| Interpretation of Fuel Test Results Water Fuel with a high content of water will burn less efficiently. This can lead to combustion problems and damaging fuel injection equipment, cause corrosion and failure to exhaust valves and turbochargers. The net specific energy of the fuel is also affected by a high water content in the fuel. Commercially, we also want to know the water content in the fuel to satisfy ourselves that we paid for fuel supplied to our ship and not for water! Flash Point A flash point is defined to minimise fire risk during normal storage and handling. We need to determine this figure to meet safety and legal requirements. Pour Point We need to determine the pour point of the fuel to find out the lowest temperature at which the fuel can be handled without excessive amounts of wax crystals forming blocking the filters. From the pour point result, storage and handling instructions can be determined. Sulphur High sulphur content in the fuel will equate to a loss of fuel efficiency. Sulphur presence may also cause corrosion. By knowing the sulphur content, the appropriate treatment can be applied. |
