The leading cetane instrument for scientific research applications

The CFR Ignition Quality Tester (IQT) is widely used by the petroleum industry to measure the cetane value of commercial diesel fuels in certification and quality control applications. These uses cover petroleum diesel at a variety of cetane levels (often containing FAME and/or cetane improver additive) and ultra-high cetane renewable diesel (where IQT test method EN 15195 is the referee test method for cetane in the CEN paraffinic diesel specification, EN 15940). Less well known within the petroleum industry are the IQT’s capabilities for scientific research, a field where historically universities and government research entities engage in studies of fundamental combustion processes and fuel chemistry effects. These studies present unique challenges for the instrument in terms of the severity of the operating conditions and the flexibility needed for configuring special experiments.

The IQT is, by a large margin, the leading cetane instrument for scientific research on fuel ignition and combustion processes. Since its introduction to the market in 1998, the use of the IQT has been cited in hundreds of published scientific papers. It is common for these researchers to make ignition delay measurements while operating the instrument at pressures and temperatures that are much greater than those specified in the standard test methods. The IQT’s thick-walled combustion chamber and rugged construction have proven to provide many years of reliable service despite the mechanical and thermal stresses imposed by such conditions.

IQT research units can be equipped with features such as user-configurable research software, enhanced data acquisition systems, dynamic injection pressure instrumentation and custom, variable displacement fuel injection equipment. High speed combustion pressure data from every injection event is recorded and maintained by the IQT computer for the service life of the instrument. Injector needle lift data and injection pressure data are also stored. The high-speed data is easily exported for analysis such as the Rate of Heat Release (RHR), the determination of physical and chemical ignition delay, and the development of new autoignition detection algorithms.

Like all CFR IQT customers, IQT researchers can depend on expert technical support directly from the engineers who design and build the instruments. For more information about the Ignition Quality Tester, visit their website.