Episode 80: SwRI Fuel Testing

Lisa Peña: Testing fuels for quality and safety, SwRI's comprehensive fuel evaluation program includes facilities, equipment, and expertise to analyze the fuels we use every day and alternative fuels we may use one day. We'll learn why hospitals, airports, and power plants rely on SwRI fuel testing, plus tips for drivers as you fuel up for summer road trips. That's next on this episode of Technology Today. 

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Hello, and welcome to Technology Today. I'm Lisa Peña. We are highlighting one of SwRI's critical safety and quality assurance programs. The Institute has conducted fuels and lubricants research since the late '50s. We continue that work today with a rigorous testing program for conventional and alternative fuels. SwRI fuel testing benefits not only drivers, but hospital patients, airline passengers, military members, and more.

Our guest today is SwRI fuels and lubricants research director Robert Legg. He'll tell us about the program and share his top tips for your next trip to the pump. Thanks for joining us, Robert.

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SwRI has conducted fuels and lubricants research since the late 1950s. Analyzing fuels and lubricants for contaminants is essential for safety, quality assurance and to meet industry standards. Here, a technician evaluates a lubricant viscosity test engine.

Robert Legg: Thank you, Lisa. It's good to be here. 

Lisa Peña: So, we'll get an overview of the SwRI fuel testing program in a moment. But first, let's talk about the challenges with fuel, a lot of challenges around fuel. So, what type of problems can untested fuel cause? Why is fuel testing necessary? 

RL: Well, ultimately, fuel needs to be tested to ensure that the engines can operate at their peak efficiency. It not only helps the consumer by making their cars perform flawlessly, it also helps them to get their best fuel economy possible, and also make sure it has optimal emissions. 

Fuel can have several different modes of failure, each of which can have its own different type of problem. Contamination is probably the biggest concern for the fuel. Whether it be picking up debris during the distribution process or the introduction of rust particles from older or aging infrastructure, particulate contamination can really lead to the plugging of the filter that cause the engine to stop, cause the engine to stall, and really create problems with the driving public. 

Another thing that fuel can do is it can oxidize over time, cause the fuel to create varnish and other types of deposits in the engine, which will ultimately affect engine performance. Nobody wants to be out on that lonely stretch of I-10 in between Ozona and Fort Stockton, only to have their car start sputtering and stalling. And you have to pull to the side of the road with the nearest help miles away, only to look at their cell phone and have no service. Fuel testing helps ensure that that doesn't happen, to make sure that the fuel that you buy at the pump is fit for use. 

LP: So, a lot of important reasons to get the fuel we are using tested. So you touched on it a bit already. But let's talk about it a little bit more in depth. How does fuel testing enhance safety? Nobody wants to be stranded, as you mentioned. But it really goes beyond that.

RL: It surely does. You think about it if your car stalls, you can easily just pull off to the side of the road. Now, imagine yourself on a cross-country flight, 30,000 feet in the air. At that point, if the fuel becomes an issue, you just can't pull off to the side of the road. Fuel becomes a very important part of a flight safety program. And to put everyone's mind at ease, aviation fuel is one of the most highly tested fuels, from both the refining aspect to the distribution process to the final use. It's tested very, very thoroughly.

Another area where fuel testing enhances safety is in the nuclear power industry. Every nuclear reactor is required by its operating permits to have a certain amount of fuel to back up to run the backup generators to be able to assist with the safe shutdown of the plant, should there be a power grid disruption. I'm sure everyone's familiar with the old Fukushima disaster that occurred in Japan after the big tsunami. 

One of the major contributors to the meltdown was the lack of the backup generators. In this case, it was the seawater that flooded them out. But bad fuel can have the same net effect. Each batch of fuel received at a plant is tested to make sure it is fit for use. There's also routine testing of the fuel stored on-site to make sure it doesn't oxidize and make sure that if they need to turn the generators on, they work flawlessly.

LP: All right. So tested, reliable fuel again, so important for day-to-day functioning of so many organizations. You mentioned the aerospace industry, nuclear power plants. What other types of industries and organizations rely on fuel testing? 

