ASTM D6448 Specification for Industrial Burner Fuels from Used Lubricating Oils
1. Scope
1.1 This specification covers four grades of fuel oil made in whole or in part with hydrocarbon-based used or reprocessed lubricating oil or functional fluids, such as preservative and hydraulic fluids. The four grades of fuel are intended for use in various types of fuel-oil-burning industrial equipment under various climatic and operating conditions. These fuels are not intended for use in residential heaters, small commercial boilers, or combustion engines.
1.1.1 Grades RFO4, RFO5L, RFO5H, and RFO6 are used lubricating oil blends, with or without distillate or residual fuel oil, or both, of increasing viscosity and are intended for use in industrial burners equipped to handle these types of recycled fuels.

NOTE 1 - For information on the significance of the terminology and test methods used in this specification, see Appendix X1.

1.2 This specification is for use in contracts for the purchase of fuel oils derived from used lubricating oil and for the guidance of consumers of such fuels. This specification does not address the frequency with which any particular test must be run.

1.3 Nothing in this specification shall preclude observance of national or local regulations, which can be more restrictive. In some jurisdictions, used oil is considered a hazardous waste and fuels from used oil are required to meet certain criteria before use as a fuel.

NOTE 2 - For United States federal requirements imposed on used oil generators, transporters and transfer facilities, reprocessors, marketers, and burners, see 40 CFR 279.

NOTE 3 - The generation and dissipation of static electricity can create problems in the handling of distillate burner fuel oils. For more information on the subject, see Guide D4865.

1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard; non-SI units, when given, are for information only.

2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
D56 Test Method for Flash Point by Tag Closed Tester
D93 Test Methods for Flash Point by Pensky-Martens Closed Cup Tester
D95 Test Method for Water in Petroleum Products and Bituminous Materials by Distillation
D96 Test Methods for Water and Sediment in Crude Oil by Centrifuge Method (Field Procedure)
D97 Test Method for Pour Point of Petroleum Products
D129 Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum Products (General Bomb Method)
D240 Test Method for Heat of Combustion of Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels by Bomb Calorimeter
D396 Specification for fuel Oils
D445 Test Method for Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (the Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity)
D473 Test Method for Sediment in Crude Oils and Fuel Oils by the Extraction Method
D482 Test Method for Ash from Petroleum Products
D1266 Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum Products (Lamp Method)
D1298 Practice for Density, Relative Density (Specific Gravity), or API Gravity of Crude Petroleum and Liquid Petroleum Products by Hydrometer Method
D1552 Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum Products (High-Temperature Method)
D1796 Test Method for Water and Sediment in Fuel Oils by the Centrifuge Method (Laboratory Procedure)
D2622 Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum by X-Ray Spectrometry
D2709 Test Method for Water and Sediment in Middle Distillate Fuels by Centrifuge
D2983 Test Method for Low-Temperature Viscosity of Automotive Fluid Lubricants Measured by Brookfield Viscometer
D3245 Test Method for Pumpability of Industrial Fuel Oils
D3828 Test Methods for Flash Point by Small Scale Closed Tester
D4052 Test Method for Density and Relative Density of Liquids by Digital Density Meter
D4057 Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products
D4175 Terminology Relating to Petroleum, Petroleum Products, and Lubricants
D4177 Practice for Automatic Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products
D4294 Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum Products by Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry
D4377 Test Method for Water in Crude Oils Potentiometric Karl Fisher Titration
D4865 Guide for the Generation and Dissipation of Static Electricity in Petroleum Fuel Systems
D4868 Test Method for Estimation of Net and Gross Heat of Petroleum Fuels
D4980 Test Method for Screening of pH in Waste
D5185 Test Method for Determination of Additive Elements, Wear Metals, and Contaminants in Used Lubricating Oils and Determination of Selected Elements in Base Oils by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES)

2.2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Standards:
EPA 600/4-79-020 Determination of Inorganic Anions by Ion Chromatography
EPA SW-846 Method 9000 Determination of Water in Waste Materials by Karl Fisher Titration
EPA SW-846 Method 9001 Determination of Water in Waste Lubricants by Quantitative Calcium Hydride Reaction
EPA SW-846 Method 9056 Determination of Inorganic Anions by Ion Chromatography

2.3 Federal Code of Regulations Standards:
40 CFR 279 Standards for the Management of Used Oil

3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions:
3.1.1 burner fuel oil, n - any petroleum liquid suitable for the generation of heat by combustion in a furnace or firebox as a vapor or a spray, or a combination of both.
3.1.1.1 Discussion - Different grades are characterized primarily by viscosity ranges.

3.1.2 reclaiming, n - the use of cleaning methods during recycling primarily to remove insoluble contaminants, thus making the oil suitable for further use. The methods may include settling, heating, dehydration, filtration, and centrifuging.

3.1.3 recycling, n - in petroleum technology, the acquisition of oil that has become unsuitable for its intended use, and processing it to regain useful materials.

3.1.4 re-refining, n - the use of refining processes during recycling to produce high quality base stocks for lubricants or other petroleum products. Re-refining may include one or more of the following: distillation, hydrotreating, or treatments employing acid, caustic, solvent, clay, or other chemicals, or combination thereof.

3.1.5 used oil, n - in petroleum product recycling, oil whose characteristics have changed since being originally manufactured, and that is suitable for recycling.

3.1.6 waste oil, n - in petroleum technology, oil having characteristics making it unsuitable either for further use or for economic recycling.

3.2 For definitions of other terms used in this specification, refer to Terminology D4175.

3.3 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
3.3.1 reprocessing, n - in petroleum product recycling, the preparation of used oil to be suitable as a fuel.
3.3.1.1 Discussion - Reprocessing includes procedures such as settling, filtration, blending, distillation, and chemical treatment.

3.3.2 industrial burner, n - a device that produces heat for industrial use through the combustion of liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
3.3.2.1 Discussion - Industrial burners are typically designed for one of two applications:
(a) industrial furnaces - integral components of manufacturing processes that provide direct heating, for example, in aggregate, cement, lime, or phosphate kilns; coke ovens; or blast, smelting, melting, refining, or drying ovens.

(b) industrial boilers - large indirect heating units that transfer thermal energy to water or other fluids or gases for use in heating in industrial settings and in manufacturing processes.