Every Diesel Engine Needs One Spring 2005
Van Tonder Transport fits Algae-X to entire fleet of MAN trucks
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Passionate about quality service, each Van Tonder Transport Services vehicle is maintained to perfection. Algae-X adds the finishing touch.
Prevent this atrocity - fit Algae-X An all too common occurrence in South Africa. Contaminated fuel leads to: More frequent service intervals Damaged injectors and pumps Engines smoking excessively Unnecessary downtime and increased maintenance bills Increased fuel consumption.
he persistent deterioration of the quality of diesel that is compromising the new technology engines which require high standards of fuel has prompted one of the country’s leading vehicle transporters, Van Tonder Transport Services, to fit diesel conditioning systems to its fleet of MAN trucks. Initially sceptical about the With the performance of Algae-X as a diesel predictions conditioner - because so many products have claimed to solve the of the fuel problem but not delivered - Flippie price van Tonder was pleasantly surprised at rocketing to R10 a litre, the outcome. “At first I was not interested, but after isn’t it time running a series of tests we found that to maximize the in-line fuel conditioners every drop? reduced exhaust gas temperatures by up to 50º C, reduced fuel consumption by an average of six percent and will enhance engine life expectancy.” A decision was taken to find some clarification by means of a dyno test, which proved a slight increase in power at slightly lower revs. A second TGA was then fitted with an Algae-X unit on the basis of a before and after fuel consumption test and an improvement of about 6% was achieved.” Van Tonder Transport Services is passionate about being the best specialised grain transporter in SA conveying 40 000 tonnes Continued on page 2
Fishing fleets deploy Algae-X - saving time, money and the environment Recognising the risks of fuel injector and pump failure, the high costs of fuel and the expensive loss in downtime, the diesel engines aboard squid fishing vessels on the Eastern Cape coast are being fitted with diesel reconditioning technology.
At the same time the diesel in onboard bunker tanks and the onshore fuel storage tanks has been reconditioned and returned to its original integrity. There are about 150 squid – or chokka - vessels that fish along the Eastern Cape coast be-
longing to a number of operators. Mike Bogusch, maintenance manager at the Talhado Group said at first he was sceptical about “yet another product claiming to save and filter fuel”, but after running tests using the Algae-X Mobile Tank
Cleaning system he was delighted with the results. “We tried the technology on a particular vessel that was costing us a lot of money in overhauling pumps and injectors and was smoking excessively. An overContinued on Page 2
Fishing fleets deploy Algae-X Continued from page 1
haul costs between R8 000 and R12 000 and just to replace an injector tip costs about R1 000. After conditioning the fuel we could physically see the difference in the quality of the fuel after cleaning it and it has solved the smoking problem.” He says the chokka boats operate between 30 and 40kms offshore and if a boat’s engine fails – which has happened due to sub standard fuel – the costs of towing it back to shore and the downtime lost can be considerable. The Talhado Group, he said, made the decision to condition all the bunker tanks – onboard and onshore – using the MTC system as well as installing Algae-X units in-line on diesel engines. The Algae – X units continuously condition
Van Tonder Transport fits Algae-X Continued from page 2
of grain per month. The maintenance of its fleet plays a major role in fulfilling this goal and employs highly skilled technicians who are kept up to date on the latest technologies that are introduced. “We are perfectionists and set our own high standards in the belief that to offer high service to our customers it’s important to keep our vehicles on the road and not in the workshop.” Mr van Tonder says that in evaluating the product, before and after testing of Algae-X was carried out on two vehicles simultaneously for a 4 month period alternating drivers and varying routes. “After exhaustive tests I was convinced that the technology does indeed save fuel and enhances the engine lifespan of our vehicles. We are more than happy to share our findings with other interested parties. “We have made the decision to fit the units to new vehicles knowing that the return on investment in fuel saving alone is rapid,” he said.
An LG-X in-line unit fitted to one of the Van Tonder Transport Services vehicles.
Emil Marais with the MTC unit used to condition the diesel tanks on fishing vessels the fuel supply to the engine and fuel system while the engine is running. Algae-X technology is now being used by many of the fishing vessel operators along the coast after being recommended by Bogusch. Alistair Lockhart, a director at Peninsula Power Products (PPP), whose company operates out of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, says fuel quality is affected by transportation, storage, oxidation, water, microbial contamination and incompatible additive packages. “Storage bunkers and on-board tanks are especially vulnerable and if the fuel is not reconditioned regularly can cause engine failure. In fact most diesel engine failures are directly attributed to the state of the fuel,” claims Lockhart. Contaminated fuel, he adds, is also responsible for higher consumption and excessive pollu- ‘We found tion and with the price of severe fuel soaring and environ- contaminamental issues under the tion in most spotlight, the need for clean fuel has never been of the tanks as crucial as it is now. The we looked at’ danger to crew aboard a vessel with a malfunctioning engine cannot be underestimated either. Lockhart says the fishing vessels along the Eastern Cape coast range from 15 to 21 metres in length and are fitted with fuel tank capacities of between 6 000 and 12 000 litres. “We found severe contamination in most of the tanks we cleaned using the MTC service.” Algae-X Western Cape, which is headed by Emil Marais, sub-contracted the MTC unit to PPP. The MTC system is designed as a "fuel dialysis system" that circulates and cleans fuel by pumping it from the tank, processing it though the MTC and back into the tank.
Contaminated fuel removed from hospital emergency power tanks Pumping 175 litres of emulsified diesel (water and diesel mixed) from the primary diesel storage tank at Durban’s Albert Luthuli Hospital prompted facilities management to take evasive action to prevent a reoccurrence of this essential commodity.
Jeremy Hurter, technical services manager at Drake & Scull with Lauge Steenfeldt-Kristensen, a director at Algae-X East Coast
Before agreeing to implement Algae-X technology on its fleet, Thari Bus Services in Gauteng requested Clear Fuel Technologies, the SA distributors, to verify proof of the efficacy of the LG-X in line units. The bus company insisted on a completely impartial test which was undertaken at GoPower, a leading Bosch agency and testing facility. The following results were recorded:
The diesel in the storage tanks is used to run the hospital’s standby generators and if they fail due to clogged filters and fuel injector and pump failure – which is exactly what emulsified water in diesel will do – severe consequences could have resulted. Jeremy Hurter, technical services manager at Drake & Scull, the company outsourced by the hospital to provide facilities management which includes the six standby power generators, says he was shocked at the fact that so much water was in the tank. “P&S Power which maintains the generators suggested that we examine the state of our diesel beca use storage tanks are ideal bacteria breeding grounds. I was sceptical about this at first, as we perform monthly power failure simula-
tions and have never had any problems with the generators, which perform flawlessly. I had also never heard of algae forming in diesel, but because we conform to world class standards, I was prepared to have tests done. To our horror the Algae-X MTC unit pulled out 175 litres of water which had emulsified with the diesel. “This can have very dramatic consequences to the diesel standby generators. We immediately decided to clean the other tanks on the hospital’s grounds and the before and after samples spoke volumes,” said Mr Hurter. Mr Lauge SteenfeldtKristensen, a director at AlgaeX East Coast explained that standby generators are particularly susceptible to diesel deterioration.