NACS' Fuels Institute Establishes Fuel Quality Council​

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Fuels Institute, which was founded by NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing in 2013, has launched the Fuel Quality Council (FQC) in an effort to determine why diesel fuel injectors, filters and various other engine parts are breaking down more often than usual.

The FQC is a non-biased, cross-industry collaborative initiative that will endeavor to learn whether the relationship between the breakdowns and diesel fuel is causal or coincidental.

Along with the rise in number of new high pressure common rail diesel engines, there has been an increase in reports of engine breakdowns and failures. It's presumed that these breakdowns are related to diesel fuel quality, according to the Fuels Institute. 

"The Fuels Institute is designed to facilitate cross-industry collaboration to better understand what is happening in the fuels and vehicles market," said Fuels Institute Executive Director John Eichberger. "The concerns relating to engine performance and diesel fuel quality represent an opportunity for the industries — on the fuels, vehicles and engines sides — to come together to share knowledge, evaluate available data and seek greater understanding of the existing challenges and possible solutions available in the heavy-duty market. The Fuel Quality Council provides the mechanism for such collaboration to be successful."

As directed by the General Council and Steering Committee, the FQC will rely on data collection, fuel sampling analysis and research initiatives in its efforts to determine the cause of the diesel engine issues. Among its core mission goals are: benchmarking fuel quality; mapping the relationship between fuel quality and engine problems; evaluating the entire fuel supply and distribution system; and determining if potential solutions will yield a return on investment.

The FQC's founding members are:

• Afton Chemical Co.
• Andeavor 
• Center for Quality Assurance
• Detroit Diesel Corp.
• Donaldson Co.
• ExxonMobil
• Innospec Fuel Specialties 
• Kum & Go
• Loves Travel Stops
• Mansfield Oil Co.
• NATSO
• NREL
• Pilot Flying J
• Seneca Cos.
• Vulcan Materials Co.
• National Biodiesel Board
• Steel Tank Institute

More details about the Fuel Quality Council can be found here.