In a marine fuel oil system, what is the role of a purifier?

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The purifier’s job in a marine fuel oil system is to remove water and solid contaminants from fuel oil using centrifugal separation. By spinning the fuel at high speed, a strong centrifugal field forces denser water and sludge particles to separate from the lighter fuel. The water and solids are drained away, while the cleaned fuel oil continues to the engine. The process may also use wash water to help dislodge and carry impurities out with the removed water layer. This is different from simply filtering with a screen, cooling the fuel, or removing sulfur, which are not the purifier’s function.