ASTM D86 Distillation of Petroleum Products and Liquid Fuels at Atmospheric Pressure
Petroleum products and liquid fuels are typically mixtures with varying boiling points. This test uses distillation to determine the boiling range profile of mixtures. It has several uses including (1) the determination of the presence of low boiling components which may increase the tendency to form vapor locks or become explosive. (2) the determination of the presence of high boiling components which may form hard deposits in fuel lines and other system segments. (3) the demonstration of specification adherence.
The sample is placed in a high-temperature distillation apparatus and heated. The vapor temperature is recorded as a function of distillate produced. Reported is the temperature vs. distillate volume graph along with the data table.