ASTM International

Standard Practice for Blending Mid-Level Ethanol Fuel Blends for Flexible-Fuel Vehicles with Automotive Spark-Ignition Engines
 N D7794

Annotation

This practice applies to the blending of automotive spark-ignition engine fuels with ethanol concentrations greater than those suitable for conventional-fuel vehicles and less than the minimum ethanol content specification limits of Specification D5798. These mid-level ethanol fuel blends are for use in flexible-fuel vehicles and are sometimes referred to at retail as "Ethanol Flex Fuel."

These mid-level ethanol fuel blends are only suitable for use in ground flexible-fuel vehicles equipped with sparkignition engines. Flexible-fuel vehicles are designed to operate on gasoline or gasoline-ethanol blends that meet the requirements of Specification D4814, ethanol fuel blends that meet the requirements of Specification D5798, or any combination of these. In the United States, these vehicles are certified by the U.S. EPA as emissions compliant with these types of fuels.

The mid-level ethanol fuel blend shall be blended from either:

Denatured fuel ethanol conforming to the requirements of Specification D4806 with a reduced limit on inorganic chloride content that will ensure no more than 1 mg/kg inorganic chloride in the finished fuel and from spark-ignition engine fuel conforming to Specification D4814 (often at a distribution terminal or bulk plant), or

Ethanol fuel blends conforming to Specification D5798 and from spark-ignition engine fuel conforming to Specification D4814 (often at a retail site).

This practice describes the required procedures for blending various mid-level ethanol fuel blends for flexible-fuel vehicles at the bulk distribution point or retail/commercial delivery site. These requirements may be applied at other points in the production and distribution system when provided by agreement between the purchaser and the supplier.