14/07/2005 - The arrival
of a new cetane testing device will help ensure
Australians are supplied with cleaner diesel
and biodiesel fuels, Minister for the Environment
and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, said today.
Senator Campbell said Cetane was an important
measure of the ignition quality of these fuels,
but up until now its direct measurement could
not be carried out in Australia.
“Higher levels of cetane in diesel and biofuels,
like octane in petrol, make your vehicle perform
better. Many low cetane fuels increase engine
deposits, leading to more smoke, increased
exhaust emissions and greater engine wear,”
Senator Campbell said.
“The Canadian-made Ignition Quality Tester
(IQT) is the first of its kind in Australia.
“While Australia’s diesel suppliers already
provide a high-quality product, this new level
of independent testing will provide consumers
with greater confidence in the quality of
the diesel fuels they buy.”
Australia currently tests diesel against
the less accurate ‘cetane index’. The arrival
of the IQT will enable diesel to be tested
against a ‘cetane number’, a higher standard
that operates in the United States and Europe.
“From September 18, when a cetane standard
for biodiesel is introduced, the IQT will
also give us the ability to measure the cetane
number in biodiesel fuels, ensuring they comply
with the standards we expect.
“We are moving into a new era of accuracy
in the testing techniques we use to determine
the quality of diesel and biodiesel fuels,
an important step forward for Australian consumers.”
Senator Campbell said the capacity to test
for the cetane number in diesel and biodiesel
fuels would help in the Australian Government’s
effort to clean up fuels as part of its national
fuel compliance and enforcement program for
the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000.
The Department of the Environment and Heritage
helped Intertek-Caleb Brett bring the IQT
to Australia. The test can be used on any
compression ignition fuel including conventional
diesel, biodiesel and blends, mixtures of
diesel and alcohol and petroleum diesels with
added cetane improver.
