SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

On-Site Facilities

	SwRI scientists and engineers perform standardized tests on a wide variety of fuel filters. This fuel/water separator test stand is used to evaluate the effect of fuel additives on a filter’s ability to remove water from the fuel.

A number of special facilities are either housed within the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) laboratories at SwRI or are readily available to TARDEC facility staff as needed.

    Turbine Combustion Capabilities

The TARDEC facility houses a unique turbine combustion capability sized around the Army T-63 gas turbine engine to:

• Support turbine combustion research focused on fuel impacts on emissions and combustion system component durability

• Simulate the combustion section of the T-63 or other small gas turbines, or can run sectors from larger engines

An outgrowth from the combustor work is a series of bench-scale facilities for assessing the formation of fuel-derived deposits on turbine engine atomizers and other fuel system components. Fuel-derived deposits are the leading cause of turbine engine overhaul, and the facility has developed a number of techniques to assess the propensity of fuels to form deposits and to evaluate engine hardware for deposition tendencies.

    Diesel Fuel Injection System Test Stands

In addition to gasoline engine test stands, the TARDEC facility houses a number of diesel fuel injection system test stands to evaluate the impact of the following on injection system wear:

• Low lubricity fuels

• Fuel additives

  	Aviation jet fuel filtration test facility

• Alternative fuel formulations

Using a number of bench wear test devices as well as full-scale engine hardware, the laboratory is continuing to conduct research on fuel lubricity and other fuel issues affecting diesel fuel injection system durability. Fluid filtration is becoming increasingly critical to engine durability as a result of high-pressure injection systems. Filtration for both ground and aviation vehicle systems is particularly critical for military operations in high dust environments. The TARDEC facility maintains capabilities for assessing the performance of fuel filters and water separators, including an SwRI-owned facility for assessing pipeline scale filtration performance.

    API Test Facility

For more than 40 years, SwRI has conducted aviation fuel research and testing, continually improving capabilities, facilities and equipment.  The TARDEC facility has full and open access to SwRI's aviation jet fuel filtration test facility, which is currently the only independent and unbiased source for developing and evaluating aviation fuel filtration systems.

For more information about the TARDEC facility at SwRI or how you can contract with the TARDEC facility or SwRI, contact Steven D. Marty at smarty@swri.org or (210) 522-5929.

| Fuels and Lubricants Technology Department | Fuels and Lubricants Research Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit,

applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 12 technical divisions.

September 28, 2009