Fuel line uses DuPont Zytel nylon for biodiesel resistance 19 October 2011

Fluid transfer system supplier Hutchinson, of Rivoli, Italy, has specified a DuPont Zytel RS grade based on PA1010 for the production of fuel lines used with both diesel and biodiesel.

The renewably sourced, long-chain nylon was chosen in preference to competitive grades of PA12, because of its superior temperature resistance and long-term aging performance with biodiesel.

The extruded, monolayer fuel line is already in use on commercial turbo and multijet diesel engines used, for example, on Fiat vehicles, including the Fiat 500, Panda, Punto, Lancia Delta, Alfa Romeo MiTo and Giulietta.

Components for such systems must resist chemically aggressive biofuels, temperature extremes and mechanical stresses for the lifetime of the vehicle.

"We were seeking a polymer for our fuel line application that was preferably renewably sourced, for a more sustainable solution, and was able to provide the best aging stability in biodiesel," explains Katia Rossi, development manager at Hutchinson.

"We considered a number of flexible polyamides, including PA12, as they had previously been specified for similar fuel line systems. But material testing showed Zytel RS PA1010 to meet our requirements. It combines, for example, superior temperature resistance to PA12 with the best resistance to biodiesel at high temperatures," he adds.

This specific Zytel RS grade contains more than 60% renewably sourced ingredient by weight, offers properties typical of flexible polyamides, with additional benefits such as superior high-temperature resistance when compared to materials such as PA 12, high chemical resistance and low permeability to fuel and gases.

Author
Brian Wall

Related Companies
Du Pont UK Industries Ltd

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.