RL: Well, we really do work with all stakeholders, from the fuel manufacturer to the end user. This spectrum includes refiners, blenders, national and state regulating bodies, engine manufacturers, the power generators, and even individual consumers. Everyone who drives a car, travels by plane, uses trains, buys an item that has been shipped across the country each of these relies on fuel testing to ultimately meet their needs. Most people don't realize how much fuel testing impacts their day-to-day life. Just about every organization and everybody relies on fuel testing, whether they realize it or not. 

LP: So, I want to get into the SwRI fuel testing program. Let's talk about what we do now. When you are evaluating fuel here at SwRI, what are you looking for? 

RL: So every gallon of fuel that is bought or sold on the market has is a commercial product. And it has a commercial specification that defines what the minimum requirements are for that fuel. In addition, there are many additional regulatory regulations as well. We're primarily testing fuel to make sure that they meet these requirements or meet these specifications. 

A smaller subset of the testing we do deals with troubleshooting fuel problems. We've helped track down issues with additive incompatibilities in gas tanks which created consumer problems. And we've also helped our fuel retailers identify problems with their underground tanks, which led to contamination of the fuel. 

We mainly use methods that are developed by what's called voluntary consensus bodies. These are groups like ASTM International, the Coordinating European Council, Japanese Industrial Standards methods. Everyone agrees on what methods we're using to test the fuel. And we also  sometimes, we'll use methods developed by our clients. So they're looking for specific properties of interest.

One of the properties we're looking for is vapor pressure of gasoline, which is a very which is both an important performance property as well as a regulated property. Too low of a vapor pressure in the fuel can make your vehicle hard to start, especially in cold weather, where if it gets too high, it can create vapor lock in older vehicles. But more importantly, too high of a vapor pressure can lead to an increase in fugitive Volatile Organic Compounds. Everyone knows about VOCs. 
 

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SwRI’s comprehensive fuels evaluation program includes facilities, equipment and expertise to analyze current fuels on the market and alternative future fuels. This fuel economy test stand is one of more than 200 test stands that SwRI operates 24/7 to support the transportation industry.

LP: Big phrase there. Can you tell us a little bit more about what those are? 

RL: Volatile organic compounds are just hydrocarbons that escape through either fueling or through the evaporative emissions. They combine with NOx in the atmosphere. And they create the brown smog. And the more we can minimize the amount of VOCs in the atmosphere, the better our air will be. 

LP: We have talked a lot about what you're looking for and why we need testing. But how do you test fuels obviously, with a lot of safety in mind? 

RL: Yeah, yeah. Well, some things we do we use your typical lab equipment. We use gas chromatography to measure the benzene content of the fuel or the oxygenate content of the fuel. One of the tests I'm sure all your listeners are familiar with is the octane number. In many of our programs, we measure the octane level of the fuel to make sure the fuel that you're buying at the pump is actually what you're paying for. 

While everyone's familiar with the octane number, most people aren't really familiar with how it's tested. So the next time you go to your gas station to put fuel in your car, take a peek at that octane number. You'll see underneath the number a little equation, R plus M over 2. 

That's actually a calculation that derives the octane number. And it's based upon two tests, the Research Octane Number, which we tend to call RON in the industry, which is the R in that equation, and the Motor Octane Method, or the MON, and the M. The average of these two numbers define the average of these two methods define the octane number. And they're based on little cylinder single engines that have been around since the 1920s. But they're still being used today to measure octane for use in today's vehicle. 

Another interesting test we do is measuring the boiling distribution of gasoline. Yes, we do actually boil gasoline in the lab. I don't recommend you do that at home. But it is very important property that gives us good information on how that fuel will perform under different driving conditions. 

LP: And the SwRI labs are equipped for these kind of these kinds of tests. As you said, don't try this at home. But we're fully equipped with safety in mind for all of this. 

RL: Yes, we are. Most definitely, safety is paramount to our operation. We do deal with flammable materials, which are utilize special equipment to do a lot of these testing that are with safety intrinsically and designed into them. 

LP: So R plus M over 2.

RL: That's the octane number. 

LP: Yeah, the octane number. All right. So, what type of fuel does SwRI test? I know we're talking about gasoline that we put in our cars, diesel. Tell us a little bit more about the type of fuels we're testing. 

