I listed the appended (re-edited) items in another thread but I think the topic of winter diesel problems deserves its own. I've had so many problems with freezing/frozen diesel that cannot for th elife of me imagine why such precautions are not standard fare (especially on the hight seas).
I am now at the stage of planning the mods of 2 fuel tanks. They will each have two glass/polycarb windows. On the top will be a smallish 1/2" tempered glass window hosting an LED light, the light will protect the glass and not touch it (using glass instead of polycarb for heat resistance). The 3/8" thick polycarb window will be on the side for inspection. I've found out that nitrile or viton sheet is about the best gasket for such panels. Since I plan to also preheat the tank fuel before start (everything will be plugged-in but powerd on only 1-1/2 hour before engines start) I'm thinking of using the LED inspection light also as a heater to get two birds with one so to speak.
The QUESTION:
The blower will have an approximately 8 gallon tank, the hosting Cat-426 has over 25 gallons (always keeping tanks full is a cold-weather must). What power of lights should each have to get the fuel from a typical -15c up to not less than 25c nor more than about 35c in 90 minutes? The lights will be enclosed with the tank glass so that maybe 50% of the emission heat will transfer even if not touching. If the fuel were water the 30 L of the 8 gl tank 30,000 ML would require that many calories per degree C i.e. 1.2 million kals or 800 kilokals per hour. The Cat would need about 3 times that, 2,400. NB. I'm not sure if this can be done with LED lights of just a few (maybe 4x8) inches in size.
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1
Diesel fuel ALWAYS has water in it, only the quantity varies with the degree of refining. Summer fuel has tons of it causing rust in tanks and lines and filters. Winter grade is more refined (evaporated), it has both less water and less energy. The water however (mostly in the form of ice crystals in suspension giving the fuel a milky appearance) can cause L O T S of problems.
2
For my money an aluminum or SS tank is where it must all begin. Plastic could be OK also but it's too fragile on a backhoe which can be a violent environment. I once had the oil cooler above the oil filter ripped off by a stump, triggering the oil horn!
3
The fuel must be visible for inspection at all times. I'm going to cut a slot in my DIY stainless tank and close it off with a 1/2" thick clear polycarb plate held by a frame and screws with a fuel resistant gasket between the polycarb and the tank. I will cut a similar but round hole on top of the tank for a very bright light that makes the inside (especially the bottom) look like my mouth at the dentist even in ambient sunlight on snow!
4
the electric lift pump will be fed directly from the tank to which it will be fixed, with a protection plate defending against breakage.
5
a 2000 or+ watt heating pad between the tank and the protection plate that will be under the pad. The idea is to raise 28 gallons from -30c to +20c in an hour and keep it there thermostatically. The lift pump will feed a small shuttle tank.
6
If the main tank is not otherwise preheated then a metal return line coiled around the exhaust manifold with a thermostatically controlled selector valve to route the output into the shuttle tank when its content is cold and into the main tank when the shuttle tank temperature is 30c or more. This bit gets complicated but I'll finger something out. At lower shuttle tank temperatures the heated return would replenish the shuttle tank with the rest of replenishing coming from the main tank. In summer the heating coil around the exhaust would be inactive with just a line into the main tank. Another possibility is to use the prestone heater circuit coiled under the tank, etc.
