NEW DELHI: Auto industry body SIAM flagged concerns over “high chloride” presence and moisture content in fuel resulting in a “huge increase” in issues related to vehicle parts and replacements, including fuel pumps, fuel injectors and EGR valve. It demanded stringent checks, arguing that contamination raises a wrong impression about E20 fuel in customers’ minds, report Dipak Dash & Aabhas Sharma.Late evening, SIAM said it has since “withdrawn” the letter sent to petroleum ministry on July 28 that had raised these concerns, which were based on investigations of failure of vehicle parts.SIAM says corrosion of vehicle parts due to high chloride presence in fuelSome numbers quoted in the communication need authentication through collection of elaborate data from various regions across the country followed by a comprehensive consultation with our member OEMs. MoPNG has also instituted 3ppm guidelines for chloride/sulphur as a precautionary measure for all ethanol being blended into petrol supply chain, SIAM clarified late Tuesday.“All of these steps fully meet the needs of the automobile industry. Further, we understand from OMCs that checks have been instituted, including water ingress testing about 8-12 times a day in over 87,000 outlets,” it added. In the letter sent to ministry, SIAM had said investigations of failure of vehicle parts revealed that these were due to “corrosion or wear caused by high chloride presence traced to the fuel used”.
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It had urged the govt to “include chloride parameter” in E20 fuel specifications and its control by oil marketing companies and retail fuel outlets.SIAM said chloride was highly detrimental to engine parts as its presence or accumulation in the fuel system can lead to corrosion, which can further result in “permanent damage” to engine parts immediately or over time. “Hence, it is imperative to include the chloride limits in fuel specifications and implement quality control to avoid chloride related failures in the customer vehicles,” the letter had noted.
