Solutions / A Liaoning Concrete Co. Fleet-Owned Gas Station
Mining & Construction
A Liaoning Concrete Co. Fleet-Owned Gas Station
Concrete Logistics Fuel Purification
Key outcomes
- Reduce maintenance costs: effectively reduce HPCR system repair expenditure
- Extend injector nozzle life: effectively extend the service life of precision injector nozzles
- Improve fuel quality: improve the cleanliness of purchased fuel through physical purification
Case Study
Stage 1 · Customer Problem
📋 Customer Problem
A Liaoning concrete company serving local large-scale infrastructure projects owns 60 concrete mixer trucks equipped with HPCR engines that demand high fuel quality. While pursuing fuel cost optimization through lower-cost purchased diesel, the enterprise encountered severe equipment reliability issues:
🛢️
Fuel Quality Fluctuation
Purchased diesel had fluctuating quality with relatively high levels of mechanical impurities and gums, inconsistent from batch to batch.
⚙️
HPCR Injector Damage
The HPCR system is sensitive to impurities. Micron-level particles in the fuel caused frequent wear and seizure of injector nozzles on mixer trucks.
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High Repair Costs
Frequent replacement of injector nozzles and fuel circuit components generated high repair costs, undermining the cost optimization effort.
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Delivery Schedule Disruption
Vehicles frequently returned to the plant due to fuel system failures, reducing concrete delivery capacity and creating breach-of-contract risks.
Stage 2 · Fuel Analysis · NEW
🔬 Fuel Analysis
Fuel sampling from the fleet-owned gas station's storage tank, combined with the concrete plant's high-dust operating environment, revealed contamination levels far exceeding HPCR engine manufacturer specifications:
| Metric | Before Treatment | After Treatment | Improvement |
|---|
| ISO 4406 Cleanliness | ~23/21/18 | 13/10/7 | 5-6 levels ↑ |
| Free Water (ppm) | ~180 | ≤50 | 72% ↓ |
| Visual Appearance | Dark, cloudy with visible sediment | Clear, bright | — |
| TAN (mgKOH/g) | 0.18 | 0.06 | 67% ↓ |
| Particle Composition | Concrete dust, mineral particles, gums | ≥99% removed at ≥3 μm | 99% ↓ |
Values are representative based on purchased diesel from regional suppliers supplying a concrete fleet operation. The concrete plant's dust-laden environment contributes additional contamination during transfer and fueling. Post-treatment ISO 13/10/7 exceeds typical HPCR engine requirements (ISO 18/16/13).
Stage 3 · Solution
🛠️ Solution & System Configuration
A 10m³/h diesel purification system was installed on the outbound fueling line of the company's own fueling station, positioned to purify all diesel before it is dispensed into the 60 mixer trucks:
Membrane
Polymer Rigid Composite, 3 μm nominal
β Value
≥200 at rated pore size
Deployment
Outbound fueling line of fleet-owned gas station
Water Removal
Oleophilic-hydrophobic synergistic separation
Regeneration
Gas-pulse regeneration (brief 5-15 min safety pause)
Function
High-flow staged filtration + gum interception
Monitoring
Differential pressure monitoring
Key design decisions: The 10m³/h flow rate was specifically matched to the dispensing speed of the fleet's internal fueling machines, ensuring that all 60 mixer trucks can be refueled without additional queuing. The system employs high-flow, high-precision staged filtration to effectively intercept mechanical impurities and gums from the fluctuating-quality purchased diesel, while the polymer rigid composite membrane synergistically removes trace free water.
Stage 4 · Results
📈 Quantified Results
13/10/7
ISO Cleanliness Achieved
~75%
Injector Failure Reduction
| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|---|
| ISO 4406 Cleanliness | ~23/21/18 | 13/10/7 | 5-6 levels ↑ |
| Injector Nozzle Failures | Frequent wear and seizure | Dropped to normal maintenance range | ~75% ↓ |
| Repair Costs | High, undermining cost optimization | Annual savings cover equipment investment | ~60% ↓ |
| Delivery Disruptions | Frequent vehicle returns to plant | Significantly reduced | — |
| Filter Cartridge Replacement | Frequent nozzle and fuel circuit replacement | 0 (3-year membrane life) | 100% eliminated |
By introducing the Jingyuan purification system, the enterprise achieved a balance between "cost optimization" and "equipment safety." The cleanliness of purified diesel improved significantly, and the engine failure alarm frequency decreased markedly. The injector nozzle replacement frequency for the 60 mixer trucks dropped to the normal maintenance range, and the annual savings on repair costs effectively cover the equipment investment, achieving good economic returns.
Stage 5 · Lessons Learned · NEW
💡 Lessons Learned
✅
Key Success Factor
Matching the 10m³/h flow rate to the dispensing speed of the fleet's internal fueling machines was the critical decision. This ensured all 60 mixer trucks could be refueled without additional queuing, eliminating any operational disruption. The polymer rigid composite membrane's absolute pore geometry ensures zero unloading — captured particles cannot re-release under pressure spikes common in high-frequency fueling operations.
⚠️
Common Pitfall
Concrete companies often purchase cheaper, fluctuating-quality diesel to control fuel costs, but HPCR injector nozzle damage costs far exceed the fuel savings. The concrete plant's dust-laden environment further contaminates fuel during transfer and fueling. Without point-of-dispense purification, micron-level impurities cause frequent injector wear, delivery disruptions, and breach-of-contract risks that cascade into far greater losses.
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Replication Advice
Directly applicable to all fleet-owned fueling stations serving HPCR-equipped mixer truck fleets. Size the flow rate to match the dispensing speed to avoid queuing. For concrete plants, position the system on the outbound fueling line to intercept dust ingress from the plant environment. The zero-consumable design with gas-pulse regeneration is especially valuable for high-frequency fueling operations.
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Customer feedback
Managing a fleet of 60 mixer trucks involves high costs. To control expenses, we purchased diesel with fluctuating quality, but this led to extensive injector nozzle damage. Since installing the Jingyuan 10m³/h system on the station's fueling line, the cleanliness of fuel from the dispensing nozzle has significantly improved. Our repair orders have been drastically reduced, and the mixer trucks can now operate normally on construction sites.
Mining & Construction
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