Aug-2019

VUV Analytics extends jet fuel and gasoline analysis capabilities

VUV Analytics is pleased to announce a series of momentous accomplishments; the approval of ASTM D8267 for jet fuel analysis, the approval of a revision of ASTM D8071 for finished gasoline analysis and the release of the VUV Analyzer™ for Fuels, a single GC-VUV platform capable of numerous fuels analysis methods.

Alex Hodgson
VUV Analytics

Article Summary

ASTM’s international committee D02 on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels and Lubricants have approved ASTM D8267 “Standard Test Method for Determination of Saturated Hydrocarbon, Aromatic and Diaromatic Content of Aviation Turbine Fuels Using Gas Chromatography with Vacuum Ultraviolet Absorption Spectroscopy Detection (GC-VUV)”.  VUV Analytics developed this method in response to the December 2018 bulletin in which ASTM determined that ASTM D1319 “Standard Test Method for Hydrocarbon Types in Liquid Petroleum Products by Fluorescent Indicator Adsorption” is no longer viable because the dye necessary for the test is in limited supply and a suitable replacement is not available. International jet fuel specifications cite ASTM D1319 as the referee method for the determination of aromatics in jet fuel.  The GC-VUV D8267 method is ten times (10X) less expensive to operate than ASTM D1319 and five times (5X) less expensive than ASTM D6379.  The publication of ASTM D8267 is imminent.

The ASTM approval of a new revision of ASTM D8071 includes a robust precision statement for thirteen gasoline parameters and now provides ASTM D6708 EPA equivalency equations for D5769 for aromatics, D1319 for olefins, D3606 for benzene, and D5599 for ethanol.  ASTM D8071 provides automated analysis and reporting of all these results and correlations.

VUV Analytics has also announced the release of the VUV Analyzer for Fuels. The VUV Analyzer for Fuels represents the latest in fuels analysis technology by combining the power of GC-VUV technology with the push-button simplicity of VUV Analyze™ Software into one easy-to-use platform capable of running ASTM D8071 and D8267 with no changes in hardware.

The VUV Analyze Software greatly simplifies and accelerates analysis time by automating post-acquisition processing. Simply with the push of a button, complex chromatographic and spectral data are quickly analysed. This is all made possible with Time Interval Deconvolution™ (TID).  TID works by segmenting a chromatogram into regularly spaced time intervals. Each time interval is then automatically analysed to determine the contribution of each compound to the measured spectra. This means complex chromatograms can be easily and reliably deconvolved, without the need for a fixed peak table or operator intervention.

The VUV Analyzer for Fuels is becoming the new industry standard.  The multi-method platform architecture combined with the robustness of GC-VUV detection and next generation analytics software automates data analysis in a way not available until now – increasing productivity, reducing costs, and providing confidence in results.