§79.55. Base fuel specifications. — Inbound Citations

(1) All required emission characterization and health effects testing procedures shall be performed on the mixture which results when the additive is combined with the base fuel for the appropriate fuel family (as specified in § 79.55) at the maximum concentration recommended by the additive manufacturer pursuant to § 79.21(d). This combination shall be known as the additive/base fuel mixture.

(i) The appropriate fuel family to be utilized for the additive/base fuel mixture is the fuel family which contains the specific type(s) of fuel for which the additive is presently registered or for which the manufacturer of the additive is seeking registration.

(A) If an additive product is registered in two or more fuel families as of May 27, 1994, then the manufacturer of that additive is responsible for testing (or participating in group testing of) the respective additive/base fuel mixtures in compliance with the requirements of this subpart for each fuel family in which the manufacturer wishes to maintain a registration for its additive.

(B) If a manufacturer is seeking to register such additive in two or more fuel families then, for testing and registration purposes, the additive shall be considered to be a member of each fuel family in which the manufacturer is seeking registration. The manufacturer is responsible for testing (or participating in group testing of) the respective additive/base fuel mixture in compliance with the requirements of this subpart for each fuel family in which the manufacturer wishes to obtain a product registration for its additive.

(iii) In the case of the methanol fuel family, which contains two base fuels (M100 and M85 base fuels, pursuant to § 79.55(d)), the applicable base fuel is the one which represents the fuel/additive group (specified in § 79.56(e)(4)(i)(C)) containing fuels of which the most gallons are sold annually.

(iv) Aftermarket additives which are intended by the manufacturer to be added to the fuel tank only at infrequent intervals shall be applied according to the manufacturer's specifications during mileage accumulation, pursuant to § 79.57(c). However, during emission generation and testing, each tankful of fuel used must contain the fuel additive at its maximum recommended level. If the additive manufacturer believes that this maximum treatment rate will cause adverse effects to the test engine and/or that the engine's emissions may be subject to artifacts due to overuse of the additive, then the manufacturer may submit a request to EPA for modification of this requirement and related test procedures. Such request must include objective evidence that the modification(s) are needed, along with data demonstrating the maximum concentration of the additive which may actually reach the fuel tanks of vehicles in use.

(v) Additives produced exclusively for use in #1 diesel fuel shall be tested in the diesel base fuel specified in § 79.55(c), even though that base fuel is formulated with #2 diesel fuel. If a manufacturer is concerned that emissions generated from this combination of fuel and additive are subject to artifacts due to this blending, then that manufacturer may submit a request for a modification in test procedure requirements to the EPA. Any such request must include supporting test results and suggested test modifications.

(vi) Bulk additives which are used intermittently for the direct purpose of conditioning or treating a fuel during storage or transport, or for treating or maintaining the storage, pipeline, and/or other components of the fuel distribution system itself and not the vehicle/engine for which the fuel is ultimately intended, shall, for purposes of this program, be added to the base fuel at the maximum concentration recommended by the additive manufacturer for treatment of the fuel or distribution system component. However, if the additive manufacturer believes that this treatment rate will cause adverse effects to the test engine and/or that the engine's emissions may be subject to artifacts due to overuse of the additive, then the manufacturer may submit a request to EPA for modification of this requirement and related test procedures. Such request must include objective evidence that the modification(s) are needed, along with data demonstrating the maximum concentration of the additive which may actually reach the fuel tanks of vehicles in use.

(3) In the case of the individual emission products of non-baseline or atypical fuels and additives (pursuant to § 79.56(e)(2)), the literature data need not be submitted for those emission products which are the same as the combustion emission products of the respective base fuel for the product's fuel family (pursuant to § 79.55). For this purpose, data on the base fuel emission products for the product's fuel family:

(i) May be found in the literature of previously-conducted, adequate emission speciation studies for the base fuel, or for a fuel or additive/fuel mixture capable of grouping with the base fuel (see, for example, the references in paragraph (b)(5) of this section).

