLES IN 1
4SIZE
microns RANGE
21 ML
10,000 - 20,000
6 microns 19 2,500 - 5,000
ISO 4406 Chart 14 microns 17 80 - 160
Number of particles per mi
An example of very clean oil wou!d be around 78/ 76/ 73
PARTICLE ISO NUMBER OF PARTICLES IN 1
4SIZE
microns RANGE
18 ML
1,300 - 2500
6 microns 16 320 - 640
14 microns 13 40 - 80

With thin fluids that contain large amounts of very small particles, such as diesel
fuel, Caterpillar uses ali three numbers in the ISO code . However, on thicker viscosity
hydraulic and lube oils, the number of very small particles is less important. Fluid
cleanliness is usually expressed using only the two larger particle sizes. As an example,
18/16 / 13 would be stated as simply 16 / 13.
WHAT IS CLEAN FUEL?
"Clean fuel" is a term that is often used and seldom defined. Caterpillar has
established a minimum standard far fuel cleanliness of ISO 18/16/13 far particulates
and maximum water content of 1,000 parts per million, or .01%.
At 18/16/13 or cleaner, the standard filtration on a machine is adequate to provide final
filtration without filter plugging in most applications. lf water or particulates exceed this

,,.__..
level, additional fuel filtration is required. Fuel may be further cleaned on the machine
by increasing onboard filtration capacity, or by bulk filtration on the fuel supply tank.

..-
"Clean fuel" is a term that is
often used and seldom defined.

' y I

31
 I M P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M D U R A B I L I T Y

WHAT HAPPENED TO
2-MICRON FILTERS?
From their initial introduction in 1990 until
recently, Caterpillar High Efficiency filters
were commonly referred to as 2-micron
absolute filters . The term "absolute" is
often used to describe a filter with an
eff iciency capable of capturing nearly
100% at the rated particle size in a single
pass.
Today, the same filters are referred to
as 4-micron absolute filters. What
changed?

ACTUALLY, THE FILTERS STAYED THE SAME ANO THE SYSTEM OF

MEASUREMENT CHANGED
Automatic partic le counters are used to measure fluid cleanliness in fue! and hydraulic
fluids. These machines are relatively accurate and repeatable in counting particles larger
then 1O microns in size. However, counting particles smaller than 1O microns with
accuracy and repeatability has always been a problem.
In the late 1990s, a totally new calibration fluid and calibration procedure was developed
in arder to provide:
- More accurate size measurement of particles smaller than 1O microns
- lmproved worldwide consistency in calibration of automatic particle counters

OLD STANDARD NEW STANDARD

AC Fine DustTest ISO Medium Test Dust
ISO 4406:1987 ISO 4406:1999
AT MICRON SIZE AT'MICRON SIZE
4
5 6
15 14
Not traceable Traceable, certified - NIST
Not certified Stringent quality control
Sized by optical microscope Sized by electron microscope
lnaccurate particle sizes and Conforms to ISO 9000
and counts below 1O microns QS 9000

32
IM P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M O U R A B I L IT Y

This new fluid and calibration procedure was adopted by the following groups and is now
the accepted worldwide standard:
- (NFPA) National Fluid Power Association
- (NIST) National lnstitute of Standards and Technology
- ( ISO) lnternational Standards Organization
Unfortunately, the improvements to the calibration process also changed particle size
measurements from the old process. The chart below shows the differences in size
measurement between the old and new system.

OLD STANDARD NEW STANDARD

AC Fine DustTest ISO Medium Test Dust
MICRON SIZE MICRON SIZE

3
1

2
4.2

4.6

5.1
L Particles smaller than '

5 6.4 1O microns measure larger

7 7.7

l
Particles around 1 O microns
10 9.8
measure about the same
15 13.6
20 17.5
Particles larger than
25 21.2 1O microns measure smaller
30 24.9

