5.1 The distillation (volatility) characteristics of hydrocarbons and other liquids have an important effect on their safety and performance, especially in the case of fuels and solvents. The boiling range gives information on the composition, the properties, and the behavior of the fuel during storage and use. Volatility is the major determinant of the tendency of a hydrocarbon mixture to produce potentially explosive vapors.

5.2 The distillation characteristics are critically important for both automotive and aviation gasolines, affecting starting, warm-up, and tendency to vapor lock at high operating temperature or at high altitude, or both. The presence of high boiling point components in these and other fuels can significantly affect the degree of formation of solid combustion deposits.

5.3 Distillation limits are often included in petroleum product specifications, in commercial contract agreements, process refinery/control applications, and for compliance to regulatory rules.

5.4 This test method can be applied to contaminated products or hydrocarbon mixtures. This is valuable for fast product quality screening, refining process monitoring, fuel adulteration control, or other purposes including use as a portable apparatus for field testing.

5.5 This test method uses an automatic micro distillation apparatus, provides fast results using small sample volume, and eliminates much of the operator time and subjectivity in comparison to Test Method D86.

1.1 This test method covers a procedure for determination of the distillation characteristics of petroleum products and liquid fuels having boiling range between 20 °C to 400 °C at atmospheric pressure using an automatic micro distillation apparatus.

1.2 This test method is applicable to such products as; light and middle distillates, automotive spark-ignition engine fuels, automotive spark-ignition engine fuels containing up to 10 % ethanol, aviation gasolines, aviation turbine fuels, regular and low sulfur diesel fuels, biodiesel (B100), biodiesel blends up to 20 % biodiesel, special petroleum spirits, naphthas, white spirits, kerosines, burner fuels, and marine fuels.

1.3 The test method is also applicable to hydrocarbons with a narrow boiling range, like organic solvents or oxygenated compounds.

1.4 The test method is designed for the analysis of distillate products; it is not applicable to products containing appreciable quantities of residual material.

1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.