Fuel Testing | POLARIS Laboratories®

Is Your Diesel Fuel Clean?

Using clean diesel fuel is more important today than ever. Governmental regulations have pushed equipment manufacturers to design engines that are more clean and efficient but have less tolerance for fuel contamination. Running dirty, wet fuel through your engines will lead to clogged fuel filters and equipment downtime.

Download the Diesel Fuel Cleanliness solution sheet to learn how you can take preventive action.

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Published September 13, 2017

Finding Diesel Fuel Contamination Early

Poor fuel quality and contamination can stop engines from running, which can strand shipments on the road, halt work on production lines or stop electricity from being generated during outages. Fuel can become contaminated or lose quality in many ways:

Exposure to water
Extreme heat or cold
Biological contamination (bacterial, fungi and mold)
Mixing low quality and contaminated fuel with clean fuel

Testing diesel fuel will detect if there is a problem, diagnose the cause of the problem and suggest a treatment to restore the fuel to a usable condition.

To learn more, download this solution sheet.

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Published June 13, 2017

The 4 Biggest Engine Killers

Diesel engines are one of the most expensive pieces of equipment for a maintenance manager to replace—they are also one of the easiest to save. If oil analysis can save just one engine, you’ve paid for the cost of an effective program, and it will change the way you think about maintenance and reliability.

Making oil analysis part of your predictive maintenance strategy can identify the four biggest engine killers before they cause major problems, saving you thousands of dollars a year in repair and replacement costs. Without a reliable oil analysis program, you may never know when intruders like dirt, soot and coolant threaten your engine oil.

Learn more about the 4 biggest engine killers with this infographic.

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Published March 28, 2017

Seven Steps to Managing an Effective Fluid Analysis Program

Managing your fluid analysis program is simple. At least it should be. If you struggle to ensure your fluid analysis program meets your maintenance goals, check out these seven steps. I guarantee, it will make a world of a difference.

Set attainable program goals
Take a moment to set your goals. Then, review your current maintenance practices and strategies to determine if they will help you accomplish your goals.

Identify the resources you need to sufficiently run the program
Resources play an important role in program success. Another factor is the size of your program. This will impact the personnel and resources needed to reach your goals.

Build the appropriate equipment lists
Equipment list information should be sent to your laboratory before samples are submitted for processing.

Determine sampling intervals
Although an equipment manufacturer’s recommendations provide a good starting point for developing preventive maintenance practices, sampling intervals should be based on various factors.

Take an active role in minimizing sample turnaround time
Don’t compromise the value of your fluid analysis results and the laboratory’s maintenance recommendations with unnecessary delays in turnaround time.

Report key results to management
When reviewing your most critical information, consider what management needs to know most – and share the results with them. The size of your operation and your goals and resources will dictate the best and most efficient metrics to share with management.

Select a laboratory that will help you every step of the way
To realize the true value that an effective fluid analysis program can have on your overall business performance, you need to select the right partner.

To learn more, read this article about what makes a successful fluid analysis program or contact us a custservice@eoilreports.com.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published February 7, 2017

The Benefits of Fluid Analysis for OEMs

OEMs often use fluid analysis to enhance their product offerings. Partnering with an accredited laboratory, they can help their customers obtain the most value out of their equipment.

Whether an OEMs’ customers want to extend both oil and equipment life, increase equipment resale value, or reduce overall maintenance costs, they have a resource to help improve their maintenance program.

This is not the only value fluid analysis provides to OEMs.

Warranties. The use of fluid analysis allows OEMs to address warranty claims made by their customers.
Equipment Service Support. Oil analysis is often included as part of the service package for both OEMs and dealers’ customers.
Early Failure Detection. This allows OEMs to have an earlier indication of when equipment moves into failure mode
Increase Resale Value. The use of a fluid analysis program has proven to increase equipment resale value.
Brand Awareness. Fluid analysis programs help OEMs enhance the value of their brand in the eyes of their customers.

OEMs who work with a fluid analysis provider offer additional value to their end-users. This added value helps them advance their brand as well as build credibility as their customers’ maintenance partner.

