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What is Microbial Contamination? |
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There are at least 27 separate species of
microbes - bacteria, yeast and fungus that can exist in and feed
on crude oil (and it's products).
These oil eating micro-organisms have a natural affinity with
petroleum based products because they actually produced crude
oil by decomposing billions of tons of ancient forests and
animals. Subsequently when crude oil is extracted from the
ground it has a resident microbial population - fortunately this
is killed off during the refining process.
However, just as they did millions of years ago, oil eating
microbes exist abundantly in our environment today. Their
spores travel freely in the air and water and readily re-enter
petroleum products at any point in the petroleum supply chain
and your fuel tanks - through breather caps and filler ports.
Then with the right conditions - a temperature range between 15o
and 44oC and a little free standing water and a
single cell weighing virtually nothing can rapidly grow, divide
in two and so on, to become a slimy biomass weighing 10
kilograms (22 pounds) in 24 hours - It does happen!
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What are the effects of Microbial Contamination? |
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Dependant on the species present - microbes either form matting,
slime, sludge, organic acids and sulphides. In combination/
consortium oil bugs are extremely corrosive with the ability to
degrade any metal and many types of rubber.
The matting, slime and sludge they create in
abundance enters the fuel lines to block filters, injectors and
in severe cases, the fuel lines themselves. The slime, visible
on tank walls and fuel system components, is a protective layer
that effectively shields against poisonous chemicals ~ biocides/
can be called additives.
The organic acids degrade protective
coatings such as paints, rubber, some plastics and metal oxide
films as well as destroy or inactivate chemical corrosion
inhibitors and cause hydrogen embrittlement of metals. Black
deposits on copper or copper containing alloys in pipe work and
bearings as well as pitting are evidence of microbial induced
corrosion.
Engines rely on high quality fuel that has
been properly filtered and separated (from water), with no flow
restrictions, to achieve proper atomization, combustion, engine
performance and fuel efficiency. Fuel that is infected with
bacteria is not reliable and there are many and varied
consequences of using contaminated fuel.
These include:
1. encouraging growth of further
contamination
2. fuel filter clogging and blockage
3. coalesce malfunctions
4. engine wear due to variations in fuel flow
5. corrosion of the fuel system
6. corrosion of engine fuel injectors
7. damage to in-line instruments
Engine fuel injection equipment and fuel
pumps are most susceptible to the effects of microbial
contamination resulting in corrosive damage
Ultimately, performance suffers and fuel
consumption and maintenance costs increase, but perhaps the most
critical concern is the real potential for blockages in the fuel
system which cause engine failure while underway - with
potentially devastating consequences.
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How do De-Bug Clean Fuel Units work? |
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De-Bug Units are static magnetic inline device that create an
optimum magnetic flux field directly responsible for destruction
of the cell membrane. Exposing the microbes to a strong,
changing magnetic field will ensure maximum destruction of the
cells. The debris stays randomly suspended in the fuel and due
to their sub-micron size easily pass through engine components
and burned with the fuel.
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Other systems use a single magnet and claim similar success.
What makes De-Bug Units using a three magnet stack better? |
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De-Bug Units are One of a Kind. When the inventors in knowing
how good this system is, patented the De-Bug system worldwide.
Single magnet systems are sub-par of the De-Bug System
Why De-Bug Tri Mag & Multi Mag compared to
single magnet units. In the development stage the inventors of
De-Bug Units used single magnets Units and found them to be
partially effective.
That could be Ok, as there was nothing better on offer in the
market, however after further testing using different
combinations of magnets, gauss strengths and configurations they
concluded the triple & multi magnet systems were substantially
better for eliminating microbial contamination than the single
magnets.
A risky decision had to be made; to produce the single magnet
system that was cheaper & easier to manufacture or to develop
the triple & multi magnet systems that worked incredibly well
but would require far more design work, a greater manufacturing
process and large capital investment.
After consistently achieving excellent results from field testing
the inventors chose the triple & multi mag systems and patented
them as De-Bug -Tri-Mag & Multi-Mag.
Twenty years on, De-Bug Units have achieved fantastic results,
have been further proven in ICI Laboratories, by Shell New
Zealand, The Singapore Port Authority, The Dutch Fishing Fleet
and University of Wellington. No single magnet Unit has proven
these results.
De-Bug Units have proven themselves ten of thousands of time and
proof is they authentically endorsed by significant number of
end users that had a persistent bug problem, then by fitting a
De-Bug Unit; the bug problem solved permanently!
Further more De-Bug Units have a bowl, these catch inorganic
materials and some water before they reach the filters, further
helping fuel filters last normal service intervals - it's a lot
easier and cost effective to clean a bowl than to be constantly
changing filters.
