What fuel cleaning system does

What is a fuel cleaning system and how does it work? Joan

Hello Joan, a fuel cleaning system is designed to eliminate dirt and deposits from fuel in the car and depot or vending station storage tanks and fuel systems with the goal of ensuring good fuel quality and excellent car engine performance. 

A car's fuel system stores and delivers fuel to keep your engine running. The fuel system is your car's "get up and go" because it is a vital source of energy, critical for engine combustion which helps to move the car. For your car engine to run efficiently, it requires a prompt delivery of clean fuel to make an ample air fuel ratio needed for peak performance. 

A car's fuel system can suffer from dirt accumulation in the form of corrosion in the tank, varnish or gunk along fuel lines and accumulation of after burn soot on the fuel injectors. This sort of dirt reduces unrestricted and prompt delivery of fuel which in turn affects your car's fuel efficiency. 

A car needs a fuel cleaning system to remove the harmful and engine performance robbing dirt.A car fuel cleaning system comprises primary and secondary filters, which help to trap the above contaminants and protect the vital fuel system components such as the fuel pump, fuel lines and fuel injectors.

As fuel is delivered from the tank, it passes through primary filters where water and dirt are removed by separators. Fuel polishers refine the fuel further by removing smaller particulate or contaminants. The filtered fuel is returned to the tank or fuel system. Fuel filters should be maintained by replacement at recommended service intervals. Many modern car fuel filters are attached to the in tank fuel pump and are so called long life filters. 

In the long run, if not replaced on time, these filters can be overwhelmed by dirt which leads to damage of the fuel pump and fuel injectors. Another way of cleaning the fuel system is the introduction of chemical compounds or fuel additives designed to prevent buildup of deposits which can lead to fuel system component damage and reduced efficiency. 

Fuel system cleaning additives are also blended in fuels sold by fuel dealers to help keep your car fuel system free of harmful and efficiency wasteful dirt build up. To complement your car's fuel cleaning system, fuel companies employ up-to-date fuel filtration systems at their fuel storage tanks at their depots and vending station pumps to filter the fuel before it is put into your car's tank. 

At Shell for instance, the fuel system cleanliness is built into the supply chain. Fuel batches are tested for quality conformity (no water, no contamination and no adulteration) at source, issued cleanliness certificates and tracked until they are delivered to the depot. 

Before offloading to the storage tanks samples of each batch are tested with an ISO certified laboratory to ensure consistence in fuel quality in line with the ISO and UNBS recommended standards. 

Even during delivery of fuel to the vending stations, fuel stocks are tested before offloading to site tanks by trained quality marshals. Thereafter, the Marshals test the fuel quality every morning and evening to ensure there is consistence in quality and no presence of water or adulteration.