No Shortcuts on the Pathway to Safety

The tough safety standards for fuel nozzle valves that took effect in late April didn’t happen overnight. Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which has developed product safety standards for more than 100 years, worked through a lengthy process to address the reality of increased ethanol content in gasoline. E10 is in 90 percent of U.S. gas at the moment. But E15 is increasingly available around the country.

“I can tell you from my experience that it was the manufacturers who were very interested in us doing that. It wasn’t our idea and we were not telling them what to do. They were supportive and maybe even initiated some of this because they wanted their equipment to be safe,” John Drengenberg, UL Engineer and Consumer Safety Director said in an interview.

Standards Technical Panel

The task to recommend standards for nozzles to safely handle ethanol blended with gasoline at rates higher than E10 was assigned to a UL Standards Technical Panel. This diverse group reviews and votes on proposals prior to publication. The focus in this instance was to account for the way ethanol concentrations affect components like check valves, diaphragms, seals and springs.

“The standards are vetted through a committee where we have representatives of government, industry, and safety all sitting at the same table. Standards development is a process that involves a lot of people and is something UL has been doing for years,” Drengenberg said.

Husky: First Major Manufacturer with Nozzles Listed under UL 2586

One test protocol that emerged from the technical panel was using ATS fuels A, Z, H and IRM fuel 903 to simulate what high concentrations of ethanol do to nozzle components. Husky Corporation engineers invested years coming up with design configurations that could pass this and other rigorous tests to meet the new standards. In many cases, the change required the use of more costly internal components that could meet the requirements.

“Our standards process is give and take. It’s working with the industry, not imposing things on the industry,” Drengenberg said.

Husky was the first major nozzle manufacturer to have its full listing card published on the UL website prior to the effective date for the new UL 2586 standards. You can find out more in this news release or by contacting Husky directly at 800-325-3558.