RL: Well, we can test just about any liquid fuel that is used in an engine, from as you mentioned, from gasoline to diesel to jet fuel, as well as various alternative fuels, like biodiesel and renewable diesel. We also test some non-traditional fuels, like racing fuel they use at the racetrack and even aviation gasoline used in the smaller planes. 

Now, a few years ago, we were assisting the various national laboratories with testing novel fuels is what they called the Co-Optima program, which was funded by the DOE. These fuels were all highly oxygenated. They all were able to be derived from renewable sources essentially, a very interesting program where they're trying to simultaneously design an engine and fuel combination to maximize the fuel efficiency, all the while mapping for lower cost pathway to reduced emissions. 

LP: So that's really interesting. You're testing fuels we all use every day, in some capacity, and the fuels we could be using in the future. 

RL: That's correct. 

LP: What are the qualities of a good future fuel? How do you know whether or not it can move forward? 

RL: Sustainable, does no harm, passes all the specification requirements. Keep in mind the cars are designed to run on fuels that give certain performance values. These new fuels will have to meet those same types of specifications. As one of the interesting things about the Co-Optima program is it was trying to design an engine and fuel combination to step outside of that little constraint on current vehicle fleets. 

LP: Is there a standout right now in these alternative fuels, superstars? 

RL: No superstar was identified. But a few new, novel components are being used in other areas of the fuel industry right now. They're being investigated. 

LP: So, when we're talking about conventional fuels that we use every day, do you test batches of fuel before they are sold or are you testing fuel that is already publicly available? 

RL: Well, we actually do both. The majority of our testing is really from the retail outlets. Our section, my departments they're really in a unique position that we have a network of contractors throughout the nation, and even some of the US territories, that can collect fuel from just about any gasoline station in the nation. We'll actually send them a kit. They'll take that kit to the gas station, fill it from the pump, just like the same fuel that you're putting in your car. They'll close up those containers and ship them back to us for testing. 

So, what we're ultimately trying to do is to evaluate the same fuel supply that the customer is seeing in their tank. And then, of course, we also work with the fuel manufacturers and other partner labs to collect samples from either the refinery or the terminal tanks to look at the fuel or even the fuel blendstocks, the components that are used to make the final product fuel that goes into the gas station. 

LP: So, you're testing some as you said, you're testing some before it goes out and some that's already out there. And that's really neat. You're collecting these samples from all over. And this is actual gas people are buying, people buying this gas. And you're checking to see if it's good to go, if it's safe, if it's of quality. So what happens if you find a bad supply in these samples that come in? 
 

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SwRI Fuels and Lubricants Research Director Robert Legg leads a presentation about fuel quality and performance, highlighting how fuel testing impacts our day-to-day lives and is crucial for many industries, including automotive, aviation, rail and more.

RL: Well, surprisingly, that doesn't happen that often. 

LP: That's good to hear. 
  
RL: The fuel pool within the United States is pretty much within specification. But there are a few occasions where that does happen, like we've seen where there may have been too much ethanol put in the fuel or the vapor pressure was a little bit outside of the specification. Most of the time, these little instances, these little excursions, will not have any sort of impact on the consumer. But I can tell you that the refiners and the retailers take them very seriously. 

Our role is, basically, to notify the clients of the results. We typically do not take a position on whether or not the fuel is good or bad. We simply report the data and flag results that are outside the requirements. It's basically up to the retailer or the refiner to take action. And it's been my experience that they take these findings very seriously. And they will take whatever remedial action is necessary to protect the consumer, from quarantining the fuel to shutting the pump down to even drawing the fuel out of the tank and replacing it with different fuel. 

LP: So, we take all these measures for granted. When we're there at the pump, we're just filling up. And we just trust that all this is set and ready to go and is safe. So it's really great to hear some of this behind-the-scenes information that how closely all this is monitored and taken as seriously, as you mentioned, if something is not quite right. And as you said also great to hear that it doesn't happen often. 

RL: That's right. 

LP: That's good news. So, I want to talk about the SwRI International Alternative Fuels Technology Center. Tell us about this center. What happens there? 

