E20 DURABILITY STUDY
CRC Project No. AVFL-15
Leaders: D. M. DiCicco
K. J. Wright
Scope and Objective
The objective of this project is to determine the durability of wetted fuel system components when exposed to E20. Functional testing of individual components will be one metric to evaluate the impact on wear of fuel pumps and fuel injectors. Quantitative data on the impact of E20 on the performance of plastics and elastomers will be determined; this includes fuel system O-rings and hose materials as well as fuel tank materials. The research will focus on older (late 1990s) vehicles that are considered to be at risk for durability issues, and are still a substantial fraction of the in-use fleet.
New fuel system pairs will be used for testing with the focus on components exhibiting the most susceptibility to ethanol content in the fuel. Fuel pumps will be a significant portion of the program and will include a pilot phase which exposes fuel pump components to each of the fuels, while other portions of the program include fuel injector testing and material testing of the complete fuel system (after 11 months of aging at 105º F). Functional testing on the fuel system components will be performed to determine the impact of wear when exposed to E20.
DOE/NREL is a co-sponsor of this project. This project is ongoing and is expected to continue into 2009.
