40 CFR § 1060.515 - How do I test EPA Nonroad Fuel Lines and EPA Cold-Weather Fuel Lines for permeation emissions?
Measure emission as follows for EPA Nonroad Fuel Lines and EPA Cold-Weather Fuel Lines:
(a) Prior to permeation testing, use good engineering judgment to precondition the fuel line by filling it with the fuel specified in this paragraph (a), sealing the openings, and soaking it for at least four weeks at 43 ±5 °C or eight weeks at 23 ±5 °C.
(1) For EPA Nonroad Fuel Lines, use Fuel CE10, which is Fuel C as specified in ASTM D471 (incorporated by reference in § 1060.810) blended with ethanol such that the blended fuel has 10.0 ±1.0 percent ethanol by volume.
(2) For EPA Cold-Weather Fuel Lines, use gasoline blended with ethanol as described in § 1060.501(c).
(b) Drain the fuel line and refill it immediately with the fuel specified in paragraph (a) of this section. Be careful not to spill any fuel.
(c) Except as specified in paragraph (d) of this section, measure fuel line permeation emissions using the equipment and procedures for weight-loss testing specified in SAE J30 or SAE J1527 (incorporated by reference in § 1060.810). Start the measurement procedure within 8 hours after draining and refilling the fuel line. Perform the emission test over a sampling period of 14 days. You may omit up to two daily measurements in any seven-day period. Determine your final emission result based on the average of measured values over the 14-day period. Maintain an ambient temperature of (23±2) °C throughout the sampling period, except for intervals up to 30 minutes for daily weight measurements.
(d) For fuel lines with a nominal inner diameter below 5.0 mm, you may alternatively measure fuel line permeation emissions using the equipment and procedures for weight-loss testing specified in SAE J2996 (incorporated by reference in § 1060.810). Determine your final emission result based on the average of measured values over the 14-day sampling period. Maintain an ambient temperature of (23±2) °C throughout the sampling period, except for intervals up to 30 minutes for daily weight measurements.
(e) Use good engineering judgment to test short fuel line segments. For example, you may need to join individual fuel line segments using proper connection fittings to achieve enough length and surface area for a proper measurement. Size the fuel reservoir appropriately for the tested fuel line.