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See the Results Evaluating
Sludge-Control Additives: The Jar Test
This simple test was developed to compare the relative ability of fuel additives to inhibit sludge formation and protect steel surfaces against fouling and corrosion in the presence of free water (condensation) and biological contamination. To run the test, several glass jars are lined up, and into each is placed a small amount of water, fuel oil or diesel fuel, a steel panel or "coupon", and a small amount of fuel oil sludge removed from a fouled filter. One jar is designated the "control" and receives no additive. Each of the other jars is treated with a candidate additive at the manufacturer’s recommended dose. The jars are then loosely capped and placed in a dark box or closet. One such jar is shown below, along with a new steel "coupon". Once a month the jars are opened, most fuel removed and replaced with fresh fuel, and the jars retreated with their respective additives. This process is repeated until, after 12 to 18 months, the "control" coupon has become well fouled as shown below. At that point the test is discontinued and all jars are compared with the untreated jar and coupon with regards to…
The various products are then scored in these three categories on a scale of 0-10, with the "control" scoring a "2" in each category. A score of less than "2" indicates the additive in question actually was worse in that category than no treatment at all. A score of "10" in any category indicates that additive was perfect in that regard. Below are some typical results. We have tested most of the additives currently on the market. Contact us for results on any particular product(s) as compared to Fuel Right®
When using this information, we recommend that you look for products that score high in the categories of interest to you. If you want less sludge fouling but don't care about whether tanks are corroding, focus on the fouling categories. The first rating is based on how much stuff "grew" on the steel panel in the test, and probably relates to what the walls of a tank or a filter housing would look like. The second rating is for "stuff that grew" in the jar in general, and probably relates to how much sludge would travel through a system and plug filters, lines, strainers and nozzles. The third rating applies only to the removal of steel from the panel, and relates to the expected life of an oil tank or filter housing. In general, the product(s) with the higher ratings should be expected to perform better in the field. The significance of the year the test started is that it tells you roughly when we obtained the product for testing. More than one competitor has told us that our results are misleading because we tested an old version of their product and they have since improved the product. We cannot dispute the possibility that this is true, but we note that all of those competitors refused to give us newer product for testing. Given that most additive suppliers are basically marketing companies and have no in-house capability to develop new additives, you be the judge as to whether a product that was lousy in 1996, for example, has undergone an amazing transformation and would today be a great product. Nonetheless, we are always trying to buy new versions of competitive products for retest. The results you see here represent the newest results we have. "Newer" versions of some products are slated for testing in the next few months, and we'll update our results as they become available. (Remember, the test takes about 18 months to run.) Incidentally, where we have, in the past, bought newer products and re-tested, the results so far have always come back virtually the same as with the earlier tests. To our critics who claim that we designed the jar test to make our products look good, we say, "propose a better test." No one has yet done that. Engineers at Brookhaven National Lab have said they like our test and think it mimics what happens in the real world. If anyone thinks they can design a better screening test for sludge-control additives, please e-mail us and give us your ideas. If we adopt them we'll send you a case of Fuel Right® EP as your reward.
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