Marine Fuel Coalescing Filter: Ensuring Compliant, Clean Fuel at Sea
The Marine Fuel Coalescing Filter from Lefilter is a heavy-duty filtration system designed to purify marine diesel oil (MDO), heavy fuel oil (HFO), and marine gas oil (MGO) by removing water, salts, and catalytic fines. It is a critical component for protecting main and auxiliary engines, ensuring compliance with international regulations, and preventing costly engine damage and off-hire time for vessels worldwide.
Navigating the Challenges of Marine Fuels
Modern marine fuels, especially residual blends, present unique challenges:
Cat Fines (Al + Si): Abrasive catalyst residues from refining that cause rapid engine wear.
Water & Salinity: Promotes corrosion, microbial growth, and can cause engine sputtering or shutdown.
Sludge & Sediments: From bunkering, storage, or inherent instability.
Lefilter's marine coalescer is engineered to handle these harsh contaminants, delivering clean fuel to the engine inlet.
Robust Operation for Demanding Sea Service
Our system is built for the marine environment, often installed as a final “polisher” after centrifugal separators:
Pre-Heating & Conditioning: Fuel is heated to optimal viscosity and passed through a pre-filter to remove large solids.
High-Efficiency Coalescence: The fuel flows through our marine-grade coalescer elements, which are designed to handle high dirt loads. They remove fine water droplets and cat fines simultaneously.
Separation & Monitoring: Coalesced water and separated contaminants settle. The clean fuel is monitored for final cleanliness before being supplied to the engine. An integrated water-in-fuel sensor provides critical alarms.
Why Ship Owners Trust Lefilter
Compliance & Protection: Helps ensure fuel meets ISO 8217 specifications and engine maker's limits (e.g., max 15 ppm Al+Si), protecting your warranty and ensuring IMO MARPOL Annex VI compliance.
Dual Functionality: Combines coalescing (water removal) and depth filtration (cat fine removal) in one robust unit, simplifying the system.
Built for Reliability: Corrosion-resistant construction, duplex housings for continuous operation at sea, and elements designed for long service life even with poor-quality fuel.
Reduces Operating Costs: Prevents damage to fuel injection systems, reduces cylinder liner wear, and lowers maintenance frequency.
Global Support Network: Technical support and spares available through major port agencies.
Technical Specifications
Parameter | Lefilter Marine Specification |
|---|
Primary Function | Removal of Water, Salts, & Catalytic Fines from Marine Fuels |
Cat Fine Removal | Efficiency for particles >1-4 microns, achieving < 15 ppm Al+Si at outlet. |
Water Removal | Reduces free water to < 0.1% (1000 ppm). |
Flow Rates | From 1 m³/h for aux engines to 50+ m³/h for main engine lines. |
Design Standard | Built to DNV/ABS/ LR etc., class rules as required. |
Housing | Duplex (twin) design in cast steel or stainless steel. |
Heating | Steam or electric trace heating options. |
Monitoring | Differential pressure, water sensor, flow meters. |
Applications
Main Propulsion Engine Fuel Line (MDO/HFO/MGO)
Auxiliary Diesel Generator Fuel Supply
Fuel Oil Treatment Units (as a final polishing stage)
LNG Carrier Dual-Fuel Diesel Engines
FAQ
Q: Can it handle the high viscosity of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO)?
A: Yes, when properly heated. Systems for HFO service include integrated steam tracing and insulation to maintain fuel at the required temperature for effective filtration.
Q: What is the difference between a separator and a coalescer?
A: A centrifugal separator uses high-speed rotation to remove the bulk of water and heavy solids. A coalescing filter is a polishing unit that removes the fine, hard-to-separate water and cat fines the centrifuge misses. They work best in series.
Q: Do you offer elements with a water sensor port?
A: Yes. Our standard duplex housings can be equipped with mounting ports for industry-standard Water-in-Fuel (WiF) probe sensors to provide an automatic alarm and divert dirty fuel.
