algae in fuel experiences?

[DeepRoots]

anyone have experience with algae in diesel?
I've only had it happen in real small doses and in road fuel (which isn't dyed).
or growing on my boots (don't ask, try cleaning out fuels tanks bigger than most houses).

so my situation I contemplate as we are about to maketow to a location 500 miles away (oregon inlet... fun place, no really) is this:

what to do with this 15,000gallon tank I've got with brownish purplish tinted offroad diesel that appears to be fulla algae. Least it seems like its dead algae and clogs my fuel filters every 24 hours (that normally last 200-400hours).

is this indeed algae i'm seeing?
any experience?
the port engineer will tell me just to burn the crap and change alotta filters.

thanks
drew

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

YES I have and am having first-hand experience with algae in diesel fuel.

To be absolutely correct, it is not and cannot be algae, as algae only grows in sunlight and this stuff likes the dark confines of a fuel-tank and actually dies in sunlight; it IS a bacteria, but it IS NOT algae.


That being said, like everyone else, I will call it algae.


I have THREE fuel-tanks, two twenties and one big 52-galloner.

These tanks have been on my truck since 1985.

The last two years, I have been sporadically getting long stringy clumps of sea-weed looking **** stopping up my filters.

I then installed one of those plastic see-thru inline filters ahead of the lift-pump and it catches all of the big clumps; also, I can see what is going on inside and change it accordingly.

Sometimes, I can go three months; and sometimes, I have to change it twice in the same day.



Just today, and the last few weeks, off and on, I have been installing a new fuel/filtering system that, hopefully, will get rid of this problem, once and for all.


Coming out of the big tank, first in line, is a GoldenRod standard filter with clear plastic housing; then, after passing through the MANUAL tank-selector valve, the fuel goes through a LUCAS glass-bottom water-seperating sediment-bowl; then, the fuel enters a genuine Volvo-Penta made in New Zealand DE-BUG magnetic algae-killing unit, the big one; then, as a last line of defense ahead of the screen in the piston-lift-pump, is a clear plastic inline filter, then the lift-pump; then, the fuel goes through the engine-mounted water-seperating FleetGuard fuel-filter, before entering the injection-pump.

I have a Carter electric-pump installed in a check-valved bypass line that is protected by a metal-case inline filter just ahead of the pump.

The electric-pump is not intended to be the primary pump; but, in a pinch, it can be called upon to bring me home.

It's main purpose is to fill and prime the various filters/seperators, thus purging any air out of the system.



I suspect most of my algae problems have been growing inside my tanks for years; but, I also suspect some of the problem could stem from living in a remote third-world county where fuel can often be of questionable quality.





As to the vast quantity of bad fuel you have to burn, get yourself one of those biggest filtering/water-seperating fuel-funnels and run the fuel through that before going into your tank; I am gonna soon get myself one.

Here you go :

http://www.mrfunnel.com/


Those are amazing.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

FILTERING FUNNELS

Here is the big one :


http://www.fourwinds-ii.com/v2/?c=mrfunnel&i=003


Here is a demo-movie :


http://www.fourwinds-ii.com/v2/mrfunnel/mrfunneldemo.mov



Convinced ????

 

[DeepRoots]

i might could put that big one on my transfer pump.... but I couldnt on the main engines.
2, v16 detroits drink the fuel. Any studder or interuption messes them up.
I have 6 fuel tanks. 2, 15k gallon, 2, 3k gallon, and 2, 4k gallon.
I only have this problem with one tank at the moment....

I've currently got dual racors with 100gpm abilities. They're nice, but the secondary filter is a spin on with no bypass.... I might have to add another filter head so I can swap them underway.

two more Questions.....

firstly what are the chances of this bacteria getting in the other 5 tanks? I HAVE to transfer between them all on account of stability.

also I had an engineroom fire (scary time out in the Atlantic) two weeks ago.... and injector tip split in half and was flowing raw. The (fireproof) exhaust wrap quickly went up in flames. Thank god for two stroke, a four stroke probably woulda sh*t the bed with raw fuel being dumped in. We got it under control, but do you think this coulda messed up the injector? it seems possible, as it's pretty rare for one of these injectors to mess up.

thanks
Drew

 

[hheynow]

The best biocide bar none is Killem ... IMO.

 

[DeepRoots]

thanks,
just need 7lbs.

 

[RLDSL]

I'll second the Killem, good stuff. One bottle would be enough for that tank ( I think one bottle has enough to treat 25,000 gal. it's packaged for large storage tanks ) I use that stuff on my veg that has a habit of sitting for a while, and at least once a year on each of the vehicles.

I treated my truck before sitting 9 months while I had the engine out for rebuild, but I guess I either forgot to treat the front tank, or I forgot to run any fuel through the lines from that tank before parking it and had a critter fest grow in the lines , but after sticking the fresh engine in, the fuel coming out of the front tank was full of critters . I have a fine screen in a bowl attached to my fuel pump (Facet Duralift ) and it would clog quickly. I dumped some killem in and I had to keep stopping to clean the screen for a while till it all got ran through.
Didn't have any in the rear tank which is the one I parked it on.

