Testing for Products Powered by Alternative Fuels

Overview

We perform product testing, inspection and certification for products powered by alternative fuels. We are at the forefront of developing standards for this quickly evolving industry. We test to all existing standards and assist customers in bringing safer products to market as quickly as possible.

Alternative fuels include the following varieties:

Biofuels are fuel compounds made from biological sources such as corn, grasses, oil seeds and animal byproducts. Biofuels are renewable and may provide some advantages such as cleaner burning or reduced emissions. While biofuels are safer, they do differ chemically from traditional fuels. These differences may cause incompatibilities of some equipment with certain biofuels. Additionally, biofuels may be more corrosive than other fuels and require coordination with fuel systems and fuel-burning equipment to reduce the risk of leaks or other damage.

Ethanol may be blended with gasoline in various proportions to produce different fuel blends. We offer multiple certification paths for fuel storage and dispensing equipment, from E10 to midlevel ethanol blends and flexible fuel – formerly referred to as E85. With these certification paths, manufacturers have certification options to choose from to balance market needs and provide maximum flexibility as advances are made in the fuel industry.

Biodiesel blends are used in place of traditional petrodiesel. We have provided practical guidance on the use of low-level B5 blends and have certification paths for equipment used with B5-B20 and B100.

Isobutanol (or biobutanol) may be blended with gasoline for vehicle fuels. We have provided practical guidance on the use of isobutanol blends.

Hydrogen products are required by fuel cell power sources to operate efficiently in producing electrical energy from the fuel source. Due to this hydrogen need, new industries have emerged to provide hydrogen generation, storage and dispensing products. Applications resulting from this industry include the refueling of vehicles with on-site hydrogen generators and storage tanks as well as replacement fuel containers for smaller scale consumer products, e.g., electronic products such as cellphones and portable computers. Specific hydrogen-related products within the industry include individual containers, hoses and safety devices associated with storage and dispensing equipment; solar or photosynthesis devices to generate hydrogen directly; and conversion devices that obtain hydrogen from natural gas, gasoline, methanol and other hydrocarbons.

Services

The UL Standards that we can test, inspect and certify to include:

• UL 87A Standard for Power-Operated Dispensing Devices for Gasoline and Gasoline/Ethanol Blends with Nominal Ethanol Concentrations up to 85 Percent (E0 – E85)
• UL 87B Outline of Investigation for Power-Operated Dispensing Devices for Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel Fuel, Diesel/Biodiesel Blends with Nominal Biodiesel Concentrations up to 20 Percent (B20), Kerosene, and Fuel Oil
• UL 330A Outline of Investigation for Hose and Hose Assemblies for Use with Dispensing Devices Dispensing Gasoline and Gasoline/Ethanol Blends with Nominal Ethanol Concentrations up to 85 Percent (E0 – E85)
• UL 330B Standard for Hose and Hose Assemblies for Use with Dispensing Devices Dispensing Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel Fuel, Diesel/Biodiesel Blends with Nominal Biodiesel Concentrations up to 20 Percent (B20), Kerosene, and Fuel Oil
• UL 428A Standard for Electrically Operated Valves for Gasoline and Gasoline/Ethanol Blends with Nominal Ethanol Concentrations up to 85 Percent (E0 – E85) for products intended for use with gasoline or gasoline/ethanol blends with nominal ethanol concentrations up to 85 percent (E85)
• UL 428B Standard for Electrically Operated Valves for Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel Fuel, Diesel/Biodiesel Blends with Nominal Biodiesel Concentrations up to 20 Percent (B20), Kerosene, and Fuel Oil
• UL 567A Standard for Emergency Breakaway Fittings, Swivel Connectors and Pipe-Connection Fittings for Gasoline and Gasoline/Ethanol Blends with Nominal Ethanol Concentrations up to 85 Percent (E0 – E85)
• UL 567B Standard for Emergency Breakaway Fittings, Swivel Connectors and Pipe-Connection Fittings for Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel Fuel, Diesel/Biodiesel Blends with Nominal Biodiesel Concentrations up to 20 Percent (B20), Kerosene, and Fuel Oil
• UL 842A Outline for Valves for Gasoline and Gasoline/Ethanol Blends with Nominal Ethanol Concentrations up to 85 Percent (E0 – E85)
• UL 842B Outline of Investigation for Valves for Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel Fuel, Diesel/Biodiesel Blends with Nominal Biodiesel Concentrations up to 20 Percent (B20), Kerosene and Fuel Oil
• UL 2586A Standard for Hose Nozzle Valves for Gasoline and Gasoline/Ethanol Blends with Nominal Ethanol Concentrations up to 85 Percent (E0 – E85)
• UL 2586B Standard for Hose Nozzle Valves for Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel Fuel, Diesel/Biodiesel Blends with Nominal Biodiesel Concentrations up to 20 Percent (B20), Kerosene, and Fuel Oil
• UL 331A Standard for Strainers for Gasoline and Gasoline/Ethanol Blends with Nominal Ethanol Concentrations up to 85 Percent (E0 – E85)
• UL 331B Standard for Strainers for Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel Fuel, Diesel/Biodiesel Blends with Nominal Biodiesel Concentrations up to 20 Percent (B20), Kerosene, and Fuel Oil
• CSA/ANSI NGV4.1 Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) Dispensing Systems
• CSA/ANSI HGV4.1 Hydrogen Dispensing Systems