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§1060.501 General testing provisions.
(a) This subpart is addressed to you as a certifying manufacturer but it applies equally to anyone who does testing for you.
(b) Unless we specify otherwise, the terms “procedures” and “test procedures” in this part include all aspects of testing, including the equipment specifications, calibrations, calculations, and other protocols and procedural specifications needed to measure emissions.
§1060.505 Other procedures.
(a) Your testing. The procedures in this part apply for all testing you do to show compliance with emission standards, with certain exceptions listed in this section.
(b) Our testing. These procedures generally apply for testing that we do to determine if your equipment complies with applicable emission standards. We may perform other testing as allowed by the Clean Air Act.
(c) Exceptions. We may allow or require you to use procedures other than those specified in this part in the following cases:
(1) You may request to use special procedures if your equipment cannot be tested using the specified procedures. We will approve your request if we determine that it would produce emission measurements that represent in-use operation and we determine that it can be used to show compliance with the requirements of the standard-setting part.
(2) You may ask to use emission data collected using other procedures, such as those of the California Air Resources Board or the International Organization for Standardization. We will approve this only if you show us that using these other procedures does not affect your ability to show compliance with the applicable emission standards. This generally requires emission levels to be far enough below the applicable emission standards so any test differences do not affect your ability to state unconditionally that your equipment will meet all applicable emission standards when tested using the specified test procedures.
(3) You may request to use alternate procedures that are equivalent to the specified procedures, or procedures that are more accurate or more precise than the specified procedures. We may perform tests with your equipment using either the approved alternate procedures or the specified procedures. See 40 CFR 1065.12 for a description of the information that is generally required for such alternate procedures.
(4) The test procedures are specified for gasoline-fueled equipment. If your equipment will use another volatile liquid fuel instead of gasoline, use a test fuel that is representative of the fuel that will be used with the equipment in use. You may ask us to approve other changes to the test procedures to reflect the effects of using a fuel other than gasoline.
(d) Approval. If we require you to request approval to use other procedures under paragraph (c) of this section, you may not use them until we approve your request.
[86 FR 34531, Jun. 29, 2021]
§1060.510 How do I test EPA Low-Emission Fuel Lines for permeation emissions?
For EPA Low-Emission Fuel Lines, measure emissions according to SAE J2260, which is incorporated by reference in §1060.810.
[74 FR 8427, Feb. 24, 2009]
§1060.515 How do I test EPA Nonroad Fuel Lines and EPA Cold-Weather Fuel Lines for permeation emissions?
Measure emission as follows for EPA Nonroad Fuel Lines and EPA Cold-Weather Fuel Lines:
(a) Prior to permeation testing, use good engineering judgment to precondition the fuel line by filling it with the fuel specified in this paragraph (a), sealing the openings, and soaking it for at least four weeks at 43 ±5°C or eight weeks at 23 ±5°C.
(1) For EPA Nonroad Fuel Lines, use Fuel CE10, which is Fuel C as specified in ASTM D471 (incorporated by reference in §1060.810) blended with ethanol such that the blended fuel has 10.0 ±1.0 percent ethanol by volume.
(2) For EPA Cold-Weather Fuel Lines, use gasoline blended with ethanol as described in §1060.501(c).
(b) Drain the fuel line and refill it immediately with the fuel specified in paragraph (a) of this section. Be careful not to spill any fuel.
(c) Except as specified in paragraph (d) of this section, measure fuel line permeation emissions using the equipment and procedures for weight-loss testing specified in SAE J30 or SAE J1527 (incorporated by reference in §1060.810). Start the measurement procedure within 8 hours after draining and refilling the fuel line. Perform the emission test over a sampling period of 14 days. You may omit up to two daily measurements in any seven-day period. Determine your final emission result based on the average of measured values over the 14-day period. Maintain an ambient temperature of (23±2) °C throughout the sampling period, except for intervals up to 30 minutes for daily weight measurements.
(d) For fuel lines with a nominal inner diameter below 5.0 mm, you may alternatively measure fuel line permeation emissions using the equipment and procedures for weight-loss testing specified in SAE J2996 (incorporated by reference in §1060.810). Determine your final emission result based on the average of measured values over the 14-day sampling period. Maintain an ambient temperature of (23±2) °C throughout the sampling period, except for intervals up to 30 minutes for daily weight measurements.
(e) Use good engineering judgment to test short fuel line segments. For example, you may need to join individual fuel line segments using proper connection fittings to achieve enough length and surface area for a proper measurement. Size the fuel reservoir appropriately for the tested fuel line.
