Expanded markets for fuel filter/separators

Diesel Progress North American Edition, Nov, 1997

Kaydon Custom Filtration is expanding the markets for its 851E Series fuel filter/separators designed to remove particulate and separate water from light viscosity petroleum products such as aircraft and diesel fuels, as well as gasoline. Widely used in marine workboat applications, the three models in the 851E line have maximum flow rates to 100 gpm for diesel fuel and 200 gpm for aviation fuel and gasoline.

The three models of the series include the 851E-3 with a maximum flow rate of 30 gpm; the 851E-5 with a 50 gpm max. flow rate; and the 100 gpm maximum flow rate model 851E-10. Similarly, the 851E-3 uses three separator and coalescer elements, the 851E-5 uses five coalescer and separator elements, while the 851E-10 uses 10 coalescer and five separator elements.

While these systems have been used largely in marine applications, Tim Mills, applications engineer for Kaydon, LaGrange, Ga., said any diesel, gasoline or jet fuel application with flow rates from 30 to 100 gpm (diesel) and 60 to 200 gpm (jet and gasoline) would be likely candidates. Power generation systems are seen as an especially good market for these systems.

Mills noted that the 851E line has typically been used when fuel is being transferred from one point to another, such as from main fuel tanks to day tanks or from one fuel storage area to another. Refueling centers for truck and bus fleets have been a major market for these systems

All 851E models have a design pressure of 150 psi, are carbon steel construction, built to ASME standards and have standard features that include manual air and drain valves, a liquid level gauge and inlet/outlet gauges. The systems have been tested to ANSI, NFPA and ISO standards and scored a 98.7 percent efficiency in the ANSI B93.2 absolute efficiency particle size test.

The principal of operation for all of Kaydon's filter ranges are essentially the same. The coalescers are specifically formulated to separate water from a variety of fluids such as aviation, diesel fuel, or gasoline. Kaydon said the coalescers can reduce a 5000 ppm concentration of water to 5 ppm free water during a single pass, with most fluids.

Within the system, the fuel flows from the inside out and passes through a special coalescer media where the small witter droplets coalesce, forming larger droplets, leaving the water at the bottom and clean fuel flowing out the top, the company said.

The 851E line is one of three filter/ separator product groups offered by Kaydon. The smallest range, the 121A filter/separators are capable of flow rates to 10 gpm for diesel fuel and 20 gpm for jet/gasoline.

Above the 851E family are the high flow 842G, 842H, and 852B filter/ separators with diesel flows from 150 to 800 gpm and 300 to 1600 gpm for jet and gasoline. The three groups differ primarily in the type of elements used, with 842H models using military-approved coalescer elements, Mills said Kaydon has built specialized units in this family for flow rates as high as 3000 gpm.

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