RL: Before I go on, let me give you a little background. So ever since 1859, when Drake first drilled his oil well in Pennsylvania, experts have been predicting the exhaustion of the world's petroleum reserves. It's funny because it normally happens about 20 or 40 years after the prediction, just enough time for them to leave their positions. But luckily, up to now, we've always been able to find new reserves or new methods of extracting the oil that we have. 

But keep in mind oil is a finite resource. It will eventually run out. And it will become less and less economical as an energy solution. So really, it's in our best interest to find alternative fuels now, while we still can, as opposed to scrambling to find a solution when the oil is not a viable option. 

The IAFTC, and I'm not going to say the whole acronym it was formed to harness the Institute's multidisciplinary structure to provide a one-stop shop for clients in developing, assessing, registering, and testing new alternative fuel ideas. Chemists and engineers within the IAFTC can help develop bench scale processes. And they can help develop those all the way up to pilot-scale plants. 

Of course, any new fuel that they come up with will have to be registered with the EPA. And we have staff that can help navigate the regulatory requirements for getting a new fuel registered. And of course, for any new fuel to be accepted by the industry, it needs to be demonstrated that it meets all that it is fit for use and that it does not result in any performance issues. We can do that through the fleet and fuel evaluations. And all that is done within various divisions throughout the Institute.

LP: So, the International Alternative Fuels Technology Center, IAFTC, is looking at these alternative fuels, testing them. 

RL: Registering them. 

LP: Registering them to be ready, should oil, as a finite resource, run out one day. 

RL: We'll be prepared. 

LP: Yeah, really cool center there looking at all possibilities. We talked about how SwRI has been doing fuels and lubricants research since the late '50s. And so this program definitely expands beyond fuels. We've been talking about fuels. But what else are you testing? 

RL: So, testing fuels is only a portion of what we do. One of the other major activities we do is testing lubricants that go into the engines or the lubricants that go into the drivetrain components. In my analytical laboratory, we're testing the physical properties of the lubricants, while the rest of our division we are actually testing the performance of the lubricants in actual engines. If there's a fluid that's used within a vehicle, we can likely test it somewhere here at Southwest Research. 

We also have a few niche areas, like trace polyaromatic hydrocarbon testing. These are a class of compounds that have multiple fused aromatic rings. These compounds are coming under increased scrutiny, as they are considered carcinogenic. They generally do not exist in the fuels and lubricants. But they are found in tires. And of course, when you're driving the car down the road, the tires are braiding. It's releasing particulates in the atmosphere. These are becoming under increasingly more and more regulations. We do test the extender oils that go into the tire manufacturing process to make sure that they do not have a large amount of these bad PAHs in them. 

LP: Can you say that term again, the one in the tires? 

RL: Polyaromatic hydrocarbons? 

LP: Yeah, polyaromatic hydrocarbons. So that's something you're testing for, aside from lubricants and fuels. So really, as you said, any if it's a liquid, if it's involved in a vehicle, then SwRI can test it. 

RL: Somewhere at SwRI, we can test that fluid. 

LP: And I thought this was neat as I was learning more about the program. You're also evaluating fuel storage, such as Collapsible Fabric Tanks, or CFTs. So tell us more about CFTs. What are they? Why does SwRI test them? 

RL: Well, collapsible fabric tanks are used as a rapidly deployable solution for temporary remote-site liquid storage. It's going to be very hard to find a gas station in the middle of the desert or in the frozen tundra. The CFTs are, essentially, large bladders, up to 210,000 gallons, designed to withstand extreme conditions. The Army lab has a specially designed facility where the CFTs can be deployed and monitored to make sure that they do not degrade over time or start leaking the product. 

So far, we at Southwest Research have tested bladders up to 50,000 gallons in the facility. Can you imagine the environmental impact if one of these large bladders began leaking in the field? This is why it's so important to have them tested prior to their deployment. Our test facility is specifically designed to contain any spills should one of these bladders leak or rupture. 

LP: All right. And to that point, SwRI operates a 22,000 square foot, full-scale bulk and tactical fuel storage concrete-surfaced retaining wall, essentially, capable of testing these CFTs, as you said, with huge capacities, with 100,000 gallons of fuel available on-site, distributed by electric pumps. So, that's really an important part of what we do. 

So, I want to get more in depth about SwRI fuel testing. The benefits for the average consumer specifically, drivers obviously, safety is a top priority. 