[73 FR 59298, Oct. 8, 2008, as amended at 74 FR 8427, Feb. 24, 2009; 75 FR 23027, Apr. 30, 2010; 80 FR 9116, Feb. 19, 2015; 86 FR 34531, Jun. 29, 2021; 88 FR 4669, Jan. 24, 2023]
§1060.520 How do I test fuel tanks for permeation emissions?
Measure permeation emissions by weighing a sealed fuel tank before and after a temperature-controlled soak.
(a) Preconditioning durability testing. Take the following steps before an emission test, in any order, if your emission control technology involves surface treatment or other post-processing treatments such as an epoxy coating:
(1) Pressure cycling. Perform a pressure test by sealing the fuel tank and cycling it between 13.8 and ?3.4 kPa ( 2.0 and ?0.5 psig) for 10,000 cycles at a rate of 60 seconds per cycle. The purpose of this test is to represent environmental wall stresses caused by pressure changes and other factors (such as vibration or thermal expansion). If your fuel tank cannot be tested using the pressure cycles specified by this paragraph (a)(1), you may ask to use special test procedures under §1060.505.
(2) UV exposure. Perform a sunlight-exposure test by exposing the fuel tank to an ultraviolet light of at least 24 W/m2 (0.40 W-hr/m2/min) on the fuel tank surface for at least 450 hours. Alternatively, the fuel tank may be exposed to direct natural sunlight for an equivalent period of time as long as you ensure that the fuel tank is exposed to at least 450 daylight hours.
(3) Slosh testing. Perform a slosh test by filling the fuel tank to 40-50 percent of its capacity with the fuel specified in paragraph (e) of this section and rocking it at a rate of 15 cycles per minute until you reach one million total cycles. Use an angle deviation of 15° to ?15° from level. Take steps to ensure that the fuel remains at 40-50 percent of its capacity throughout the test run.
(4) Cap testing. Perform durability cycles on fuel caps intended for use with handheld equipment by putting the fuel cap on and taking it off 300 times. Tighten the fuel cap each time in a way that represents the typical in-use experience.
(b) Preconditioning fuel soak. Take the following steps before an emission test:
(1) Fill the fuel tank to its nominal capacity with the fuel specified in paragraph (e) of this section, seal it, and allow it to soak at (28±5) °C for at least 20 weeks. Alternatively, the fuel tank may be soaked for at least 10 weeks at (43±5) °C. You may count the time of the preconditioning steps in paragraph (a) of this section as part of the preconditioning fuel soak as long as the ambient temperature remains within the specified temperature range and the fuel tank continues to be at least 40 percent full throughout the test; you may add or replace fuel as needed to conduct the specified durability procedures. Void the test if you determine that the fuel tank has any kind of leak.
(2) Empty the fuel tank and immediately refill it with the specified test fuel to its nominal capacity. Be careful not to spill any fuel.
(3) [Reserved]
(4) Allow the fuel tank and its contents to equilibrate to the temperatures specified in paragraph (d)(7) of this section. Seal the fuel tank as described in paragraph (b)(5) of this section once the fuel temperatures are stabilized at the test temperature. You must seal the fuel tank no more than eight hours after refueling. Until the fuel tank is sealed, take steps to minimize the vapor losses from the fuel tank, such as keeping the fuel cap loose on the fuel inlet or routing vapors through a vent hose.
(5) Seal the fuel tank as follows:
(i) If fuel tanks are designed for use with a filler neck such that the fuel cap is not directly mounted on the fuel tank, you may seal the fuel inlet with a nonpermeable covering.
(ii) If fuel tanks are designed with fuel caps directly mounted on the fuel tank, take one of the following approaches:
(A) Use a production fuel cap expected to have permeation emissions at least as high as the highest-emitting fuel cap that you expect to be used with fuel tanks from the emission family. It would generally be appropriate to consider an HDPE fuel cap with a nitrile rubber seal to be worst-case.
(B) You may seal the fuel inlet with a nonpermeable covering if you separately account for permeation emissions from the fuel cap. This may involve a separate measurement of permeation emissions from a worst-case fuel cap as described in §1060.521. This may also involve specifying a worst-case Family Emission Limit based on separately certified fuel caps as described in §1060.103(e).
(C) If you use or specify a fuel gasket made of low-permeability material, you may seal the fuel inlet with a nonpermeable covering and calculate an emission rate for the complete fuel tank using a default value of 30 g/m 2/day for the fuel cap (or 50 g/m 2/day for testing at 40°C). Use the smallest inside cross-sectional area of the opening on which the cap is mounted as the fuel cap's surface area.
