ASTM International, with support from the American Petroleum Institute, will be hosting an organizational meeting to discuss the development of consensus standards for support testing of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). The meeting will take place on Jan. 6, 2011, at ASTM International headquarters in West Conshohocken, Pa. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and adjourn at about 4 p.m. ET.
In an effort to comply with increasingly stringent diesel exhaust emissions standards, diesel engine manufacturers are using selective catalytic reduction, a method of converting harmful diesel oxides of nitrogen emissions, by catalytic reaction, into benign nitrogen gas and water. SCR can deliver near-zero emissions of nitrogen oxide in modern highway clean diesel engines.
Implementation of SCR technology requires a new consumable fluid consisting of 32 percent urea in purified water, known as DEF. SCR works by injecting DEF into the hot exhaust stack, where the fluid works in conjunction with the hot exhaust gases as a catalyst to break down nitrogen oxide into water vapor and nitrogen.
Potential subjects for standards development include storage materials and containers, identification of organic impurities, determination of material suitability, shelf life of the fluid, distribution systems, climatic impact and fluid disposal. There is no fee to attend this meeting.
