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Tag Archives: fuel catalyst

Fuel Additives
Carbon Cleaners, Fuel Addtives, Fuel System Cleaning

Using Fuel Additives at Higher Dosages – Overdosing

March 13, 2015 Oilem 14 Comments

A question I am regularly asked is whether fuel additives can be added at a higher dose or added to less fuel in order to make a stronger concentrate, and whether this is more beneficial.

The answer in most cases is no. This is because additives are specifically designed to work with a certain amount of fuel. This ensures that any deposits are removed and dispersed in a controlled manner and that too many deposits aren’t purged through the system at once.

Polyetheramine-based cleaners, for example, work much better when treating the correct amount of fuel (i.e. a full tank of fuel) and allowing the chemistry to gradually remove deposits in a controlled way. If you add a cleaner designed for sixty litres of fuel to ten litres of fuel, not only do you run the risk of removing deposits too quickly but you also lose the benefit of the extended duration that sixty litres will provide.

The reason for this is that many additives are designed to work with fuel flow where the actual action of removing deposits requires the fuel to be in motion. Therefore, deposits are removed layer by layer as the fuel is moving through the system. The stronger the concentrate – and the less fuel that is treated – the lesser the amount of total motion that occurs.

Therefore, do not be tempted to treat with a much higher concentrate except when professionally instructed to do so and when, for example, a heavily-contaminated fuel injector requires urgent attention. In this instance some cleaners can be safely added directly to the fuel rail or fuel filter. However, this is a procedure that should be carried out by a professional and is not really relevant to in-the-tank fuel cleaners.

Another question we are regularly asked is why some additives require a lot of product, whereas others require such a small amount?

An example we’ll use here is a high-strength cleaner, such as Archoil’s AR6400, which requires 400 ml to treat a full tank, versus their fuel conditioner AR6900-D MAX, which is treated at a ratio of 1,000 to 1. 400ml vs 50ml.

So, why is this?

Different chemistries work in different ways. High-strength cleaners in particular generally require a much larger volume of chemistry, polyetheramine being one of them.  Such cleaning power requires volume.

Some fuel conditioners act differently as there are nano-detergents that will provide an effective clean over a gradual period of time but with substantially less volume. For comparison, if you added AR6400 or AR6400D concentrate (or a similar product) to a full tank of fuel, you would start to notice a difference within ten to twenty miles of driving if there were excessive fuel system deposits. That is how quickly some concentrate cleaners work. With a fuel conditioner such as AR6200 or AR6900, noticeable improvements might take a few tanks. Rapid cleaning requires a volume of chemistry. Gradual cleaning, however, can be achieved at a nano level. Although cleaning takes long, it requires a very small amount of chemistry.

The concept behind AR6900 was very simple and this, we believe, should be the objective of all fuel conditioners – To deliver as many benefits as possible with the smallest amount of product possible.

Archoil has succeeded in producing a product that does as much as it possibly can at the nano level. This includes protecting against water, fuel contamination and corrosion, lubricating and cleaning the fuel system, removing carbon through the use of the catalyst, and improving the quality of combustion to improve MPG, etc. All of these benefits are achieved at the nano level; therefore, only a very small amount of the product is required.

What AR6200 or AR6900 cannot do is clean rapidly or provide additional anti-waxing protection because these processes require much higher volumes of chemistry. Also, the additives in these products are not necessarily about the chemistry themselves. The chemistry is there to deliver a process. Imagine adding a couple of drops of concentrated black dye to a bath of clean water. You will find that that dye will disperse very quickly and make the water black or gray depending on the amount of dye. AR6200 works in a similar way. It disperses very quickly, delivers a process, and produces the benefits that are described.

Andy

fuel additivefuel additive overdosingfuel additivesfuel catalystfuel conditioner
Carbon Cleaner
Carbon Cleaners, Fuel Addtives, Fuel System Cleaning

Fuel & Carbon Cleaners – What Happens to the Carbon?

March 10, 2015 Oilem 2 Comments

Frequently we are asked about fuel-based carbon cleaners. Specifically, what happens to carbon deposits that are removed through the use of fuel cleaners and can these cleaners damage an engine?