40 31.7

Consequently, the former 2-micron High Efficiency filter is now rated as a 4-micron filter.
HIGH EFFICIENCY VS. ADVANCED EFFICIENCY FILTERS
The terminology to describe filter efficiency has also changed in recent years. For decades
there was only one grade of filter. Standard efficiency filters ranged in efficiency from
about 50% -75% in a single pass. In 1994. the 2-micron High Efficiency fuel filter was
introduced with a single pass efficiency of more than 98%. At the time. this was the
ultimate quality filter available from Caterpillar. Since 1994, both Standard and High
Efficiency filters have been offered. However. rapid advances in filter media technology
will provide even better filters in the near future.
In arder to clearly identify different levels of filter efficiency, Caterpillar will offer three
different families of filters in the future:
STANDARD EFFICIENCY - Remains unchanged.
ADVANCED EFFICIENCY - Will be the new name for the current High Efficiency filter.
ULTRA-HIGH EFFICIENCY - A future new class of filters with efficiency even greater
than today's High Efficiency filters . The new Ultra-High
Efficiency filters will also have the abi\ity to trap and
hold up to 3 times more debris than today's High Efficiency
filters.
MAXIMIZE DURABILITY
Modern high-pressure fue\ systems on today's Caterpillar engines are designed to \ast
until engine overhaul. Providing very c\ean fuel to the fue\ system is the best way to
maximize life and receive the value that was built into the system.
33
I M P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M D U R A B I L I T Y

um a r
MAJOR FACTORS WHICH NEGATIVELV AFFECT FUEL SVSTEM WEAR
Abrasive Contaminants:
lncreased injection pressure acting on the same level of abrasive contaminants in the fuel
results in accelerated injector abrasive wear. This abrasive wear cannot be eliminated
through the use of improved materials or processes. Abrasive wear can only be
reduced by removing abrasives from the fuel.
SOLUTION: Single or series High Efficiency fuel filters and/or bulk fuel filter / water
coalescer.

Water In Fuel:
An excessive amount of latent water in the fuel is a key cause of injector failure . Water has
inadequate film strength to prevent metal-to-metal contact between the plunger and barrel,
resulting in plunger scuffing or seizure. Water can be effectively removed by the use and
regular maintenance of a water separator or bulk f uel filter / water coalescer. Removal of
excess latent water is essential to prevent scuffing with the upcoming injection pressure
increases and subsequent hydraulic loading of interna! injector parts.

-
SOLUTION: Proper maintenance of fuel tank drains, water separators and/or use of a bulk
fuel filter / water coalescer.

Excessive Fuel Temperature:

lncreasing fuel temperature reduces fuel viscosity and resultant fuel film strength . Reduced
film strength increases the probability of injector plunger and barrel scuffing or seizure.
Limiting maximum fuel temperature will become even more critica! with the increased use
of very low sulfur fuel which has lower film strength, and common rail fuel systems which
run elevated fuel temperatures.
SOLUTION: Properly maintained fuel filters and fuel coolers where needed.

Customer Maintenance Practices:

Fuel system performance, sophistication and complexity continue to increase at a rapid pace.
lt is more important than ever for the user to properly maintain fuel filters in arder to
prevent filter restriction and the problems caused by low fuel pressure. lt is also
important to use quality Advanced Efficiency filters in arder to trap and hold microscopic
abrasive debris, which causes accelerated wear in modern fuel systems.
 I M P R O V I N G F U E L S Y S T E M O U R A B I L I T Y

lmproving caampon a
u raul 1ty
This series of high quality booklets contains full-color graphics and easy-to-understand
explanations of the main causes of wear and failure in majar system components. Special
attention is given to practices that cause accelerated wear, and how to dramatically improve
component life in many applications. (Available in paper only/packages of 1O.)

FUEL SYSTEMS FINAL ORIVES ANO POWERSHIFT COMPONENT REMOVAL

SENR9620-02 OIFFERENTIALS TRANSMISSIONS ANO INSTALLATION
36 PAGES SEBF1015 ENGLISH / SEBF1016 SEBF1017
SSBF1015 SPANISH 40 PAGES 24 PAGES
40 PAGES

ENGINES HYORAULICS MANAGING FLUID

SEBF1018 SEBF1019 CLEANLINESS
48 PAGES 48 PAGES SEBF1020

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