(iii) Openings that are not normally sealed on the fuel tank (such as hose-connection fittings and vents in fuel caps) may be sealed using nonpermeable fittings such as metal or fluoropolymer plugs.
(iv) Openings for petcocks that are designed for draining fuel may be sealed using nonpermeable fittings such as metal or fluoropolymer plugs.
(v) Openings for grommets may be sealed using nonpermeable fittings such as metal or fluoropolymer plugs.
(vi) Rather than sealing a fuel tank with nonpermeable fittings, you may produce a fuel tank for testing without machining or stamping those holes.
(c) Reference tank. A reference tank is required to correct for buoyancy effects that may occur during testing. Prepare the reference tank as follows:
(1) Obtain a second tank whose total volume is within 5 percent of the test tank's volume. You may not use a tank that has previously contained fuel or any other contents that might affect its mass stability.
(2) Fill the reference tank with enough glass beads (or other inert material) so the mass of the reference tank is approximately the same as the test tank when filled with fuel. Considering the performance characteristics of your balance, use good engineering judgment to determine how similar the mass of the reference tank needs to be to the mass of the test tank.
(3) Ensure that the inert material is dry.
(4) Seal the tank.
(d) Permeation test run. To run the test, take the following steps after preconditioning:
(1) Determine the fuel tank's internal surface area in square-meters, accurate to at least three significant figures. You may use less accurate estimates of the surface area if you make sure not to overestimate the surface area.
(2) Weigh the sealed test tank and record the weight. Place the reference tank on the balance and tare it so it reads zero. Place the sealed test tank on the balance and record the difference between the test tank and the reference tank. This value is Mo. Take this measurement directly after sealing the test tank as specified in paragraphs (b)(4) and (5) of this section.
(3) Carefully place the test tank within a temperature-controlled room or enclosure. Do not spill or add any fuel.
(4) Close the room or enclosure as needed to control temperatures and record the time. However, you may need to take steps to prevent an accumulation of hydrocarbon vapors in the room or enclosure that might affect the degree to which fuel permeates through the fuel tank. This might simply involve passive ventilation to allow fresh air exchanges.
(5) Ensure that the measured temperature in the room or enclosure stays within the temperatures specified in paragraph (d)(6) of this section.
(6)Leave the test tank in the room or enclosure for the duration of the test run, except that you may remove the tank for up to 30 minutes at a time to meet weighing requirements.
(7) Hold the temperature of the room or enclosure at 28 ±2°C; measure and record the temperature at least daily. You may alternatively hold the temperature of the room or enclosure at 40 ±2°C to demonstrate compliance with the alternative standards specified in §1060.103(b).
(8) Measure weight loss daily by retaring the balance using the reference tank and weighing the sealed test tank. Calculate the cumulative weight loss in grams for each measurement. Calculate the coefficient of determination, r 2, based on a linear plot of cumulative weight loss vs. test days. Use the equation in 40 CFR 1065.602(k), with cumulative weight loss represented by yi and cumulative time represented by yref. The daily measurements must be at approximately the same time each day. You may omit up to two daily measurements in any seven-day period. Test for ten full days, then determine when to stop testing as follows:
(i) You may stop testing after the measurement on the tenth day if r 2 is at or above 0.95 or if the measured value is less than 50 percent of the applicable standard. (Note that if a Family Emission Limit applies for the family, it is considered to be the applicable standard for that family.) This means that if you stop testing with an r 2 below 0.95, you may not use the data to show compliance with a Family Emission Limit less than twice the measured value.
(ii) If after ten days of testing your r2 value is below 0.95 and your measured value is more than 50 percent of the applicable standard in subpart B of this part, continue testing for a total of 20 days or until r2 is at or above 0.95. If r2 is not at or above 0.95 within 20 days of testing, discontinue the test and precondition the test tank further until it has stabilized emission levels, then repeat the testing.
(9) Record the difference in mass between the reference tank and the test tank for each measurement. This value is Mi, where “i” is a counter representing the number of days elapsed. Subtract Mi from Mo and divide the difference by the internal surface area of the fuel tank. Divide this g/m2 value by the number of test days (using at least two decimal places) to calculate the emission rate in g/m2/day. Example: If a fuel tank with an internal surface area of 0.720 m2 weighed 1.31 grams less than the reference tank at the beginning of the test and weighed 9.86 grams less than the reference tank after soaking for 10.03 days, the emission rate would be ((?1.31 g) ? (?9.86 g))/0.720 m2 /10.03 days = 1.1839 g/m2/day.
