The Effect of Contaminants and Temperatures of a High-Palm-Oil Biodiesel Blend on the Lifetime of a Diesel Fuel Filter

The use of a high concentration of biodiesel blends has been implemented nationally in Indonesia as part of the government’s program to increase energy security and improve environmental quality. However, a high concentration of biodiesel, specifically a blending volume of 30% (B30), leads to a shorter fuel filter lifetime compared with pure diesel fuel (B0), due to the precipitation of impurities from biodiesel and the presence of contaminants from the environment. A study was conducted involving a rig test to evaluate the effect of using B30 on filter lifetime, referred to as JIS D1617:1998. The results showed that the temperature and cleanliness of the biodiesel had a strong influence on filter blocking. B30 with an ISO cleanliness of 22/21/17 without added standard dust contaminants at 15 °C for 48 h produced larger amounts of deposits compared to B0 with an ISO cleanliness of 16/13/7 with the addition of 1 g of contaminant for the same treatment. B30 with 1 g of additional contaminants soaked at 15 °C produced a larger amount of deposit than B30 with 2 g of added contaminant soaked at ~27 °C. The weighing of the used filters showed that deposits that originated from biodiesel impurities and precipitations were the dominant material causing a reduced fuel filter lifetime. In addition to the cleanliness factor, a decrease in the micron rating of the filter resulted in a shorter filter lifetime.