Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils Now Includes ASTM D7345

ASTM recently published its latest version of the ASTM D975-12 Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils, which included an alternate distillation method, ASTM D7345. This alternate method achieves significant response time improvements compared to the conventional ASTM D86 method. PAC (USA), a specialist global provider of advanced analytical instruments for laboratories and online process applications, developed the ISL PMD 110 and ISL MicroDist, which utilises this alternative method.

The ISL PMD 110 is a laboratory instrument that determines the complete distillation curve within 8 minutes using data from one phase transition, evaporation, thus eliminating the process of condensation. It is based on fundamental thermodynamic dependencies. Immediately after test completion, distillation characteristics are calculated from collected data with an ASTM D86 / ISO 3405 compliant detailed report.

This instrument is universal, reliable, and applicable to any petroleum product, without prior knowledge of its properties. The ISL PMD 110 is easy to use since no heating power programming or group selection is necessary to start a test. It also minimises the amount of sample waste since it uses only 10ml of sample for the test. Since it is a portable unit requiring no sample preparation, it is also a perfect solution for terminals and mobile labs. It is able to compare the measured distillation curve with up to 80 user defined specifications and just give an in spec / off spec answer.

The ISL MicroDist utilises the same technology in the process that the ISL PMD110 utilises in the lab. The MicroDist is used for process optimisation and product certification and control of blending processes for various refining streams including motor gasoline, fuel oils, naphtha and diesel. Customers are able to have greater control over their process since full distillation analysis can be provided every 7 minutes. This enables continuous process optimisation and production control throughout.

“PAC is committed to providing leading technology to its customers in the form of both lab and process applications,” says Daniel Benitez, PAC Vice-President of Process Analytics. “By providing the same technology at a variety of aspects in plants and refineries, we are helping customers create quality products on spec.”