Have questions about the value of fluid analysis for OEMs? Contact us at custserv@eoilreports.com to learn more.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
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Published January 31, 2017

The Why, When and How of Diesel Fuel Testing

Diesel fuel testing is important for program health. This proactive maintenance approach can help you prevent engine failure, contamination and fuel dilution, among other types of equipment damage.

Why should I test diesel fuel?
Testing your diesel fuel can help you avoid engine failure, minimize the number of expensive repairs performed, and ensure the quality of the fuel. Additional issues to consider include:

Injector damage
Water and sediment contamination
Bacteria, fungi and mold
Reduced combustion efficiency
Impact of seasonal changes
Increased corrosion of fuel components
Plugged fuel filters
Smoking
Injector valve sticking
EPA compliance

When should I test diesel fuel?
When you should test depends on what equipment you’re using, the performance issues you’re experiencing, and the methods of storage you’re utilizing. To help you decide when to start testing, run through this list of questions:

Is my engine experiencing performance issues?
Should I perform basic testing on bulk delivery shipments?
Could contamination, sabotage or vandalism have occurred?
Are my bulk tanks being tested twice yearly?
Am I blending or treating my diesel fuel?

How can I start testing?
Taking action is simple. Our team can help you determine what you should test and when you should test in order to maximize program success.

If you have any questions, contact us at custserv@eoilreports.com.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published January 23, 2017

Building a Championship Organization

At the root of every successful fluid analysis program is a program champion committed to success. From creating a project plan to assembling a sampling team, there are a number of actions maintenance professionals can take to maximize the value sampling provides.

A global leader in providing temperature control, temporary power generation and compressed air systems already had a robust maintenance program, but they decided to explore fluid analysis as a way to reduce downtime and costs.

With the leadership of their program champion, they developed into a reliability program saving between $750,000 to $2 million each year using fluid analysis. By documenting their process and program success, the team proved their value to their leadership team ten times over.

Read the Full Case Study

Measuring Success

The success of a fluid analysis program is usually measured by the amount of money or number of assets saved. However, program success can also be measured through an organization’s compliance.

A global lubricant manufacturer partnered with POLARIS Laboratories® to provide oil analysis to their customers with the goal of ensuring product quality. Determined to prove their commitment to their customer’s success, the manufacturer hired business consultants to help showcase the value of their product and extend drain intervals using oil analysis. Providing this free service helped the company build long-term relationships with their customers based on mutual trust.

Read the Full Case Study

Diesel Fuel Testing: Necessary or Not?

Necessary! Absolutely necessary! Diesel fuel often develops a number of common conditions. Don’t be fooled. These issues can have a serious impact on your engine’s health, causing significant damage and sometimes even engine failure.

To learn about the common symptoms of poor diesel fuel, check out the solutions sheets below. They can tell you everything from what type of issues to look for to what kind of testing package you can use to prevent future damage.

We’ve also put together a resource you can use to determine if diesel fuel testing will provide value for your program. You can access it here. If you have any questions about the resource or diesel fuel testing, please feel free to contact us today.

We’re prepared to help you out!

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
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Diesel Fuel: Identifying Fuel Filter Plugging

fuel-filter
It’s Monday morning, you walk into work and…

1. Your dump truck is down for the count. You spend the rest of the day trying to determine the cause of the issue.

2. You receive your fluid analysis report and realize your dump truck has high particle counts. You schedule downtime for Wednesday to replace the fuel filter.

Which option sounds most appealing? Managing downtime caused by a plugged fuel filter is easy. It all comes down to testing your diesel fuel.

Plugged fuel filters are a fairly common issue to have. Fuel filters are used to remove contaminants from diesel fuel systems. The filter acts as a shield against contaminants, blocking them from entering expensive equipment and causing significant damage. When a filter is plugged it means contaminants such as fungus, bacteria, asphaltenes, and sediments have entered your diesel fuel and latched onto the filter.

A plugged filter can cause a number of issues including insufficient cold weather capability and downtime. Since neither of these problems are fun to manage, determining if your filter is plugged is essential.

We offer a variety of test packages to help you identify what is happening with your diesel fuel including: particle count, pour point, cloud point, thermal stability, and bacteria, fungi and mold.

If you are a current customer interested in testing your diesel fuel, please feel free to email us at custserv@eoilreports.com. If you are a new customer who would like to start a program, fill out this form to contact us.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.