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Are De-Bug Units a Filter?
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No. The De-Bug Units are not a filter, they are a treatment Unit
that requires no chemicals, replaceable items or wires.
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How cost effective is it?
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De-Bug is a cost effective, one time, permanent installation,
with no moving parts, no electrical hook-up, and maintenance
that may require only an occasional cleaning. And unlike
chemical biocides, micro-organisms which have been destroyed by
the De-Bug unit do not collect at the bottom of fuel tanks.
Instead, the debris stays randomly suspended in the fuel and due
to their sub-micron size easily pass through engine components.
They are then burned with the fuel, there is no build-up of
microbial sludge in tanks. Consider that if you have to clean
your fuel tanks once, you will most likely pay more than
installing a De-Bug.
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What about pressure drop? |
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Through careful design, De-Bug units show no pressure drop
across the recommended unit for specified flow rate.
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Will the fitting of a De-Bug unit save on fuel costs? |
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In Independent tests conducted by major Companies prove
De-Bug Units reduce fuel consumption.
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Will the fitting of a De-Bug unit reduce engine smoke
emissions? |
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Yes, by removing microbial contamination combustion improves -
reducing engine smoke emissions.
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What is the maximum temperature in which a De-Bug unit will
operate? |
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A. Rubber 'O' Ring - maximum 107
degrees Celsius.
B. PVC internal washers - maximum 80
degrees Celsius.
C. Magnet Spacers - maximum 170
degrees Celsius.
D. Ceramic magnets will tolerate up
to 100 degrees Celsius.
We do not recommend our units to be used in
any situation where fluid is heated beyond the maximum tolerance
level of the PVC internal washers. To protect the integrity of
the De-Bug unit, fluid temperature at 10% below the maximum
tolerance level would be a safe figure to use. Say 70
degrees Celsius maximum temperature.
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Biocides are frequently used to treat severe contamination,
however nearly all, if not all are hazardous chemicals that
require at least careful handling. Although some are marketed as
being "environmentally friendly", but in my opinion I can't
understand how that can be.
Biocides kill living cells, which happen
make up just about everything in our environment. For instance
we are made of living cells and inconsequence biocides require
careful handling - avoid breathing in the fumes they emit, avoid
contact with the skin and then there's issues of the changes
they create in the exhaust emissions and what happens to bugs
they kill - which are full of poison.
Adding biocides to the fuel system may kill
many of the microbes but this creates another problem - The dead
cells collect on the bottom of the fuel tank and forms sludge.
Nasty stuff - this sludge is toxic because of the toxicity
of the biocides used requiring removal to EPA standards.
This thick inert sludge is sucked up into the fuel system to
block fuel filters - causing reduced power and eventual damage
to the fuel pump.
Alternatively there is no build up of bug
sludge in the tanks when De-Bug Clean Fuel Units are used -
De-Bug Clean Fuel Units eliminate microbes by an aggressive
process that tears them to a sub-micron size which easily passes
through fuel filters and injectors to be burnt with the fuel.
It is commonly found that microbes develop
immunity to biocides. Many uses of biocides report bio-mass
growth in systems despite regular treatments with biocides. So
if you have a fuel bug problem you can expect to be constantly
buying and using biocides - And in consequence to be need to
clean your tanks a number of times over a twenty year period.
De-Bug Clean Fuel Units last 20+ years. It is worth noting
you'll pay more to have the tanks cleaned once than what
a De-Bug costs - By fitting a De-Bug Unit you do away with
repeatedly buying and handling poisons, and you won't have to
deal with bug sludge or change blocked filters.
By fitting a
De-Bug Clean Fuel Unit, your engine/s are fed clean
unadulterated fuel - your engine/s will maintain the best
performance they can deliver and maintenance expenses will
be reduced, as will fuel burn and pollution.
Further there is no repetitive cost of ownership -
nothing to replace, no wires, no additives - just fit to the
fuel line, and the job is done while you run the engine/s.
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The patented design of multiple ceramic permanent magnets
located within the unit, when properly sized and strategically
placed, have been shown in a tests conducted by Shell New
Zealand to have a 97.5% efficiency in destroying the damaging
micro-organisms within a single pass.
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Are there microbial bugs in lubrication oil? |
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Oil has bacteria therefore the answer is Yes. This extends to
palm oil, coconut oil, fish oil, Emu oil, etc. If you
encounter evidence of contamination, you can be reasonably sure
that it is contamination.
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Where in the fuel line should I install my De-Bug unit? |
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The De-Bug Fuel Treatment Unit should be mounted as close as
possible to the main fuel supply source (fuel tank) and in the
fuel line after any strainer or water separator but before the
primary filter. Full installation instructions are included with
each unit. |