Page 1268 - Catalog filters BALDWIN for tractors

Auto Parts / UNDER PRESSURE - PROPER FUEL FILTRATION

Injection systems for 2010 will make proper fuel filtration even more
important.

A perennial topic at any meeting of For 2010, injectors may well have
the Technology and Maintenance holes shot-laser-drilled half this size
Council of ATA is fuel filter plugging. in the never-ending drive to get finer
More than a few in the audience and finer droplets of fuel. Shoveling
typically say the answer is to use a fine dirt particles through these
wider screen filter that won’t plug as holes along with the fuel doesn’t
quickly. But that’s entirely the wrong block them, since we’re talking
answer, given the extreme pressure maybe 5- to 15-micron particles. But
and tight tolerances in today’s it does erode these finely drilled
sophisticated fuel injection systems. holes over time. This leads to a loss
of control over the spray pattern,
Opening up from, say, a 5-micron
poor combustion and emissions
secondary filter to a 15-micron filter
control and degrading fuel economy.
may mean less frequent filter changes
In the worst case, the injector may
and less loss of performance
actually slobber and the wet fuel can
associated with plugging and low fuel
jet-hose the cylinder wall, get into
pressure, but it is punishing the fuel
the lube oil and cause extensive
injection equipment with particles in
wear elsewhere than just the
the most damaging sizes – those
injector.
around 7 microns.
This all takes time, and the process
The most susceptible components is so gradual the resulting
are the injectors. Today, injectors degradation of performance and
have tiny, electro-discharge- economy is not noticeable unless the
machined and even laser-drilled injectors are changed through some
holes in the 60- to 145-micron range. failure, such as water in the fuel
(To help you visualize this, a human actually blowing off an injector tip.
hair is about 100 microns wide.)
These work with the extreme In a higher-mileage engine this may
pressure to almost atomize the fuel, be a good excuse to turn over all the
even when it is presented at the injectors. On the Series 60, for
injector in as many as five individual instance, Detroit Diesel says if one
injection events. For the most injector is being replaced, it only
complete combustion, it is essential takes two more hours to replace all
to present as much fuel surface area six injectors to restore “as new
as possible to the combustion performance.” That’s when you’d
process to minimize the production notice the degradation that had
of unburned carbon or particulate accumulated through injector wear.
matter. This aids fuel economy and But you’ll also see the cost. The new
minimizes PM in the exhaust that injectors are significantly more
has otherwise to be extracted in the expensive than the lower-pressure
diesel particulate filter. units of yesteryear.

1266 / Auto Parts

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