To avoid machine failure, diesel engine hardware manufacturers recommend limiting fuel contamination particles based on number and size distribution. Work performed by TARDEC has developed limits for particulate and free water contamination in fuel utilizing light obscuration particle counting; however, this approach is unable to differentiate between solid particulates, free water droplets, and air bubbles entrained in the fuel stream during refueling operations. FTL's "Forward Area Suspended Contaminant Identifier (FASCI)" is a portable instrument to rapidly detect, measure, quantify, and characterize solid particulate and free water contamination in aviation fuel, ignoring air bubbles. FASCO reports the size distribution of contaminants present and quantifies the level of contaminants present in the fuel.
