Solutions / African Mining Generator Sets & Heavy Trucks
Mining & Construction
African Mining Generator Sets & Heavy Trucks
Diesel Purification
Key outcomes
- Significantly Reduced Injector Failures: Effectively reduces injector nozzle failure rate
- Improved Fuel Cleanliness: Fuel cleanliness achieves ISO 12/9/6 standards
- Extended Fuel Cartridge Life: Effectively extends the service life of fuel filter cartridges
Case Study
Stage 1 · Customer Problem
📋 Customer Problem
An international engineering contractor operating large-scale mining projects in Africa faced severe fuel quality issues threatening both power generation and heavy haul operations:
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Extremely Poor Fuel Quality
Locally supplied diesel had severe particulate contamination (ISO 24/22/19), causing frequent blockage and wear of precision HPCR injector nozzles.
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High Maintenance & Logistics Costs
Engine filter cartridges frequently blocked and required replacement. In remote Africa, spare parts logistics costs are extremely high, with delivery times of weeks.
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Unplanned Power Outages
Generator set failures due to fuel system issues caused power outages across the entire mining area, resulting in significant production losses.
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Shortened Equipment Life
Impurities and trace free water in diesel accelerated fuel tank corrosion and engine wear, shortening equipment service life.
Stage 2 · Fuel Analysis · NEW
🔬 Fuel Analysis
Fuel sampling from the mining area's main storage tank revealed contamination levels far exceeding engine manufacturer specifications:
| Metric | Before Treatment | After Treatment | Improvement |
|---|
| ISO 4406 Cleanliness | ~24/22/19 | 12/9/6 | 6-7 levels ↑ |
| Free Water (ppm) | ~250 | ≤50 | 80% ↓ |
| Visual Appearance | Dark, opaque with visible particles | Clear, bright | — |
| Particle Composition | Dust, mineral particles, wear metals | ≥99% removed at ≥3 μm | 99% ↓ |
| TAN (mgKOH/g) | 0.20 | 0.06 | 70% ↓ |
Values are representative based on African mining site conditions (remote supply chain, minimal pre-treatment, harsh storage environment). The dramatic improvement to ISO 12/9/6 exceeds typical engine manufacturer requirements (ISO 18/16/13).
Stage 3 · Solution
🛠️ Solution & System Configuration
The customer procured multiple sets of Jingyuan 12m³/h diesel filtration equipment, deployed at the mining area's main storage tank and fueling island front end:
Flow Rate
12 m³/h per unit
Membrane
Polymer Rigid Composite, 3 μm nominal
β Value
≥200 at rated pore size
Deployment
Main storage tank + fueling island front end
Water Removal
Oleophilic-hydrophobic synergistic separation
Regeneration
Gas-pulse regeneration (brief 5-15 min safety pause)
Function
Pre-fuel-entry particulate + water removal
Monitoring
Differential pressure monitoring
Key design decisions: The 3 μm nominal precision was selected to protect HPCR systems with 2-5 μm injector clearances. Multiple units were deployed in parallel to provide redundancy and ensure continuous fuel supply even during maintenance. The system was positioned at the fueling island front end to provide final-stage protection immediately before fuel enters equipment.
Stage 4 · Results
📈 Quantified Results
12/9/6
ISO Cleanliness Achieved
~70%
Injector Failure Reduction
| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|---|
| ISO 4406 Cleanliness | ~24/22/19 | 12/9/6 | 6-7 levels ↑ |
| Injector Nozzle Failures | Frequent blockage and wear | Significantly decreased | ~70% ↓ |
| Filter Cartridge Replacement | Frequent, high logistics cost | 0 (3-year membrane life) | 100% eliminated |
| Unplanned Generator Downtime | Multiple incidents per month | Near-zero | ~90% ↓ |
| Spare Parts Logistics Cost | Very high (remote Africa) | Significantly reduced | — |
By deploying this batch of filtration systems, the mining area's diesel quality was dramatically improved. Maintenance data shows a noticeable decrease in the unplanned replacement rate of engine injector nozzles. The fuel cartridge replacement cycle for generator sets has been effectively extended, reducing consumables procurement and logistics costs. Stable power supply ensured continuous mining operations.
Stage 5 · Lessons Learned · NEW
💡 Lessons Learned
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Key Success Factor
The 3 μm nominal membrane precision was the critical decision for protecting HPCR systems with 2-5 μm injector clearances. Unlike nominal-rated cartridges that allow particle passage, the absolute pore geometry ensures zero unloading — captured particles cannot re-release under pressure spikes, which is essential in mining applications with frequent flow rate changes.
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Common Pitfall
Mining operations in remote locations often accept poor local fuel quality as "unavoidable" and compensate with frequent filter changes. In Africa, this approach fails because spare parts logistics can take weeks. Each filter change also introduces contamination risk during the maintenance process. Membrane filtration with gas-pulse regeneration eliminates both the consumable dependency and the maintenance contamination risk.
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Replication Advice
Directly applicable to all African and remote-region mining operations with poor local fuel supply. The 12m³/h configuration suits typical mining site fuel consumption. For large operations with multiple mining areas, deploy one unit per fueling island plus one at the main storage tank. The zero-consumable design is especially valuable where logistics chains are long and unreliable.
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Customer feedback
In the harsh environment of African mining, fuel quality is an important variable affecting availability rates. Jingyuan's filtration equipment effectively improved diesel quality. Our generator sets' reliability has been significantly improved, and we have saved considerable spare parts logistics costs.
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