(ii) May be compiled while gathering internal control data during emissions characterization studies on the manufacturer's non-baseline or atypical product; or

(iii) May be obtained from various manufacturers in the course of their testing different additive(s) belonging to the same fuel family, or in the testing of a base fuel serving as representative of the baseline group for the respective fuel family.

(1) Each of the following six fuel families (Table F94-7, columns A-F) includes fuels of the type referenced in the name of the family as well as bulk and aftermarket additives which are intended for use in those fuels. When applied to fuel additives, the criteria in these descriptions refer to the associated additive/base fuel mixture, pursuant to § 79.51(h)(1). One or more base fuel formulations are specified for each fuel family pursuant to § 79.55.

(i) The Gasoline Family includes fuels composed of more than 50 percent gasoline by volume and their associated fuel additives. The base fuel for this family is specified in § 79.55(b).

(ii) The Diesel Family includes fuels composed of more than 50 percent diesel fuel by volume and their associated fuel additives. The Diesel fuel family includes both Diesel #1 and Diesel #2 formulations. The base fuel for this family is specified in § 79.55(c).

(iii) The Methanol Family includes fuels composed of at least 50 percent methanol by volume and their associated fuel additives. The M100 and M85 base fuels are specified in § 79.55(d).

(iv) The Ethanol Family includes fuels composed of at least 50 percent ethanol by volume and their associated fuel additives. The base fuel for this family is E85 as specified in § 79.55(e).

(v) The Methane Family includes compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuels containing at least 50 mole percent methane and their associated fuel additives. The base fuel for the family is a CNG formulation specified in § 79.55(f).

(vi) The Propane Family includes propane fuels containing at least 50 percent propane by volume and their associated fuel additives. The base fuel for this family is a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as specified in § 79.55(g).

(vii) A manufacturer seeking registration for formulation(s) which do not fit the criteria for inclusion in any of the fuel families described in this section shall contact EPA at the address in § 79.59(a)(1) for further guidance in classifying and testing such formulation(s).

(i) Base fuel parameter values (including types and concentrations of base fuel additives) or test fuel composition (if a fuel other than the base fuel is used in testing). These values must be provided for each of the fuel parameters specified in § 79.55 for the applicable fuel family.

(i) The Gasoline Family includes fuels composed of more than 50 percent gasoline by volume and their associated fuel additives. The base fuel for this family is specified in § 79.55(b).

(v) Additives produced exclusively for use in #1 diesel fuel shall be tested in the diesel base fuel specified in § 79.55(c), even though that base fuel is formulated with #2 diesel fuel. If a manufacturer is concerned that emissions generated from this combination of fuel and additive are subject to artifacts due to this blending, then that manufacturer may submit a request for a modification in test procedure requirements to the EPA. Any such request must include supporting test results and suggested test modifications.

(ii) The Diesel Family includes fuels composed of more than 50 percent diesel fuel by volume and their associated fuel additives. The Diesel fuel family includes both Diesel #1 and Diesel #2 formulations. The base fuel for this family is specified in § 79.55(c).

(iii) In the case of the methanol fuel family, which contains two base fuels (M100 and M85 base fuels, pursuant to § 79.55(d)), the applicable base fuel is the one which represents the fuel/additive group (specified in § 79.56(e)(4)(i)(C)) containing fuels of which the most gallons are sold annually.

(iii) The Methanol Family includes fuels composed of at least 50 percent methanol by volume and their associated fuel additives. The M100 and M85 base fuels are specified in § 79.55(d).

(iv) The Ethanol Family includes fuels composed of at least 50 percent ethanol by volume and their associated fuel additives. The base fuel for this family is E85 as specified in § 79.55(e).

(v) The Methane Family includes compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuels containing at least 50 mole percent methane and their associated fuel additives. The base fuel for the family is a CNG formulation specified in § 79.55(f).

(vi) The Propane Family includes propane fuels containing at least 50 percent propane by volume and their associated fuel additives. The base fuel for this family is a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as specified in § 79.55(g).