Texas OilTech Laboratories specializes in the testing of a wide range of fuels for various industries. Please refer to our various subtopics for further information on each subject. As always, our knowledgable sales team is happy to provide you with guidance and feedback to better serve your needs.
Gas and Ethanol Fuels
At Texas OilTech Laboratories, we offer a wide range of testing for automotive fuels, relying on both precision analysis through our use of ASTM D specifications and state-of-the-art technology. Automotive fuel testing is an essential service particularly to refiners, blenders and both retail and wholesale suppliers of gasoline, since this analysis ensures that their product meets the requirements of regulatory agencies. These tests also help to safeguard the quality and durability of petroleum products as required for the safety and maintenance of consumer and their automobiles.
In this package of testing, we offer analysis on distillation of petroleum products at atmospheric pressure, vapor pressure analysis using the automatic method, analysis of lead content in gasoline (for unleaded grade fuel) by X-Ray Spectroscopy, and corrosion analysis using the Copper Strip Tarnish Test.
We also recommend testing for existent gum content using Air Jet Evaporation, a test for sulfur using X-ray Spectrometry, a test of the induction period using oxidation stability, water tolerance analysis, and MTBE, ETBE, TAME, DIPE, tertiary-Amyl alcohol and C1 to C4 analysis in gasoline by gas chromatography.
Sample Summary Report
| Group Type | Total (Mass%) | Total (Vol%) | Total (Mol%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paraffins: | 19.3599 | 22.0769 | 22.3822 |
| I-Paraffins: | 36.7648 | 38.5105 | 31.1047 |
| Olefins: | 8.2424 | 8.5513 | 8.4504 |
| Napthenes: | 8.4147 | 7.8273 | 7.047 |
| Aromatics: | 17.0539 | 13.8945 | 12.746 |
| Total C14+: | 0.0061 | 0.0056 | 0.0025 |
| Total Unknowns: | ** | ** | ** |
We also offer a range of recommended additional tests, including vapor pressure analysis by the Mini method, Octane number ratings by both the Motor method as well as addition research, and tests for Phosphorous by Gravimetic analysis and Oxygenates by gas chromatography.
Diesel and Biodiesel Fuels
Diesel engines can burn a wide range of hydrocarbon fuels ranging from light distillate fuels such as No. 1 Diesel to heavy residual fuels such as Bunker C or No. 5 Fuel Oil. New regulations from Diesel Motor Fuels dictate low sulfur levels.
Biodiesel Blend Stock is derived from vegetable oil and animal fat and may beblended with petroleum distillate fuels to achieve regulated levels of sulfur or aromatics. Presently, Biodiesel B 100 Blend Stock is available in two grades: S15 has a sulfur content of less than 15 ppm (0.0015 wt%); S500 has a sulfur content of less than 500 ppm (0.05 wt %).
Up to 5% Biodiesel that meets ASTM Specification D 6751-08 is permittedfor use in No. 1 and No. 2 grades of Diesel Fuel. Test method EN 14078 for Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) is used to determine the percentage of Biodiesel in a diesel fuel.
Gas Fuels for Power Generation
At Texas OilTech Laboratories, we provide our clients with the means necessary to stay up-to-date with current trends in power generation fuel testing. Just within the past few years, the energy production has shifted from being primarily coal-based to including markets for natural gas, biodiesel and renewable energy and most recently, shale gas. As the energy market changes to reflect new technologies and breakthroughs in power generation, Texas OilTech Laboratories mirrors these modern advancements by providing the corresponding analytical testing necessary to stay ahead of this dynamic industry.
Specifically, we are able to test the various qualities and characteristics of natural gas samples, which provides useful information in terms of power generation. We can test for a wide range of analyses including the sulfur content, the particulates and contaminants, the water content, heavier hydrocarbons, metals analysis, and the higher and lower heating values. These characteristics also help to inform combustion rates, which allow an understanding of when the turbines will turn the gas into power.
The properties of the gas sample also dictate its quality. Through our analytics, we are able to provide our clients with the various contents and components of the gas, including the methane, ethane, and butane. Understanding these components and their ratios gives our clients a better understanding into the power generation capabilities specific to the gas sampled.
Liquid Fuels for Power Generation
In addition to providing testing for gaseous fuels, we also provide our clients with testing packages for liquid fuels used in power generation. These include a range of fuels including diesel, biodiesel, gas, heavy fuel oil, and jet fuel, which are the most common fuels used in power generation.
