Page 22 - Fuels & Lubes International 2014 - Q2

FUELS & LUBES INTERNATIONAL Volume 20 Issue 2 22
The move to change the gasoline volatility
spec has been in progress for nearly 10 years.
A ballot to relax TVL20 at sea level passed
ASTM in 2011. OEMs were concerned about
performance in vehicles operating at high
altitudes, such as in the mountainous parts
of the western U.S. To address their concerns,
the Coordinating Research Council (CRC)
conducted studies in 2010, which showed
no changes in performance. The latest ballot
to relax TVL20 at high altitude received the
required two-thirds vote at the subcommittee
level. One negative vote was declared non-
persuasive in December 2013. It will now be
balloted by the full committee and will require
90% of the committee to vote in favor of the
change to become part of ASTM D4814.
Further changes to the volatility spec such
as relaxing the TV50 temperature and the RVP
are on hold, pending data collection.
Assuming that a new volatility spec passes
all hurdles, the timing of a real-world impact
depends upon regulators. Some U.S. states,
for example, cite the most recent ASTM spec,
so any change in the ASTM spec immediately
becomes law. Others call for a particular
version of the standard to be used, so any
change would be legally binding only when
the new version of the standard is specified.
For consumers, there should be little
or no effect. That is by design, in part
because maintaining fuel quality and supply
is important.
“We’re not going into a regime where we’re
going to be changing the U.S. gasoline supply.
Actually, what we’re doing is mainly reflecting
the reality of what has been in the market for
a while,” Simnick said.
James Simnick