Engine fuels technical committee - Activity
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A very useful committee |
Test methods developed by the CTCM are reliable and useful tools enabling the industry to assess the performance of fuels in internal combustion engines.
These methods offer the end user, i.e. the vehicle driver, quality products that are up to the mark, owing to the array of standardised tests which are relevant, trustworthy and acknowledged by all the fuel and petroleum industries.
Most test methods in use are assessing the influence of fuel or additive quality on engine performance. That is why the GFC-CTCM publication lists propose test methods aiming at reproducing the following incidents:
- fouling of carburettor (flange, throttle), injectors, and inlet manifold,
- valve and combustion chamber deposits,
- inlet valve sticking,
- wear of mechanical components such as bearings, injection pump …,
- cold or hot weather driveability of petrol or diesel vehicles
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Birth of a test method |
A test method is first prompted by the will to reproduce, at low cost, a major incident occurring or likely to occur in an engine. This can happen following a problem observed in service or in the course of developing new engine technologies, and the influence of fuels properties and quality can be assessed.
An Investigation group is then created in order to gather information, make a synthesis and indicate the need for a specific test method.
If the need is clearly defined, the group becomes a Project group who will develop a new test method likely to reproduce the incident. The end product will be a ready-to-use test method, supported by inter-laboratory round robin tests showing the statistical validity of the results obtained.
When the method has reached a satisfactory conclusion, the group becomes a Surveillance working group whose role is to conduct annual round robin tests monitoring closely the precision and relevancy of the method.
The Surveillance group may organise a promotion campaign of the method for characterising a market for instance. It would also have to decide on the withdrawal of the method when it has become obsolete (parts being no longer available, method having lost its relevance ...).
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Developing a test method |
When the first draft of the method is finalised and the first round robin testing organised, the method is said to be in its Experimental stage and receives the “X” status.
If the round robin test results show a good precision and quality, the method becomes Tentative with the “T” status.
Approved “A” status is obtained after several round robin tests, defined by the GAS-Comité Technique d’Analyses Statistiques- (Statistical Analysis Technical Committee), have been run and the results show satisfactory precision, repeatability, reproducibility and discriminating power corresponding to the GAS rigorous demands.
When a method is not used any more, or becomes obsolete, it loses official recognition by the GFC.
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