A pre-fire quality control check of the liquid fuel is critical for the future operations of the power plant. In many instances, liquid fuel is subjected to processes that can potentially contaminate the fuel. Potential sources of fuel oil contaminants include through the refining process itself, at the transfer station and storage tanks, on fuel trucks and barges, and through any inheres dissolved particles in the fuel. At Texas OilTech Laboratories we have created special packages to determine the extent, the nature, and the source of such contaminants so that they can be eliminated.
Our analyses provide our clients with valuable information regarding their liquid fuel samples that are necessary in the generation of power. We also provide guidance and assistance in understanding these fuels’ properties, so that power can be generated in an efficient manner.
Aviation Fuels
At Texas OilTech Laboratories, we test both types of aviation fuel: Jet A and Jet A-1. Though both are kerosene-type of fuels, their freeze points (the temperature at which wax crystals disappear in a test) differ. As a result, a particular component, the static dissipater additive, is added to the Jet A-1 fuel, which has lower freeze point than that of Jet A.
ASTM Specification D 6615 identifies a specific type of aviation turbine fuel for civil use. This fuel is a wide boiling range distillate fuel and has the advantage of operating in very low temperature environments. ASTM D 6155 is a related specification for Aviation Turbine Fuels that requires many of the same test procedures.
ASTM D 7223 is the current standard specification for Jet C-1 Aviation Certification Turbine Fuels.
Marine Fuels
Testing marine fuels provides a vital service to support and enhance the growing world trade industry. Our primary goal in testing marine fuels is to ensure fuel efficiency and reliability. At Texas OilTech Laboratories, we recommend test packages for marine diesel fuels based on the International Standards Specification ISO 8217 to maintain high quality and efficiency, particularly for those in the marine industry, including marine equipment designers, suppliers, and purchasers of marine fuels.
The specification ISO 8217 covers a total of nineteen grades of Marine Fuel (Class F), which include four grades of Marine Distillate Fuel and fifteen grades of Marine Residual Fuel. This classification reflects the wide range of petroleum fuels that are used in marine diesel engines and boilers.
Marine diesel engines are designed to burn a wide range of hydrocarbon fuels ranging from light distillate fuels to residual fuels such as Bunker C or No. 5 Fuel Oil.
Our test packages show the recommended tests for qualifying a given fuel grade. Other optional tests are also shown to give a more detailed description of stored fuels when oxidation or contamination may be of special concern.
Alternative Fuels and Biofuels
Bioenergy is energy contained in living, or recently living, biological organisms, a definition which specifically excludes fossil fuels. In order to be considered a biofuel, a fuel must contain over 80% renewable material.
Liquid biofuels are primarily ethanol, biodiesel, vegetable oil, algae oil, and pyrolysis oil. Biogas is usually methane gas recovered from manure, sludge, solid waste, or other biomass. Solid biofuels include wood, dried manure, charcoal, and biomass pellets.
Biofuels are considered alternative fuels. These fuels may be used alone or more commonly as supplemental fuels to provide electricity or heat.
In addition, the test procedures we offer at Texas OilTech Laboratories can also be applied to many of the other alternative fuels and biofuel products that are being developed as supplemental fuels. When no formal specification are available, biofuels must be evaluated in terms of their carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen content, moisture and volatiles, potential Btu content, and for chlorine, fluorine, and any regulated metals in the combustion residue including zinc, calcium, iron, chromium, cadmium, and lead.
ASTM Standard Practice D 6270 gives guidance for the evaluation of chips from scrap tires, commonly called Tire-Derived Fuel or TDF, when used as a boiler fuel either alone or co-fired with coal, sludge, or wood.
TDF is defined as a tire that has been shredded and processed into a rubber chip ranging from 1 to 4 inches in size. These rubber-oil-carbon black chips are a high quality fuel with an energy content of about 30 MBtu/ton which ranks it below fuel oil but above sub-bituminous coal.
TDF provides a competitively priced fuel for use in co-fired boilers (10 to 30%) with wood or coal, or to supplement an existing fuel that is in limited supply.
Many of the test procedures parallel those for coal and those listed below serve as a guideline. As in all fuels, the emphasis is in the hydrocarbon content, the heating value of the fuel, the moisture and volatility, and the potential contaminants in the fuel and in the ash.
