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Fuel Retail

Retail Filling Stations

On the spot testing for “diesel bug” is good for business and profits in Retail Filling Stations.

The last point of the supply chain prior to delivery to consumers is the hardest place in relation to diesel supply. Any potential unscheduled downtime of a stations ability to pump fuel can be the difference between a profit or a loss, success or failure.

Diesel fuel, especially biodiesel and increasing low sulphur diesel can be contaminated by microorganisms where there is even the slightest amount of water in the fuel. Commonly known as ‘diesel bug’ and if transferred to consumer vehicles can cause serious issues to injectors, filters, pumps etc.

If left undetected in the storage tanks diesel bug can corrode tank walls, which means environmental risks in addition to business disruption.

Underground storage tanks are the most difficult areas in which to remove free water, which happens to be the central cause of microbial contamination so testing can help with a more cost-effective maintenance program being undertaken.

Used as a tool to assess tank health and enable swifter, more cost effective, on-site maintenance to take place as any identified contamination can be treated in one visit thus reducing the risk to the site and ultimately to the consumer.

In such a litigious environment, random nozzle sampling can provide a retail site with the satisfaction and safeguard that no contamination is being passed to consumer.

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Test with FUELSTAT®

Testing for microbial contamination has previously been a lengthy and expensive process.

Samples were sent to laboratories (sending fuel is a very difficult process in itself) and results came back in days or maybe weeks.

FUELSTAT® offers suppliers and users of diesel several advantages over traditional methods:

  • Simple: It is done on-site in minutes
  • Easy: It only takes 2-3 minutes to complete
  • Fast: Results are in 15 minutes
  • Industry Standard: ASTM D8070 process compliant
  • Cost effective: Allows ability to conduct remedial activity in one visit, thus reducing costs of repeat visits, downtime and inconvenience to treat microbial contamination

ASTM D6469 highlights that if a sample cannot be tested on-site it should be transported on ice and tested within 4 and no more than 24hrs or the sample may no longer be a true representation of the environment from which it came.

FUELSTAT® is based on immunoassay antibody technology, which is widely used in the medical industry to rapidly and accurately detect such things as pregnancy, prostate cancer and hypoglycaemia. Put simply FUELSTAT® only searches for the specific microorganisms that are known to thrive and do damage in diesel fuel.

FUELSTAT® is simple to use, simply add the sample to the bottle provided with the test kit, shake it, place 4 drops onto a piece of tissue to remove any fuel or particles trapped in the nozzle before adding 4 drops to each of the sample wells on the test paddle before waiting 15 minutes for the results to appear. FUELSTAT® requires little instruction and little in way of rigid sterility controls except for a clean sampling jar.  The components of the test kit are also recyclable; however, the fuel sample must be disposed of as per each individual organisation’s own protocol.

If you want instant verification of the result which can be sent to or received by Headquarters within minutes, then the free to download app, FUELSTAT® Result, will tell you in seconds on your smartphone device.

FUELSTAT® Result

FUELSTAT® Result will not only enable a fully transparent and traceable audit trail to track trends and hotspots, but also provide accurate information to enable effective and more cost-efficient maintenance programs to be undertaken.

It may also assist in identifying assets which are more susceptible to microbial contamination, thus aiding increased risk management, provide greater protection against fuel related issues and more importantly reduce potential downtime of assets.

Over 100,000 FUELSTAT® tests are used every year all over the globe in many highly regulated industries to monitor microbial contamination in middle distillate fuels. It is compliant with the ASTM D8070 International Standard and is used by organisations the world over from airlines to major fuel operators, from militaries to data centres to keep assets protected.

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