Let’s begin by discussing the first part of that question.

Within the fuel system you’ll seldom find carbon itself. You are more likely to discover sludge, gum, varnish, debris, and similar deposits. The larger deposits are captured by the fuel filter. These and other deposits that have found their way through the fuel system are normally dissolved and dispersed in a controlled and manageable way using dispersal-based detergents. That’s why it is important to use additives at the recommended dosage so that deposit removal is completed in a controlled manner. High-strength fuel system cleaners that carry out this process normally contain a lubricant to ensure the entire system is lubricated during the cleaning procedure. This too minimizes the risk of any issues.

Most actual carbon formation occurs in the combustion chamber and post combustion areas. This includes the hot side of the turbo, intake, inlet valves, EGR, catalytic convertor, DPF, and the remainder of the exhaust tract. The reason why carbon remains is because there is insufficient heat to burn it off. Chemically, a liquid hydrocarbon fuel – such as gasoline or diesel – is very similar to the solidified fuel (carbon) that it creates. The difference is that to ignite and burn solid carbons a higher temperature must be reached because the flash point has changed.

High-quality fuel detergents, combined with fuel catalyst technology, reduce the threshold temperature at which the carbons can burn and therefore enable natural engine processes and inherent heat to gradually “burn off” the deposits. This is certainly the case for combustion chamber deposits.

Sometimes there also is a degree of active cleaning from any cleaning chemistry that is able to survive the combustion process and thus is still active post combustion. However, most carbon is removed by reducing the temperature at which it can burn as described above.

It is important to note that there also is a natural cleaning mechanism. When the combustion process is of sufficient quality – normally through an efficient fuel system (no injector deposits), sufficient fuel quality (more often than not, only achieved with fuel conditioners), and an engine that is up to full operating temperature – engines are designed to self-manage carbon build-up. The clean(ish) gases will naturally remove carbons with the aim of maintaining a respectable level.

The issue arises when this equilibrium is broken and more carbons are deposited than can be naturally removed. This could be due to a flawed engine design, poor fuel quality, fuel system deposits, driving style, failure to let the engine get up to the proper temperature, etc., or a combination of these.

This is why catalyst technology is so important in carbon cleaning and for keeping a system clean. When a catalyst is added to the fuel, it improves the quality of combustion to such a degree that it reduces the amount of hydrocarbons that are created, particularly when the engine is cold. These cleaner gases then get to work together, with the active work the catalyst is doing, to reduce the temperature at which these deposits can burn and be removed.

Essentially, a high-end fuel cleaner and carbon remover provides an environment where the quality of the combustion is much better and the exhaust gasses are much cleaner. The cleaner exhaust gasses will naturally scavenge and remove carbons from the combustion and the post combustion areas. The caveat is that this process requires heat. The catalyst will reduce the temperature at which the carbons can be removed and burned off, but it also needs heat.

This is why it is incredibly difficult for such chemistries to clean the EGR system. The problem is that an EGR and intake are designed to cool recirculating exhaust gasses. By doing so, they reduce the efficacy of any post combustion cleaner or chemistry. Unfortunately this also applies to the rear of the intake valves of direct poor injection engines. Those two areas are very difficult to clean because the gasses going through are cooled.

Also it is difficult to remove existing deposits in these areas. However, by using a high-quality conditioner with the fuel catalyst in both diesel and petrol applications, you’ll at least give the engine and emission control components a much easier life. This is because the engine and emissions systems will have fewer carbons to manage. This results in fewer deposits and hopefully removes the need to use high-strength cleaners or invasive measures to remove carbons manually.

What about the safety of cleaners and the risk of fuel system or engine damage?

Providing products are used as per the instructions, the risk of any damage is incredibly low. In fact, the few rare cases of alleged damage we have seen weren’t actually caused by the product. The product just revealed or exacerbated an underlying mechanical issue with the fuel system. This is incredibly rare.

Furthermore, manufactures err on the side of caution, so even if a product is used aggressively or improperly, it is still likely to be safe to use up until a certain point. For example, one of our main fuel conditioners is EPA tested. As part of the procedure the product is tested at ten times the recommended dose to ensure no possible harm to the fuel system or engine.