RL: So basically, our programs help ensure that only on-spec, quality fuels that are fully compliant with regulatory requirements are available to the consumer. This makes sure we can help keep the vehicles operating efficiently while also protecting the environment from excess emissions resulting from off-spec fuel. 

LP: All right. Again, that quality, safe fuel so important for all of us. And you are dealing with fuel every day. You're, obviously, thinking about when you go to the gas station, you're looking for certain things. What are your top tips as we fill up our tanks for those summer road trips we're going on or our day-to-day errands? Are there any steps you take before choosing where to fill up, how to fill up?

RL: Well, I'm glad you asked that question, Lisa. That's one of my favorite questions that people always ask me. I'm kind of glad you didn't ask me the corollary question of who has the best gasoline. 

LP: Maybe that could be a followup. 

RL: But probably, my best advice when it comes to where to buy gas is to stay with one of the major retailers. They generally have good fuel tank housekeeping practices to make sure that they don't get debris, to make sure that it's good-quality, pristine fuel. Their tanks are filled often enough to make sure that the fuel doesn't get stale, get old, or get oxidized. And if you can, use a Top Tier branded fuel. This is a voluntary program used by the retailers where they commit to adding additional detergent additive to further protect your vehicle from deposits.

Now, most people don't realize that all gasoline sold in the United States is required to have a minimum amount of detergent in it to help keep the engines clean. But those participating in the top tier go well beyond this by adding more than the maximum amount. 

So, speaking of additives, I'd also caution folks to be careful with adding aftermarket products. There are some really good aftermarket products out there that can be beneficial. And there are some that are marginally effective. Where I would caution people is that more is not always better. Detergent additives are good up to a point. But adding more than the required amount can actually create problems and create more deposits. So in this case, truly good is not always better. 

Finally, my personal advice is to avoid filling your gas tank when a truck is actively unloading at the station. Regardless of how well the company has their housekeeping practices, debris will always be stirred up when they're dropping fuel into the tank. Every fuel pump out there has a filter on it to prevent it. But why risk it? Why take the chance? 

And another thing to notice is when you're filling your tank, if the pump is filling very slow might be a good idea to put the nozzle back in the pump and just move on to a different station. That's usually an indication that the filter is starting to get plugged. 

LP: Really good insider tips there. So if you see one of those big 18-wheelers and they're, as I say, plugged into the ground.

RL: That's right. 

LP: You see there the hose coming out onto the ground maybe wait till they're done, and then fill up. So that's good to know. And then mentioned look for a Top Tier fuel. Is there a symbol we should look for? 

RL: There is. Every pump that's if the retailer is participating in the Top Tier program, every pump has a nice little display on a little sticker on the pump that says Top Tier. I believe their green has a couple little green symbols on there. That lets you know that they are Top Tier in the Top Tier program. 

LP: Again, really cool information as we hit the road this summer and throughout the year. So it seems like you have a lot of enthusiasm, obviously a lot of insight, into what you do. What do you enjoy about fuels and lubricants research? What inspires you? 

RL: Well, in my career here at Southwest Research, I've really, truly enjoyed helping our clients meet their goals and their needs. In most cases, it becomes more than just a transactional relationship, where we get a contract, we do a project, we give them a report, and it's over. It becomes a partnership where we discuss the problems, we find out what their testing needs are, we develop strategies, and we investigate the problem to help them find the solution they're after. That whole notion of solving problems is really what inspires me. 

LP: You can learn more about SwRI fuels and lubricants testing at fuelsandlubricants.swri.org, "fuels and lubricants" all together, one word, dot S-W-R-I dot org. So when we show up at the gas station, we trust that our fuel is safe and will do its job. And that is possible thanks to the type of work you and your team do behind the scenes. So thank you for telling us about this important SwRI program and for joining us today, Robert. 

RL: Thank you, Lisa. It's a pleasure to be here.

And thank you to our listeners for learning along with us today. You can hear all of our Technology Today episodes, and see photos, and complete transcripts at podcast.swri.org. Remember to share our podcast and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

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Ian McKinney and Bryan Ortiz are the podcast audio engineers and editors. I am producer and host, Lisa Peña.

Thanks for listening.

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