Fuel-contamination test facility opens at SwRI
Staff -- Test & Measurement World, 3/1/2003
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI; San Antonio, TX; http://www.swri.edu) has completed a 5000-ft² facility dedicated to fuel contamination research and testing. The facility consists of more than 4200 ft² of lab space and houses 12 automated test cells. Nine of the cells perform gasoline testing, two perform diesel testing, and one performs hybrid fuel-cell testing.
The dedicated test cells enable SwRI to vary a wide range of variables, including temperature, pressure, fuel flow, and fuel/vapor cycles, while running tests. Using an automated fluid heating and cooling system, engineers can vary test temperatures from –40°F to +170°F. They also can vary the amount and types of contaminants introduced into the systems under test.
