Miles Hope Farm brought in fuel filtration specialist Sentinam Liquid Movement Solutions after the failures caused significant operational downtime and left the business facing the potential disposal of around 5,000 litres of contaminated fuel.
The project combined replacement of the farm’s ageing single-skinned steel fuel tank with a new fully bunded storage system and treatment of the existing fuel so that it could be retained rather than discarded.
According to Sentinam, testing before treatment recorded the stored fuel at an ISO cleanliness code of 19/17/15. The fuel was subsequently put through a multi-stage process incorporating particle removal, water separation and fine particulate filtration, followed by a further three-hour polishing cycle once transferred into the new tank.
Sentinam reported a final cleanliness reading of ISO 11/10/9 following treatment.
Greater sensitivity to fuel quality
The incident highlights the potential consequences of deteriorating fuel storage conditions as agricultural and other commercial machinery increasingly relies on high-pressure common-rail diesel engines. Sentinam says these systems operate to much tighter tolerances than older diesel engines, increasing their sensitivity to water, particulates and microbial contamination.
Older steel tanks can accumulate condensation over time, with the resulting water providing conditions in which microbial contamination – commonly referred to as diesel bug – can develop.
Neil Turnbull, managing director of Sentinam, said the increasing sophistication of modern agricultural machinery meant fuel cleanliness needed greater consideration alongside routine mechanical maintenance.
Carl McIntosh, service and site engineering manager at Miles Hope Farm, said the treatment had enabled the business to restore the stored diesel while helping to protect injectors, pumps and other engine components.
“By restoring our stored diesel to exceptionally high cleanliness levels, we’ve improved fuel quality across the farm while helping protect expensive injectors, pumps, and engine components from unnecessary wear,” he said.
For fuel distributors, the case also highlights an issue beyond the point of delivery. As modern equipment becomes less tolerant of contamination, the condition of fuel storage on customer sites – including tank condition, water management and ongoing fuel maintenance – can have significant implications for both equipment reliability and the value of fuel already held in storage.
Image provided by Sentinam