Why Internal Bracing Is Bad For Your Fuel Tank

During the life-span of your tank, service technicians will be required to enter your tank either for inspection, cleaning, maintenance or repairs, and it is critical that all safety precautions are taken. In other words, the more dangerous the task is, the more safety measures are put into place and the more expensive your servicing costs will be. Internal bracing makes it very difficult for the technician to move around within the tank and will be required to ‘climb through’ the bracing to reach their point of service making a recovery operation very slow and difficult in the event of a medical mishap or accident.

‘Diesel bug’ is a commonly accepted term for a number of contaminants that include microbial bacteria, fungi and algae that live at the point of blend between water and diesel. The microbes have a very short life but before they die, they multiply and produce waste deposits, both of which descend to the bottom of the fuel tank or on the flat surfaces of internal bracing. The build-up of this ‘sludge’ on the internal bracing effectively allows all this contaminant to remain in the area of normally clean fuel and greatly increases the risks of contamination.

The introduction of highly efficient engines such as the common-rail diesel engine – now require higher quality fuel. When bacteria, sludge or water is sucked into the fuel lines it causes filter and injector blockages. As a result of the blockages the filter, injector, fuel tank and lines may require replacement or cleaning, and if the damage affects the operation of the injector pump then watch out because this can often be a painfully expensive repair.

At Fuelchief, we provide innovative products that focus on safety, innovation and providing the best solution for our customers, coupled with back up and service. We have redefined the way our tanks are built and have removed all internal bracing from all tanks. Our tanks are much safer to enter and work in and will provide a much cleaner space for your fuel for many years to come.