ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF FUELS: ASTM D2624
(Equivalent Tests: IP 274, ISO 6297, and DIN 51412 T2)
EXPLANATION
The ability of a fuel to dissipate charge that has been generated during pumping and filtering operations is controlled by its electrical conductivity, which depends upon its ionic species content. If the conductivity is high enough, charges dissipate fast to prevent their accumulation and avoid dangerously high potentials in a receiving tank. These test methods cover the determination of the electrical conductivity of aviation and distillate fuels with and without a static dissipator additive.
TEST SUMMARY
Two test methods are available for field tests of fuel conductivity: portable meters for direct measurements in tanks or the field or the laboratory measurements of fuel samples, and in-line meters for continuous measurement of fuel conductivity in a fuel distribution system. For specification purposes, conductivity measurements should be made with the portable
A voltage is applied across two electrodes in the fuel and the resulting current is expressed as a conductivity value. With the portable meters, the current measurement is made almost instantaneously upon application of the voltage. This test method can measure conductivities from 1 to 2000 pS/m.
Test Method ASTM D4308 should be used for measurements below 1 pS/m.
TEST PRECISION
See the following tables for precision data. The repeatability data are for both methods; however, the reproducibility estimates are only for the portable meter method.
The bias of this test method has not been determined.
