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Home » News » Fuel Conditioning » Even David Baldacci is talking about Fuel Contamination

Even David Baldacci is talking about Fuel Contamination

October 3rd, 2019 in Fuel Conditioning, News

Fuel contamination is a problem that’s easy to overlook. It lurks in the dark depths of your fuel tank and is not often talked about in the media. Or so we thought. Just recently we’ve seen this issue crop up everywhere! First there was the Tesco Branksome scandal, then BMW began putting warnings on their fuel caps about diesel quality and now fuel contamination is even making an appearance in David Baldacci’s book – The Escape!

This thriller follows the story of John Puller, a U.S combat veteran and special agent. He’s been called to investigate the disappearance of a prisoner from one of the country’s most secure military prisons. The man in question happens to be his older brother who manages to escape thanks to…yes, you guessed it, contaminated diesel.

The story explains that the prisoner escaped because of a blackout in the mains power. During his investigation, John Puller questions the prison engineers as to why the back generators didn’t kick in:

“So what happened to cause it to fail? You said there was a fuel problem?”

“The best we can tell, there was either a diesel oxidation degradation problem or a microorganism contamination issue.”

“In English?” said Puller patiently

The E-4 explained, “Diesel can degrade over time. Oxidation can occur in the first year of storage, forming sediment and gum. When introduced into the system they can clog fuel filters and injectors, just like gunk in a car engine. Now, microorganisms are introduced via water condensation in the fuel lines, which promotes bacteria and fungi. They feed on the fuel. They can form colonies that clog the lines as well.”

“But I presume you have protocols in place that would prevent those problems from happening.”

When the men said nothing, Puller exclaimed sharply, “The Army has procedures for toilet paper usage. Are you saying they had none for maintenance of a power system for the military’s most important prison?”

The Solution

The prison in the story is fictional but the issue of fuel contamination is not. The good news is there is a very simple solution. In order to avoid stored fuel going the way of that in the book you need to implement a fuel conditioning programme. This includes:

  • Fuel Testing
  • Fuel Cleaning
  • Fuel Polishing

We realise that your day is busy enough already and you don’t have the time to worry about the condition of your fuel. You just want to know that your diesel is clean and reliable for when you need it. That’s where IPU comes in.

IPU is a ‘one-stop’ provider of all four of the stages of fuel conditioning. This means you only have to give our team a call on +44 (0) 121 511 0400 and we can handle everything else. Leaving you free to concentrate on your day job and not on your fuel like the characters in the book.

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