Standards Development

Scope

This document specifies an automated method for the determination of the cold filter plugging point (CFPP) of diesel and domestic heating fuels using linear cooling. This document is applicable to fatty-acid methyl esters (FAME) and to distillate fuels as well as paraffinic diesel fuels, including those containing FAME, flow-improvers or other additives, intended for use in diesel engines and domestic heating installations. The results obtained from the method specified in this document are suitable for estimating the lowest temperature at which a fuel will give trouble-free flow in the fuel system.

Purpose

Following concerns raised by users about finding glassware compliant with the EN 16329 requirements regarding the wall thickness of test tubes (1,20mm±0,15mm), it was found that most glassware complies with EN 116 (1,25mm±0,25mm) but not all meets the narrower wall thickness tolerances of EN 16329. WG14 thus carried out a comparative testing study to check whether the wall thickness of the tubes would affect the CFPP results. The outcome of the study was that no meaningful correlation could be found between wall thickness and CFPP over the tested range from 1,2mm to 1,5mm. The proposal is therefore to:

- align the specifications in EN 16329 with EN 116,

- include a note clarifying that the precision statement was established using tubes within the narrower EN 16329 range,

-include a summary of the study in an informative annex to provide documentary support for the change.