IP 579: Liquid petroleum products - Determination of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content in middle distillates - Infrared spectrometry Method

Overview:

Scope

This European Standard specifies a test method for the determination of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) content in diesel fuel or domestic heating fuel by mid infrared spectrometry, which applies to FAME contents of the three measurement ranges as follows:
— range A: for FAME contents ranging from approx. 0,05 % (V/V) to approx. 3 % (V/V);
— range B: for FAME contents ranging from approx. 3 % (V/V) to approx. 20 % (V/V);
— range C: for FAME contents ranging from approx. 20 % (V/V) to approx. 50 % (V/V).

Principally, higher FAME contents can also be analysed if diluted; however, no precision data for results outside the specified range is available at present.

This test method was verified to be applicable to samples which contain FAME conforming to EN 14214. Reliable quantitative results are obtained only if the samples do not contain any significant amounts of other interfering components, especially esters and other carbonyl compounds which possess absorption bands in the spectral region used for quantification of FAME. If such interfering components are  present, this test method is expected to produce higher values.

NOTE 1 For the purposes of this European Standard, the term “% (V/V)” is used to represent the volume fraction (φ) of a material.

NOTE 2 For conversion of grams FAME per litre (g FAME/l) to volume fraction, a fixed density for FAME of 883,0 kg/m3 is adopted.