ASTM D7963-14

5.1 The present and growing international governmental requirements to add Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) to diesel fuel has had the unintended side-effect of leading to potential FAME contamination of fuels in multi-fuel transport facilities such as cargo tankers and pipelines, and industry wide concerns. This has led to a requirement to measure contamination levels in diesel and other fuels to assist custody transfer issues.

5.2 Analytical methods have been developed with the capability of measuring down to <5 mg/kg levels of FAME in aviation turbine fuel (AVTUR), however these are complex, and require specialized personnel and laboratory facilities. This Rapid Screening method has been developed for use in the supply chain by non-specialized personnel to cover the range of 20 mg/kg to 200 000 mg/kg (0.002 % to 20 %).

5.3 A similar procedure, Test Method D7797, is available for AVTUR in the range 20 mg/kg to 150 mg/kg. Test Method D7797 uses the same apparatus, with a specific model developed for AVTUR.

1.1 This test method specifies a rapid screening method using flow analysis by Fourier Transform Infrared (FA-FTIR) spectroscopy with partial least squares (PLS) processing for the quantitative determination of the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) contamination of middle distillates, in the range of 20 mg/kg to 1000 mg/kg, and of middle distillates and residual fuels, following dilution, for levels above 0.1 %.

1.2 All stated values are in SI units.

1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.