By Dr. Christian M. Bauer, Ph.D. mining, Pall Corp.

Modern mine sites are among the world’s largest consumers of diesel fuel, with an annual consumption of more than 200 million liters of diesel fuel. Delivered diesel fuel can contain as much as 20 mg/l solid contaminants, but vehicle on-board fuel filters are not designed to tolerate high contamination levels without significant impact on service life; most engine manufacturers have issued specific fuel cleanliness requirements, particularly for engines with common rail fuel injection systems. Therefore, contamination control throughout the entire fuel supply chain is critical. In this work, the author discusses case studies highlighting best practices in fuel supply chain cleanliness management.