What is Water Separator and Why do you Need it for Marine Systems?
A fuel water separator is a filtering device used to remove water from the diesel before it reaches the sensitive parts of the engine. If your system has a compressed air dryer, you might need a water separator to reduce damage from hazardous substances and increase its longevity.
Water and contaminants can have an adverse impact on the service life and performance of diesel engines. It displaces fuel’s lubricative coating on high-precision injector components, causing tolerance erosion, fuel pressure loss, surface pitting, and poor performance. It is ideal to use a water separator to remove excess water from petrol, diesel, kerosene, and bio-diesel to eliminate contamination.
As fuel water separator is a crucial element for any marine system, read on to know more about them.
What does a fuel water separator do?
Fuel water separator plays a significant role in preventing water from entering the fuel system and damaging vital components. It stops contaminated fuel, debris, and water from reaching your engine. As soon as fuel enters the filter, dirt particles or other contaminants are filtered and blocked.
The separator works by trapping water droplets in the filter element and allowing fuel to pass through. However, if the filter element is clogged or dirty, it can’t do the job properly. That’s why it is necessary to inspect, clean, or replace the filter element. Keep your separator in a good condition to ensure your engine always has clean fuel.
When do you need a fuel water separator?
Fuel water separators are used to remove water from diesel fuel. They are designed to remove solid contaminants and separate water from fuel at refineries, product delivery terminals, and fuel storage sites. Supplying clean and dry diesel is crucial to conserve the life of engines and for optimal combustion.
Diesel water separators bring the water content down to 15 ppm which is the optimum level for applications. It is used in marine applications, fuel transportation, and fuel terminals to ensure a high degree of water separation from diesel fuel and biodiesel.
Separating impurities and water from the fuel, lets your engine run smoothly and efficiently. It can also help prolong the life of your engine by preventing corrosion and other damage caused by debris and water.
Applications:
•Removal of water from petrol, diesel, and bio-diesel
•Fuel purification for diesel-based generator application
•Fuel loading and unloading into tankers to eradicate water contamination
•Fuel loading/unloading at refinery terminals
How to Choose the Right Fuel Water Separator?
Fuel water separators and particle filters need to be replaced often to prevent machine failure. So, here are some components you should consider when buying:
•The Filter Element – Marine and industrial systems need to block 10-30 micron particles between the fuel tank and the engine. For sensitive systems, a secondary two-micron filter should be installed for additional protection.
•Inspection Bowl – The fuel water separator uses a pleated filter media. It catches water particles and turns them into bigger droplets. These droplets later fall into a collection bowl at the bottom of the filter. Draining the water from these bowls from time to time is necessary.
•Fuel Flow Rate – Flow is what has to move through the system. Many engines have a system that sends back fuel to the tank. Make sure the separator you pick has the correct flow specification.
•Engine Size – Bigger engines need bigger separators. The same goes for smaller engines, they need small separators. So, when replacing, make sure to check the comparative size of the separator.
Conclusion:
Water build-up and saturated fuel filters can cause a lot of damage to your internal engine components. The dirty and waterlogged fuel filter can affect your engine’s performance. The simple fix is using a highly efficient fuel water separator to remove water and impurities from petrol, diesel, kerosene, and bio-diesel.
A moisture separator for compressor is another crucial device to eliminate moisture from a compressed air/gas stream. This can eliminate the cost of replacement or repair of equipment and reduce downtime.