Obviously not the kind of volume you're talking about here, but some kind of cleanable screen or vortexing trash seperator before the filter would save you a fortune in filters dealing with that much fuel.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

The best biocide bar none is Killem ... IMO.

So, you have used that stuff and it really works ??


It is good to know there is a microbicide that actually will kill the bacteria and clean up the resultant mat of dead bugs.

What we see in contaminated fuel is chunks of the "mat" of already dead bugs that settle to the bottom and make a gelatinous blob.

The live organisms are too microscopic to be seen.


From what I have gleaned from months of research in marine forums is that most fuel anti-bacterials are pretty much snake-oil, only killing a portion of the bugs and adding to the "mat" that feeds and harbors more, making the situation worse.

Small truck-sized baffle-less tanks can benefit from being removed, emptied, scrubbed and steamed, and good as new; but, large tanks with baffles are near impossible to get at all the nooks and crannies where these organisms grow, hence the reason that it is illegal to have baffles inside food-grade liquid tanks, such as milk-trucks, corn-syrup, juice, and the like.


I may obtain some of that KILLEM and give it a try.

Thanks.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

The best biocide bar none is Killem ... IMO.

A little off topic, but, have any of you used either their HOT 4-in-1, or the Polar Power additives ??


Thanks.

 

[RLDSL]

A little off topic, but, have any of you used either their HOT 4-in-1, or the Polar Power additives ??


Thanks.

I don't know about the 4 in 1, but that Polar Power includes a great personal fitness program. If you use that stuff in severe cold, you can plan on walking
I'm not a big fan of the rest of their stuff, but the Killem does work great.

 

[geonc]

and injector tip split in half and was flowing raw. The (fireproof) exhaust wrap quickly went up in flames. Thank god for two stroke, a four stroke probably woulda sh*t the bed with raw fuel being dumped in. We got it under control, but do you think this coulda messed up the injector? it seems possible, as it's pretty rare for one of these injectors to mess up.

thanks
Drew

If you did indeed blow the tip ----ANY liquid that is not atomized , such as water , alge etc...will blow the tip, dumping raw fuel not only in the cyl but washing down the liner and into the base oil diluting it.

And no offense meant but those injectors are very finiky about what goes thru them....the plunger and bushing have tolerances finer than a human hair so even hot fuel can and will score the barrels siezing the inj....they are not as tough as you think!

The eng will white/grey smoke like all hell along with the obvious skip/miss fire due to the fuel still being in a liquid state.
This will not only cause low oil pressure, but also will destroy the main and rod bearings.

Tell me you DID get the damaged injector replaced---or at the very least used the shorter of the two jumper lines to by-pass the faulty injector to get back to port! Then done a complete oil/filter change! I know 15 gallons and a couple PF911 or PF 132 filters is a bit of $$$$ but cheaper than a in hull OH or crank replacement

re: algae in the fuel....have you tried some Nalcool/Penray Fire Prep?
It's a biocide that breaks down and emulsifies {mixes} the algae allowing it to hamlessly pass thru the fuel system.

 

[rumdumb]

I had a dde 4000 license before my accident and was an engineer on supply boats in the Gulf and a Detroit mechanic before that I second Nalcool products. Once you use this you will be changeing out filters quite often the best way on a marine prime mover is to set up a manifold of filters so you can switch and service while still running . If money and and space aren't a concern then a centrifudge would be even better still. Swabbing tanks sucks big time and port engineers don't have ride out with you.

Are your day tanks vented or looped back in to the main tanks if looped don't over fill and cross contaminate tanks.

You running 16 v 92's or 16v149's ? what you are running for gensets.

 

[DeepRoots]

rumdum:
no day tanks.... the day tanks are the two large ones. we're running 149's. dde 4000 is handy to have. some of those supply boats in fouchon are freakin huge.

geonc:
my comment on the injectors being tough, is made on the fact that we've never had them come apart, only get weak, they seem to last several thousand hours.
Yes, the Injector, head, oil, and air filters were changed (dry chem makes a hell of a mess). We considered changing the liner kit but there seemed to be no major damage.
Made it back to port??? we changed it out while underway.

ok, so my plan:
make manifold for secondary filters, beg company for killim or comparable biocide.

Drew

 

[geonc]

Yes, the Injector, head, oil, and air filters were changed (dry chem makes a hell of a mess). We considered changing the liner kit but there seemed to be no major damage.
Made it back to port??? we changed it out while underway.

ok, so my plan:
make manifold for secondary filters, beg company for killim or comparable biocide.

Drew

Heard that on the oil change underway

Gotta agree with rumdum on the fuel manifolds....surprised they were not allready on her Far easier to valve one set off and the other on to change filters than shut down while under way.

re:dry chem= Halon 1301? That stuff will itch the chit outa your skin......
I take it your air intakes are above deck....elsewise the dry chem will microscopicaly etch and abrade the cyls, blower rotors etc....

16V149's T's or TI's ? shame if they are naturals.......

 

[rumdumb]

Good luck man hope all goes well for you . I was on the some of those big ones either as Qmed or asstant Eng. The company I worked for was bought out by SeaCor.