SEDL / STP / STP809-EB / STP29516S

Measurement Techniques for Fuel Stability Characterization

Cummings, AL
Research chemist, research chemist, and group leader, Tribochemistry Group, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C.

Pei, P
Research chemist, research chemist, and group leader, Tribochemistry Group, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C.

Hsu, SM
Research chemist, research chemist, and group leader, Tribochemistry Group, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C.

Pages: 16    Published: Jan 1983

Download this paper for $25 PDF (220K)          View License Agreement
Abstract

A measurement technique has been developed to characterize the oxidation stability of liquid fuels under various conditions. The technique is based on high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It is shown to be sensitive to the chemical compositions of some fuels, including shale-derived jet fuel and a marine diesel fuel. These fuels were subsequently fractionated according to molecular type using liquid chromatography. Using the procedure developed, the oxidation characteristics of the fuel fractions were examined. The results suggest that the different amounts of the various molecular types present in different fuels may affect the overall stability of the fuels.

The DSC technique offers many advantages in terms of precision and sample size requirement, as well as in the number of parameters measured.