Originally Posted by
flyu2there
Although we refer to it as algae, it really is not, as algae only grows in water which would in turn generate an even larger problem than black flakes of asphalt in ones filter. This is a major problem in the boating world in fact many marinas have equipment to "polish" the fuel which by all appearance are a series of pumps and filters that pull fuel from ones tank, filter it and return it....takes some time, not a quick process.
My guess is that Jon got a bad load of fuel. I have attached a lengthy article that pretty much explains it all, there is a caution on additives.
"Diesel fuel is a very complex mixture of thousands of individual compounds with carbon numbers between 9 and 23 (number of carbon atoms per hydrocarbon* molecule) Most of these compounds are members of the paraffinic, naphthenic or aromatic class of hydrocarbons (HC)*. These three classes have different chemical and physical properties. The different relative proportions of the three classes is one of the factors that make one diesel fuel different from another. It influences fuel properties and affects its performance. Up until about 15-20 years ago, refineries used only about 50% of a barrel of crude oil to make distillates such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel. The remainder of the barrel of crude oil went to "residual oil". Today, as a result of different refining techniques and additive packages, the refinery uses 85% or more of the same barrel of crude, which clearly has consequences for fuel stability. More than 90% of the debris on filter elements and the sludge in our storage tanks is organic material, fuel and oil breakdown residue. In most cases, this debris is acidic and not good for your engine. It causes corrosion in injectors, pumps and storage tanks. The solids that form as the result of the inherent instability of the fuel and the natural process of degradation will accumulate in the bottom of your tank. The sludge will form a coating or bio-film on the walls and baffles of the tank, plug your filters and impact combustion efficiency. Eventually it will clog fuel lines and ruin your equipment.
(*Hydrocarbons are organic compounds composed entirely of carbon and hydrogen divided in four major classes: paraffins, naphthenes, olefins, and aromatics. These classes share common structural features but differ in size, (number of carbon atoms per molecule) and/or geometry. While hydrogen and carbon are the predominant elements in crude oil, small amounts of sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen are also present and referred to as hetero-atoms (other-atoms). Compounds containing hetero-atoms are non-hydrocarbons. Typical non-hydrocarbons found in diesel are dibenzothiophene and carbazole, which play a large role in determining certain fuel properties. )
Filter plugging can have several causes. For example, low temperatures can cause wax crystallization, which can lead to filter plugging. An example would be using summer diesel in cold weather. Wax or paraffin is part of the diesel fuel. Chemical incompatibility may cause dramatic filter plugging. This may happen when fuels with incompatible additive packages are mixed. Contaminant build up resulting from excessive microbial growth and bio-degradation of fuel can cause filter plugging. Micro-organisms, bacteria and enzyme activity, fungus, yeast and mold cause fuel degradation and the formation of waste products. The process is similar to milk turning into cottage cheese, a different form of milk. Of all the microbial debris and waste products in the tank only about .01% is bugs. Even though microbes may cause and accelerate the process of fuel degradation, it should be clear that the waste products clogging your filter are not the microbes but fuel components which have formed solids.
Remember, algae are a life form found in water, similar to algae growing in an aquarium. However, for years, people have been referring to tank sludge and to the jelly, slime and other contaminants found in fuel filters as "algae". The colloquialism "diesel fuel algae" is widely used and understood. However, there is no relationship between the "algae" growing in your aquarium and the sludge "growing" (forming) in your fuel tank and showing up on your filter elements. There are three basic areas of concern in fuels and oil. They are: 1. water 2. in-organic debris (sand, dust, rust, etc.) and 3. organic debris (fuel breakdown products and waste products of fuel deterioration and re-polymerization). The organic debris represents more than 90% of all the contaminants found in fuels and oil. It is this organic debris, the sludgy, slimy, acidic material that people refer to as "diesel fuel algae". It could also be called polymer, tar or wax and asphalt!
Frequently, the application of a biocide aggravates the situation and turns bio-film into solids, creating a real fuel filter nightmare. Bio film develops through out the entire fuel system. It grows in the water fuel interface and on the walls, baffles, and bottoms of storage tanks. An unlucky end user may be filling up his tank and getting this debris delivered as a part of his fuel, for the same price as the fuel. Poor thermal fuel stability can plug filters. Fuel will form particulates (solids) when exposed to pumps and the hot surfaces and pressure of the fuel injection system. This will result in an increase in asphaltene agglomerations, polymerization and a dramatic loss of combustion efficiency. Fuel systems, in general, are designed to return a significant proportion of the fuel, not used for combustion, back to the tank. This return fuel is very hot and will promote polymerization and fuel breakdown. Eventually, more and more solids from the tank will reach the filter and over time, plug the filter. These problems continuously occur in commercially operated engines, such as trucks, heavy equipment, shipping, and power generation, but will also appear in recreational boats, RV's and all types of fuel storage tanks. Truck engines are used continuously and, in most cases, the tanks "appear to be clean". However, a 2-micron filter element does not last very long, in general 15,000 miles or less. It should be 30,000 miles or more. In the marine industry 400 hours is in many instances SOP while filters should easily last 1000 hours or more. Short filter life is quite remarkable realizing how "thin" diesel fuel actually is and knowing how clean the tanks on most trucks "appear" to be. Short filter life is symptomatic of polymerization, increase in the size of the fuel droplet, agglomeration of asphaltenes and the formation solids in fuel systems. The consequences are carbon build up in engines and exhaust systems, higher fuel consumption and excessive smoke."
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