(10) Determine your final emission result based on the cumulative weight loss measured on the final day of testing. Round this result to the same number of decimal places as the emission standard.
(e) Fuel specifications. Use a low-level ethanol-gasoline blend as specified in §1060.501(c). As an alternative, you may use Fuel CE10, as described in §1060.515(a)(1).
(f) Flow chart. The following figure presents a flow chart for the permeation testing described in this section:
[73 FR 59298, Oct. 8, 2008, as amended at 75 FR 23027, Apr. 30, 2010; 80 FR 9116, Feb. 19, 2015; 86 FR 34531, Jun. 29, 2021; 88 FR 4669, Jan. 24, 2023]
§1060.521 How do I test fuel caps for permeation emissions?
If you measure a fuel tank's permeation emissions with a nonpermeable covering in place of the fuel cap under §1060.520(b)(5)(ii)(B), you must separately measure permeation emissions from a fuel cap. You may show that your fuel tank and fuel cap meet emission standards by certifying them separately or by combining the separate measurements into a single emission rate based on the relative surface areas of the fuel tank and fuel cap. However, you may not combine these emission measurements if you test the fuel cap at a nominal temperature of 28°C and you test the fuel tank at 40°C. Measure the fuel cap's permeation emissions as follows:
(a) Select a fuel cap expected to have permeation emissions at least as high as the highest-emitting fuel cap that you expect to be used with fuel tanks from the emission family. Include a gasket that represents production models. If the fuel cap includes vent paths, seal these vents as follows:
(1) If the vent path is through grooves in the gasket, you may use another gasket with no vent grooves if it is otherwise the same as a production gasket.
(2) If the vent path is through the cap, seal any vents for testing.
(b) Attach the fuel cap to a fuel tank with a capacity of at least one liter made of metal or some other impermeable material.
(c) Use the procedures specified in §1060.520 to measure permeation emissions. Calculate emission rates using the smallest inside cross sectional area of the opening on which the cap is mounted as the fuel cap's surface area.
§1060.525 How do I test fuel systems for diurnal emissions?
Use the procedures of this section to determine whether your fuel tanks meet diurnal emission standards as specified in §1060.105.
(a) Use the following procedure to measure diurnal emissions:
(1) Diurnal measurements are based on representative temperature cycles, as follows:
(i) Diurnal fuel temperatures for marine fuel tanks that will be installed in nontrailerable boats must undergo repeat temperature swings of 2.6°C between nominal values of 27.6 and 30.2°C.
(ii) Diurnal fuel temperatures for other installed marine fuel tanks must undergo repeat temperature swings of 6.6°C between nominal values of 25.6 and 32.2°C.
(iii) For fuel tanks installed in equipment other than marine vessels, the following table specifies a profile of ambient temperatures:
| Time (hours) | Ambient temperature profile (°C) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 22.2 |
| 1 | 22.5 |
| 2 | 24.2 |
| 3 | 26.8 |
| 4 | 29.6 |
| 5 | 31.9 |
| 6 | 33.9 |
| 7 | 35.1 |
| 8 | 35.4 |
| 9 | 35.6 |
| 10 | 35.3 |
| 11 | 34.5 |
| 12 | 33.2 |
| 13 | 31.4 |
| 14 | 29.7 |
| 15 | 28.2 |
| 16 | 27.2 |
| 17 | 26.1 |
| 18 | 25.1 |
| 19 | 24.3 |
| 20 | 23.7 |
| 21 | 23.3 |
| 22 | 22.9 |
| 23 | 22.6 |
| 24 | 22.2 |
(2)Fill the fuel tank to 40 percent of nominal capacity with the gasoline specified in 40 CFR 1065.710(c) for general testing.
(3) Install a vapor line from any vent ports that would not be sealed in the final in-use configuration. Use a length of vapor line representing the largest inside diameter and shortest length that would be expected with the range of in-use installations for the emission family.
(4) If the fuel tank is equipped with a carbon canister, load the canister with butane or gasoline vapors to its canister working capacity as specified in §1060.240(e)(2)(i) and attach it to the fuel tank in a way that represents a typical in-use configuration. Purge the canister as follows to prepare for emission measurement:
(i) For marine fuel tanks, perform a single heating and cooling cycle as specified in paragraph (a)(7) of this section without measuring emissions.
