The following examples of research projects undertaken by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) show the versatility and diversity of the staff  in the SwRI Petroleum Products Technology section.

• Fuel Lubricity Additive Evaluation (IR323) This report evaluates recently developed fuel-lubricity additives, which may be more effective than those qualified under MIL-I-25017E. (PDF)

• Technologies for Testing Fuel Quality Approaches of the Petroleum Quality Analysis System (IR345) (IR345) SwRI identified the essential fuel properties necessary to determine the fuel quality in the field and investigated solutions to poor correlation between standard and nonstandard test method results for a number of properties. (PDF)

• Estimating Chemical and Bulk Properties of Middle Distillate Fuels from Near-Infrared Spectra (IR348) (IR348) This project was to show that near-infrared spectroscopy can be used to determine fuel type and quality with sufficient accuracy to be useful in the field. (PDF)

• Investigation of "Apple Jelly" Contaminant in Military Jet Fuel (synopsis) Apple Jelly contaminant was collected, analyzed, and synthesized to determine its cause and to suggest methods for prevention. (PDF) [FULL REPORT - Defense Energy Support Center web site (210 pages)]

• Survey of Low-Sulfur Diesel Fuels and Aviation Kerosenes from U.S. Military Installations (IR335) This project assessed the lubricity characteristics of the commercial-quality fuel supplied to the military to determine its ability to meet specification requirements. (PDF)

• Analysis of Natural Gas by FT-IR Calibrations and Validations (IR324) This program defined the use of FT-IR spectroscopy to rapidly and reliably analyze natural gas in the field. (PDF)

• Effect of Moisture on Wear of Components Lubricated with Diesel Fuel (IR329) BOCLE and HFRR tests exposed fuel to varying concentrations of water to better define moisture efforts on fuel-lubricated wear. (PDF)

For more information about our petroleum products technology capabilities, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Steve Westbrook at swestbrook@swri.org or (210) 522-3185.

petrotech.swri.org