Compatibility of Different Automotive Elastomers in Paraffinic Diesel Fuel

Abstract

The introduction of new fuels to power internal combustion engines requires testing the compatibility of such fuels with materials commonly used in fuel supply systems. This paper investigates the influence of alternative fuels on the acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber and fluoroelastomer used in the automotive industry. In the study, conventional diesel fuel, its blend with 7% of fatty acid methyl esters and paraffinic diesel fuel produced with the Fisher Tropsch synthesis from natural gas were interacted with the elastomers. The immersion tests were carried out at room temperature (20 °C) for 168 h. The effect was evaluated based on changes in the selected rubber’s volume, mass and hardness. It has been confirmed that the synthetic component without aromatic hydrocarbons had a different effect on the tested rubber than did conventional fuel. In follow-up work, the selected rubbers were also subjected to microscopic observation. The most frequently observed effect was the washing out of the seal protective layer.