Monitoring automobile fuel adulteration using ultrasound technique for environmental issues
Abstract
Fuel adulteration is a worldwide illegal practice associated with environmental pollution, engine performance degradation and government tax loss, while remaining difficult to control. With the aim of monitoring fuel quality at distribution points, a quick, simple and affordable measurement method based on ultrasound pulsed backscattering was tested towards fuel adulteration. Adulteration tests were carried out using Moroccan commercial gasoline blended with different proportions of diesel and kerosene at different temperatures. The results indicate the possibility of measuring the level of adulterant depending on the value of ultrasound speed, density and acoustic impedance, but were dependent on sample temperature. Nevertheless, subjecting the measured data to principal component analysis enabled detecting the presence and the level of kerosene and diesel in gasoline even at concentrations as low as 4.5% v/v, regardless of ambient temperature, which is especially important when conducting a routine check of fuel quality in real outdoor conditions.
- Publication:
-
Measurement
- Pub Date:
- January 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.measurement.2019.107004
- Bibcode:
- 2020Meas..15007004L
- Keywords:
-
- Adulteration;
- Fuel;
- Gasoline;
- Principal component analysis;
- Pollution emission;
- Ultrasound technique