Application and Installation Guide
Length of periods of continuous operation; If the operating periods are short, the amount of heat returned to the fuel tanks will be relatively small. Fuel coolers are not generally required for engines used in applications requiring intermittent operation. • Length of time between periods of operation; if the time between periods of operation is long, the heat will have an opportunity to dissipate. • Volume of the fuel tank; If the volume of the fuel tank is large (larger than 11 000 L [3,000 gal]), it will accept a great deal of heat before the temperature of the fuel leaving the tank increases significantly. Note: Day tank sizing is critical to maintain the desired fuel supply temperature. Fuel coolers may be required. For a more detailed discussion of required fuel tank volume, see the Day Tank Sizing (When Serving as a Heat Sink) section in Appendix 1. •
•
Ability of the fuel tanks to dissipate heat. In marine applications for instance, fuel in contact with the shell plating, where at least 10% of the inside surface area of the tank is shell plating, the heat will be easily dissipated and the stored fuel temperature will remain within a few degrees of the ambient water temperature.
©2005 Caterpillar® All rights reserved.
Diesel Fuels & Diesel Fuel Systems
If a shell and tube type fuel cooler is required, the following materials are suggested for the components listed in Table 5.
Component
Suggested Material
Shell
Red Brass
Heads
Cast Iron
Tubes
Copper Nickel
Tube Sheets
Brass
Baffles
Brass Table 5
A plate type heat exchanger may also be used with titanium plates for seawater cooling or stainless steel plates for fresh water cooling. Refer to Sea Water Systems in the Cooling Systems Application and Installation Guide for proper installation and maintenance procedures of fuel cooler in sea water applications.
Fuel Heaters
Just as the ability to remove excess heat from fuel is an important design consideration in some applications, so is the ability to add heat to fuel in applications involving cold environments. Diesel fuel must not be too warm or too cool. Both cases will reduce life. With mid-distillate No. 1 or No. 2 diesel fuel, cold weather can cause wax crystals to form in the fuel systems, partially or completely blocking fuel flow. The addition of a small amount of heat to the fuel Page 31