(ii) For nonmarine fuel tanks, establish a characteristic purge volume by running an engine with the fuel tank installed to represent an in-use configuration. Measure the volume of air flowing through the canister while the engine operates for 30 minutes over repeat cycles of the appropriate duty cycle used for certifying the engine for exhaust emissions. Set up the loaded canister for testing by purging it with the characteristic purge volume from the engine simulation run.
(5) Stabilize the fuel tank to be within 2.0°C of the nominal starting temperature specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section. In the case of marine fuel tanks, install a thermocouple meeting the requirements of 40 CFR 86.107-96(e) in the approximate mid-volume of fuel and record the temperature at the end of the stabilization period to the nearest 0.1°C. For sealed fuel systems, replace the fuel cap once the fuel reaches equilibrium at the appropriate starting temperature.
(6) Prepare the tank for mass measurement using one of the following procedures:
(i) Place the stabilized fuel tank in a SHED meeting the specifications of 40 CFR 86.107-96(a)(1) that is equipped with a FID analyzer meeting the specifications of 40 CFR 1065.260. Take the following steps in sequence:
(A) Purge the SHED.
(B) Close and seal the SHED.
(C) Zero and span the FID analyzer.
(D) Within ten minutes of sealing the SHED, measure the initial hydrocarbon concentration. This is the start of the sampling period.
(ii) If your testing configuration involves mass emissions at the standard of 2.0 grams or more, you may alternatively place the stabilized fuel tank in any temperature-controlled environment and establish mass emissions as a weight loss relative to a reference fuel tank using the procedure specified in §1060.520(d) instead of calculating it from changing hydrocarbon concentrations in the SHED.
(7) Control temperatures as follows:
(i) For marine fuel tanks, supply heat to the fuel tank for continuously increasing temperatures such that the fuel reaches the maximum temperature in 8 hours. Set the target temperature by adding the temperature swing specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section to the recorded starting temperature. Hold the tank for approximately 60 minutes at a temperature no less than 0.1°C below the target temperature. For example, if the recorded starting fuel temperature for a fuel tank that will be installed in a nontrailerable vessel is 27.1°C, the target temperature is 29.7°C and the fuel must be stabilized for 60 minutes with fuel temperatures not falling below 29.6°C. For EPA testing, fuel temperatures may not go 1.0°C above the target temperature at any point during the heating or stabilization sequence. Measure the hydrocarbon concentration in the SHED at the end of the high-temperature stabilization period. Calculate the diurnal emissions for this heating period based on the change in hydrocarbon concentration over this sampling period. Allow the fuel temperature to cool sufficiently to stabilize again at the starting temperature without emission sampling. Repeat the heating and measurement sequence for three consecutive days, starting each heating cycle no more than 26 hours after the previous start.
(ii) For nonmarine fuel tanks, follow the air temperature trace from paragraph (a)(1)(iii) of this section for three consecutive 24-hour periods. Measured temperatures must follow the profile with a maximum deviation of 1.7°C for any hourly measurement and an average temperature deviation not to exceed 1.0°C, where the average deviation is calculated using the absolute value of each measured deviation. Start measuring emissions when you start the temperature profile. The end of the first, second, and third emission sampling periods must occur 1440±6, 2880±6, and 4320±6 minutes, respectively, after starting the measurement procedure.
(8) Use the highest of the three emission levels to determine whether your fuel tank meets the diurnal emission standard.
(9) For emission control technologies that rely on a sealed fuel system, you may omit the preconditioning steps in paragraph (a)(4) of this section and the last two 24-hour periods of emission measurements in paragraph (a)(7) of this section. For purposes of this paragraph (a), sealed fuel systems include those that rely on pressure-relief valves, limiting flow orifices, bladder fuel tanks, and volume-compensating air bags.
(b) You may subtract your fuel tank's permeation emissions from the measured diurnal emissions if the fuel tank is preconditioned with diurnal test fuel as described in §1060.520(b) or if you use good engineering judgment to otherwise establish that the fuel tank has stabilized permeation emissions. Measure permeation emissions for subtraction as specified in §1060.520(c) and (d) before measuring diurnal emissions, except that the permeation measurement must be done with diurnal test fuel at 28±2°C. Use appropriate units and corrections to subtract the permeation emissions from the fuel tank during the diurnal emission test. You may not subtract a greater mass of emissions under this paragraph (b) than the fuel tank would emit based on meeting the applicable emission standard for permeation.
[80 FR 9117, Feb. 19, 2015; 86 FR 34531, Jun. 29, 2021]