No E85-Compatible, External Fuel Delivery Hose Has Been Submitted for Testing (November 2008)

On Nov. 17, 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy hosted a Clean Cities Webcast that educated attendees on mid-level ethanol blends and provided an overview of Underwriters Laboratories' (UL) latest safety testing efforts related to ethanol fuel dispensers. During the Webcast, Clean Cities Director Dennis Smith described the various parts that make up a typical dispenser system and reported that no manufacturer has yet submitted an ethanol compatible external fuel delivery hose for evaluation by UL. This status update summarizes Smith's presentation:

Equipment Overview

A typical automotive grade fuel dispenser is actually an assembly of many smaller parts and pieces. The main parts of the dispenser can be divided into two groups to describe them in more simple terms:

• The "internal components" housed in the main dispenser body (sometimes called the "hydraulic tree")
• The "external hanging hardware" (which includes external components, such as the hand operated nozzle, emergency break-away connector, rubber hose, etc.)

For a dispenser to be safety certified or "listed," the entire assembly (all its components, parts, and pieces) must be tested. The certification process is voluntary. It is the responsibility of each manufacturer to submit its respective parts for testing. Sometimes a large manufacturer will choose to submit all parts at one time for safety testing (either as an assembled final product or as a complete group of subassemblies). To date, no manufacturer has chosen to do this for E85 dispensers. Rather, dispenser parts and subassemblies have been submitted separately for evaluation.

Certification Timeline

• August 2007: UL published requirements for gaskets and seals for use with E85.
• October 2007: UL published (87A) describing standardized testing criteria for alcohol fuel dispensers (recommended for dispensing fuel blends containing more than 10% ethanol, or E10).
  
  Note: UL has been accepting product submittals since publication of the requirements, but some submittals have occurred only recently.



• November 2007: First submittal received for hydraulic tree and selected internal components
• May 2008: First submittal received for selected external components (hanging hardware)
• November 2008: Still awaiting submittal: external fuel delivery hose
  
  Important: One critical E85 dispenser component that has not been submitted for testing to date is the external fuel delivery hose that carries fuel from the main body of the dispenser to the hand operated nozzle. Dispenser manufacturers and their subassembly suppliers are strongly encouraged to submit these final items for testing as soon as possible so the UL certification process can be completed.

Points of Clarification

• Sometimes products fail to pass tests on their initial attempt and redesign and/or retesting is needed.
• No complete E85 dispensers are currently "listed" to the new requirements, but some subassemblies have passed tests.
• No ethanol compatible external fuel delivery hose has been submitted to date.
• No dial-a-blend style blender pumps have been submitted to date.
• Dispenser listings will be issued by UL as soon as complete packages have been submitted and are shown to comply with all applicable requirements.

For more information, see E85 Dispensing Equipment Update (PDF 327 KB). Download Adobe Reader.