Exploring the Effect on Flash Point of Gasoline Contamination of Diesel Fuel

The Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Program Hub of Transport Canada (TC) is the focal point for the national program to promote public safety during the transportation of dangerous goods. The TDG Hub serves as the focal point of regulatory development, information, and guidance on dangerous goods transport for the public, industry, and government employees in Canada. The Policy & Regulatory Services (PRS) Branch of the TDG Program Hub supports this mandate by studying various aspects of the transportation system to inform decision-making processes. The TDG Hub is undertaking a project to analyse the flash point of various gasoline and diesel mixtures to gain an in-depth knowledge of the impact on the flash point of diesel when gasoline is introduced at different ratios, to support the work of the TDG Regulatory Affairs and International Engagement (RFIE), Engineering Services team. This group has a mandate to ensure that the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR) adequately protect the integrity of means of containments used to transport dangerous goods (DGs). The flash points of diesel and gasoline themselves have been well studied, but there is limited knowledge about the flash point of gasoline-diesel mixtures. From the limited testing found, there is indication that the flash point of diesel is greatly affected by small amounts of gasoline. While mixing diesel and gasoline can happen purposefully, it can also happen accidentally, which can lead to dangerous situations where people handling the mixture might not be aware about the drastic change of flash and flammability properties of the mixture and are not able to take the appropriate precautions. This could occur during the final manufacturing stages or during the routine testing of a highway tank used to transport dangerous goods. It is important to perform this analysis to improve the safety of those involved in situations where diesel and gasoline could mix, as part of the TDG Program Hub’s mandate to promote public safety. This may assist the TDG Program Hub and Transport Canada to provide guidelines to help inspectors, remedial measures specialists (RMS) and dangerous goods handlers.