To summarise, fuel system deposits are generally dissolved, dispersed, and combusted naturally. Carbon is generally combusted through the use of heat and an added fuel catalyst and/or fuel borne catalyst. They are proven safe processes when used correctly and responsibly.

airflow sensor cleanersar6200carbon cleanercarbon removaldpf cleanerdpf cleanersdpf cleaningdpf removalegr cleaneregr cleaningfuel additivefuel additivesfuel catalystfuel conditioner
archoil-AR6200-fuel-modification-complex-(250ml)
Fuel Addtives, Fuel System Cleaning

Fuel Catalysts & Archoil’s AR6200 / AR6900-D MAX

January 24, 2014 Oilem 58 Comments

We regularly receive questions regarding fuel catalyst technologies and how they work. In particular, we receive many questions about Archoil AR6200 and AR6900-D MAX. The existing definition of “burn rate modifier” and the phrase “lowers burn rate by up to 400 degrees” has caused confusion.

In simple terms, a catalyst facilitates a better burn of the fuel. Each fuel type will have a flash point and auto-ignition point, which is determined by temperature and other factors. But these are different from the burn rate.

Both petrol and diesel are composed of carbons and these carbons, or carbon chains, require up to 1200ºF to burn fully. This has nothing to do with the flash point. The flash point is the temperature at which the vapour of the fuel will ignite with the help of an ignition source. The auto-ignition point is the temperature at which the fuel vapour will ignite without an ignition source.

Once the fuel has ignited it creates an exothermic reaction (heat). It is this rapid increase in heat that actually burns the fuel (carbons) and creates the explosion in the combustion chamber, thus resulting in a massive release of energy. This is what forces the piston downwards and causes the crank shaft to rotate.

If you can reduce the temperature at which the carbons burn, say by up to 400ºF in the case of AR6200, you can improve the burn. This is achieved by increasing the surface area of fuel droplets, and starting the burn rate of hydrocarbons at a lower temperature to yield more available BTU’s from the combustion process. The fuel becomes more aromatic (a sign of increased chemical stability) and a longer residual burn occurs. By commencing the burn rate lower, the lower-end hydrocarbons are burnt and the combustion process is more residual and complete. This practically eliminates unburned hydrocarbons and wasted energy in the form of black smoke or emissions.

Altering the burn rate in this way does not directly increase horse power. It increases the energy released through the explosion, which raises torque output. The result of burning the fuel more fully also will increase torque and lower emissions, as proven by the AR6200 carbon mass balance tests. This is the same process with all hydrocarbon fuels such as petrol, diesel, ethanol, heating oil, heavy fuel oil, etc.

Now, you might wonder, will AR6200 affect the octane rating of petrol?

No, we have proven with ASTM D2699 tests that there is no change. Octane is simply a measurement of when gasoline will automatically ignite. Increases in cylinder pressures and temperatures can make the fuel ignite prematurely, thus creating the dreaded engine knock/pinging sound. Octane boosters or anti-knock additives reduce the volatility of a fuel so that it ignites as instructed, via a source of ignition rather than on its own.

AR6200 only affects the temperature at which the carbons will burn once the fuel has ignited. It does not directly alter the flash or auto-ignition point. That said, however, tests have shown that the improvement in combustion quality and stability means that the propensity of pre-ignition is actually reduced with AR6200. And this can have the effect of “raising” the octane. However, this cannot be demonstrated with a simple D2699 knock engine.

But isn’t this contradictory? Not really. When fuel is not fully burned it can leave pockets of fuel that subsequently ignite a second time, again causing engine knock. The improvement in combustion quality from using AR6200 helps eliminate this because all fuel carbons are burned fully the first time. AR6200 is not altering the auto-ignition point of the fuel, but instead correcting another inherent source of engine knock – remaining unburned fuel.

We hope this helps and if you require any expert advice then please don’t hesitate to contact us and either I or a member of my team will be pleased to assist you.

ar6200ASTM D2699carbon mass balance testD2699 knock engined2699 octane testfuel catalyst

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