EVALUATION OF FILTERABILITY OF DISTILLATE

Filter pluggings an diesel engines or on central heating boilers can c ause significant efficiency losses and may lead to complete failure. A part from the particular case of low temperature pluggings which resul t from waxes' crystallization the sediments which cause pluggings at a mbiant temperature can be of very differing natures. That is why it is not possible to correlate the sediment content of distillate with its filterability. We have developed in our ESSO Research Center of Mont Saint Aignan an original method which allows to check the good filtera bility of a distillate. Tile reliability of this test has been verifie d by comparison of our results with those obtained in performance test s on vehicles. The fidelity appeared very satisfying in different roun d robin tests. This method is being normalized by the French Institute of Normalization (AFNOR).