Page 1260 - Catalog filters BALDWIN for tractors

Auto Parts / FUEL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT
FROM YOUR DIESEL FUEL
DIESEL
FUEL
Although emission regulations are
becoming increasingly stricter, there
are still contaminants in fuel which
are within American Society for
Testing and Materials (ASTM) and
the American Petroleum Institute lighter fractions (components or
(API) specifications. products within crude oil) and were
low in sulfur content. Now, much of
There was a time, not too long ago,
the world’s supply of light, sweet
when you could assume that the fuel crudes is depleting. What we are left
delivered to you was relatively clean.
with are heavy, sour crudes. These
In today’s market, neither the owner sour crudes don’t have enough of the
or operator of farm machinery can
lighter fractions and are rich in sulfur.
take for granted the quality of his fuel.
Fractions vary from butane (at the
Fuel contamination, in varying light end) to tar (at the heavy end).
amounts, is a fact of life. The middle fractions are where you
Contaminants in your fuel are get your diesel fuel and gasoline.
generally introduced in your fuel
storage systems by mixing,
transferring and storing of fuel by you, NEWER REFINING
your suppliers or their sources. The METHODS
responsibility of understanding the
effects of these contaminants upon Petroleum refining has evolved
your fuel and how to minimize them, continuously in response to
falls squarely on your shoulders. changing consumer demand for
better and different products. The
Your job is to anticipate any
problems and act to minimize original demand was for kerosene to
use as a cheaper and better light
downtime and eliminate damage
due to contaminated fuel. You may source than whale oil. The
development of the internal
ask yourself, what are all of these
problems that I now need to be combustion engine led to the
production of gasoline and diesel
aware of? How do contaminants get
into my fuel system? fuels. Next came the airplane, which
created a need first for high-octane
aviation gasoline, then for jet fuel, a
HEAVIER CRUDES sophisticated form of the original
product, kerosene.
When oil was at a seemingly endless With the onset of mass production
supply, refiners used only the best and World War I, the demand for
crudes. These were called light, gasoline-powered vehicles increased
sweet crudes. They were rich in dramatically, as did the demand for

1258 / Auto Parts

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