PureFuel Conditioners were invented in response to a case of microbial fuel contamination that crippled New Zealand's marine industry in 1984. Engineer Colin Wickham's invention - the "FuelMag" - solved the problem when fitted to diesel craft, and subsequent trials conducted on Auckland's bus fleet were similarly successful.
Ever since that time, there have been various attempts to explain the phenomenon of how Wickham's magnetic device 'cleaned' the affected fuel. Independent tests[1] have observed that when two parallel fuel systems, both supplied by the same contaminated fuel, are passed through particulate filters with and without a Conditioner ahead of the filter, the protected fuel filter will typically last six to ten times longer.
Users have also claimed measured improvements to performance, consumption and emissions – but others have claimed to see no difference at all. The erroneous assumption with user trials is that fuel is a constant. But it isn't, so it can be deduced that users who see improvements have contaminated fuel and those who see no improvement do not. Of course, feeding the 'no improvement' assumption is the fact that any contaminated fuel subsequently taken on board will never get a chance to cause a deterioration because of the Conditioner in the system!
Ever since that time, there have been various attempts to explain the phenomenon of how Wickham's magnetic device 'cleaned' the affected fuel. Independent tests[1] have observed that when two parallel fuel systems, both supplied by the same contaminated fuel, are passed through particulate filters with and without a Conditioner ahead of the filter, the protected fuel filter will typically last six to ten times longer.
Users have also claimed measured improvements to performance, consumption and emissions – but others have claimed to see no difference at all. The erroneous assumption with user trials is that fuel is a constant. But it isn't, so it can be deduced that users who see improvements have contaminated fuel and those who see no improvement do not. Of course, feeding the 'no improvement' assumption is the fact that any contaminated fuel subsequently taken on board will never get a chance to cause a deterioration because of the Conditioner in the system!
PureFuel Technology
Recent research, and developments in fuel testing techniques, mean it is now easy to explain - and see - what a PureFuel Conditioner does. Its promise, all along, has been that it curbs microbial contamination. Benefits relating to filter life, fuel system condition and engine performance metrics are all consequences of quashing microbial proliferation. Given the invisibility of microbes, the tendency to look for visible differences is understandable ...but fuel is not a constant and there lies the problem in determining the performance of a PureFuel Conditioner.
LuminUltra ATP tests measure the microbe population in a fuel sample in minutes. Pass the contaminated fuel through a PureFuel Conditioner then re-test to see the result. Just one pass through a Conditioner can debilitate a microbe population by over 90%. This is how a PureFuel Conditioner reduces fuel degradation, filter blocking and tank corrosion - by tackling all the problems at source.
MICROBE STATES
A microbe - animal or vegetable - needs four things to survive: food, water, warmth and darkness (protection from UV light). Biofuel tanks are a great place for a microbe to live. The fuel is a plentiful food source and the fuel is hygroscopic (attracts water). A healthy microbe absorbs water through its cell membrane (osmosis) to become turgid; full of water. Passing the microbe through a PureFuel Conditioner overwhelms the cell wall to release the cell contents. This is reverse osmosis, or plasmolysis. The microbe has effectively been burst.
Given the right conditions, a microbe population may recover - typically after 28 days - but in most cases there is no chance for recovery as the debilitated population will have either passed safely through the combustion process or recirculated periodically through a Conditioner.
[1] University of Wales, 1996
LuminUltra ATP tests measure the microbe population in a fuel sample in minutes. Pass the contaminated fuel through a PureFuel Conditioner then re-test to see the result. Just one pass through a Conditioner can debilitate a microbe population by over 90%. This is how a PureFuel Conditioner reduces fuel degradation, filter blocking and tank corrosion - by tackling all the problems at source.
MICROBE STATES
A microbe - animal or vegetable - needs four things to survive: food, water, warmth and darkness (protection from UV light). Biofuel tanks are a great place for a microbe to live. The fuel is a plentiful food source and the fuel is hygroscopic (attracts water). A healthy microbe absorbs water through its cell membrane (osmosis) to become turgid; full of water. Passing the microbe through a PureFuel Conditioner overwhelms the cell wall to release the cell contents. This is reverse osmosis, or plasmolysis. The microbe has effectively been burst.
Given the right conditions, a microbe population may recover - typically after 28 days - but in most cases there is no chance for recovery as the debilitated population will have either passed safely through the combustion process or recirculated periodically through a Conditioner.
[1] University of Wales, 1996