SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Impulse Test

Accelerated Life Testing

Contaminant Characterization

Material Compatibility

Modeling and Simulation

Test Procedure Development

Fuel Lubricity

Environmental Evaluation

Filtration

Emissions and Safety Issues

Component and Systems Development

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	SwRI Fuel Systems and Contamination Research Laboratory

Excessive wear and malfunctions in automotive systems are often caused by contaminants or small particles that may be built in, self generated, or ingested from the environment.

In addition to premature and abrasive wear, these contaminants may cause:

• Blockage

• Lockup

• Premature failure of automotive components

• Valves

• Pumps

• Seals

• Fuel injectors

Premature and abrasive wear may eventually result in:

• Machine performance degradation

• Shortened service life

• Customer dissatisfaction

• Catastrophic failure

  	Measurement of contaminant sensitivity is becoming more important as vehicle longevity requirements increase and production processes leave internal residue in the component.

Multidisciplinary Approach

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) engineers and scientists address these contamination problems using a multidisciplinary approach that employs:

• Failure analysis

• Laboratory testing

• Experimentation

• Field work

• Modeling

• Predictive correlation

• Design elaboration

• Concurrent engineering

Contamination Focus Areas

The Department of Vehicle Systems Research focus area includes:

• Contaminant characterization

• Accelerated life testing (key-life testing)

• Material compatibility

• Modeling and simulation

• Test procedure development

• Lubricity, friction, and wear

• Environmental evaluation

• Filtration

• Emissions and safety issues

• Component and systems development

ISO Certification

As an independent, multidisciplinary research, development, and testing organization, SwRI provides an unbiased, third-party perspective. The Fuels and Lubricants Research Division has achieved certification to ISO 9001, an internationally recognized quality standard, and ISO 14001 certification, an internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems.

For more information about our fuel systems and contamination research capabilities,  or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Xiaojian Tao, Ph.D., at xtao@swri.org or (210) 522-6962.

contaminationresearch.swri.org

| Fuels and Lubricants Technology Department | Fuels and Lubricants Research Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

June 15, 2011