Road fuel testing unit HMRC Bainton E.Yorks
Discussion
Seemed to be quite a combined ops event on the A164 today, number of police vehicles & HMRC fuel testing van in the big layby near the roundabout. Possibly a general vehicle check as well as tank dipping.
Would anyone be able to tell me the analytical technique used for the roadside checks by these van/mobile labs? Gov.uk gives 49 of the vans in 2015 but no technical info.
Might be a good idea to turn up at the next hunt meeting.
Would anyone be able to tell me the analytical technique used for the roadside checks by these van/mobile labs? Gov.uk gives 49 of the vans in 2015 but no technical info.
Might be a good idea to turn up at the next hunt meeting.
julianm said:
Seemed to be quite a combined ops event on the A164 today, number of police vehicles & HMRC fuel testing van in the big layby near the roundabout. Possibly a general vehicle check as well as tank dipping.
Would anyone be able to tell me the analytical technique used for the roadside checks by these van/mobile labs? Gov.uk gives 49 of the vans in 2015 but no technical info.
Might be a good idea to turn up at the next hunt meeting.
That got me intrigued so a little Googling reveals that It's gas chromatograph analysis for Accutrace S10 which is the new marker in duty-free diesel, heating oil and domestic kerosene. Would anyone be able to tell me the analytical technique used for the roadside checks by these van/mobile labs? Gov.uk gives 49 of the vans in 2015 but no technical info.
Might be a good idea to turn up at the next hunt meeting.
The analysis units are made by Falcon Analytical http://falconfast.net/february2016hmrcandpittcon02...
This is the actual analyser...
There was a time when you could remove the red dye by a chemical conversion to a solid that could then be filtered out. One such chemical came to be known as “potato acid”.
The doping of red diesel was introduced to eliminate this process. My guess is that to buy the doping chemicals you would need some form of license/permit as with buying pure ethanol.
There is a similar doping used for Smart Water systems.
The doping of red diesel was introduced to eliminate this process. My guess is that to buy the doping chemicals you would need some form of license/permit as with buying pure ethanol.
There is a similar doping used for Smart Water systems.
Hello & thanks for spotting that - I expected GLC but that's going to be a pretty quick process - OK at the roadside. Fullers earth/bentonite was meant to be a red dye removal trick but I'd be surprised if it would fool this sort of tech. In the UK, a diazo dye — Solvent Red 19, 24 or 26 — is used to colour the diesel.
Thanks to your lead I found this - https://www.chromatographytoday.com/article/bioana...
& discovered Multidimensional Gas Chromatography which is newer than my outdated experience!
It might make it a bit less appealing now you can get found out so readliy - I think it can lead to vehicle seizure & very heavy fines. There was a patrol car 1/2 mile up the road, probably doing the ANPR checks so other dodgy drivers would get pulled.
Thanks to your lead I found this - https://www.chromatographytoday.com/article/bioana...
& discovered Multidimensional Gas Chromatography which is newer than my outdated experience!
It might make it a bit less appealing now you can get found out so readliy - I think it can lead to vehicle seizure & very heavy fines. There was a patrol car 1/2 mile up the road, probably doing the ANPR checks so other dodgy drivers would get pulled.
I think the dye is now just a simple visual indicator and can probably still be easily removed but before this new kit samples would have to be sent to a lab for analysis. The Accutrace is far more sophisticated, colourless, can't be removed, and this kit can detect down to 125 parts per billion. Apparently it's so difficult to get out of a fuel system it'll still give positive readings after five full cycles.
julianm said:
It might make it a bit less appealing now you can get found out so readliy - I think it can lead to vehicle seizure & very heavy fines. There was a patrol car 1/2 mile up the road, probably doing the ANPR checks so other dodgy drivers would get pulled.
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