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I have heard that applying a strong magnetic field to diesel fuel can positively affect the filtering out of microbial contamination. Assuming that is true:

I thought it would be simple to wrap a steel pipe with insulated copper wire (I used a 1" pipe, 4" long, with 1 mm2 copper wire, maybe 30 feet.).

I applied a 24 V, 5 A current to it, but did not observe any magnetization whatsoever.

The goal is to apply a strong magnetic field to the liquid in the pipe. So ultimately what is the best way to do that?

But also if MY method is flawed (which it clearly is.) what variable(s) should I change? I can increase the current, but past 5 amperes makes it a bit too much of a power suck to be practical in my application.

brhans
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SV Savannah
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  • Does the direction of the magnetic field matter? If not, instead of "around" the pipe idea, keep a strong electromagnet with a ferromagnetic core very close to the diesel pipe. The ferromagnetic core will amplify the magnetic field for the same current as an air core solenoid, which you effectively now have created. The diesel pipe must of course be made of non magnetic material so as to let in the field from the electromagnet. – AJN May 17 '21 at 09:10
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    Do you have a reputable source for microbes in Diesel and magnets? – AJN May 17 '21 at 09:15
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    If you clump lots of bacteria together and then they get dislodged (e.g. going over a bump in the road) they will all arrive at the fuel injectors at the same time and might clog them, if they don't damage the fuel pump on the way to the injectors. If they don't get dislodged then they will restrict the fuel flow. Magnetc filters used in central heating systems use permanent magnets and have a way to remove the debris. – Andrew Morton May 17 '21 at 09:41
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    Resistance of the coil with 25V 5S needs to be about R= V/I = 24/5 = 4.8 ohm. Your coil resistance is far too low. 1mm Cu resistance is 18 milliohms/metre or about 0.2 ohms in your case. – Russell McMahon May 17 '21 at 10:01
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    If you want a strong magnetic field in your pipe, buy some permanent magnets. – Neil_UK May 17 '21 at 11:44
  • Magnetisation makes sense to catch ferrous particles in a central heating system (ala Magnaclean); it will do nothing for microbes in a diesel fuel line. Water traps in a fuel filter per Janka's comment are what you need (there are also biocidal fuel additives) –  May 17 '21 at 12:12
  • @Neil_UK, my thoughts exactly. Find a fuel service port, and modify the plug to include a small but very strong neodymium magnet (epoxied into the plug.) – rdtsc May 17 '21 at 12:13

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You had to use a non-magnetic pipe. Plastic. Copper. Aluminium. Amagnetic steel. Anything but iron, nickel, cobalt.

Iron is used for magnetic cores because it presents least magnetic resistance to the magnetic field. So the magnetic flux runs almost completely through the iron and not through its surroundings. But that's exactly that what you want. Running the flux through the surroundings of the iron.

Janka
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  • That's funny because I went to some trouble to modify the only "not Stainless" fitting I had on hand. So 316 Stainless is what I should have used all along? – SV Savannah May 17 '21 at 09:14
  • You have to check the piece in question as cold bending can make stainless steel 316 magnetic again. – Janka May 17 '21 at 09:26
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    I recommend using a diesel filter with a bottom outlet though. Diesel bugs need water to live, they only ever exist at the surface between water and diesel inside the tank and filter. Draining removes the water. – Janka May 17 '21 at 09:27