VUV Analytics Inc. announced today a significant accomplishment on their strategic roadmap with the publication of ASTM D8071 for the analysis of finished gasoline. This publication includes an updated precision statement and correlation equations for EPA referee methods, using the statistical technique to quantify bias defined in ASTM D6708.
The D02 committee approved ASTM D8071 as the “Standard Test Method for the Determination of Hydrocarbon Group Types and Select Hydrocarbon and Oxygenate Compounds in Automotive Spark-Ignition Fuel Using Gas Chromatography with Vacuum Ultraviolet Absorption Spectroscopy Detection (GC-VUV)”.
“This strategic milestone, officially making ASTM D8071 a published method for finished gasoline analysis, is a historic moment. VUV Analytics continues to expand our installed base of customers in the Oil & Gas and Testing Lab industries and this achievement further solidifies our position in this segment. While this is a significant achievement it is only the one of many that we will announce in 2019 and beyond,” said Clark Jernigan, CEO.
While the original method was approved by ASTM in 2017, it was necessary for VUV Analytics to complete an InterLaboratory Study (ILS) in order to submit a complete precision statement and research report to ASTM before final approval could be voted on. “It took less than 2 full years for VUV Analytics to complete the ILS. We are very proud of the outstanding repeatability and reproducibility demonstrated in this study, across a wide range of sample types and concentrations. We are also proud of the fact that during this ILS process we were able to demonstrate EPA equivalence across a number of existing ASTM methods, which will allow our customers to replace several testing methods and techniques with ASTM D8071 – saving them time and money,” commented Sean Jameson, SVP of Business Development, VUV Analytics.
Analyzing gasoline in accordance with EPA regulations and fuel specification limits requires the use of multiple ASTM methods and expensive equipment. ASTM D8071 can replace ASTM D1319 for Aromatics and Olefins, ASTM D5599 for Ethanol, ASTM D3606 for Benzene and ASTM D5769 for Aromatics. These four methods require different hardware configurations – adding to the expense and complexity. By contrast, ASTM D8071 not only replaces these methods, it only requires a single VUV Analyzer™ Platform. The VUV Analyzer is “a system that provides a single analysis platform that is rapidly capable of switching between different methods like ASTM D8071, ASTM D8267 (jet fuel), and Diesel with no changes in hardware or setup,” says Peter Boler, VP of Marketing, VUV Analytics. This means that “the VUV Analyzer offers a single, comprehensive platform for a multitude of hydrocarbon testing with simplified operations that minimizes cost and complexity challenges many of our customers face today.”