Glossary
A-DPF (Additive Diesel Particulate Filters)
Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) are devices installed in diesel engine vehicles that collect particulate matter without obstructing the flow of exhaust gases or damaging the vehicle. A variety of technologies can be installed along with a DPF to reduce the amount of harmful exhaust gases emitted. Additive Diesel Particulate Filters use a Fuel Borne Catalyst for fast and complete filter regeneration, whatever the driving conditions and the fuel quality.
AdBlue®
Acqueous solution of urea.
Additive
See Fuel-Born Catalyst.
Alternative fuel
A fuel that can be used instead of traditional fossile fuels such as gasoline or diesel. Alternative fuels include natural gas (compressed or liquefied), propane (LPG), hydrogen, biomass-derived fuels, alcohol (including ethanol and methanol), alcohol mixtures with gasoline or other powertrain technologies such as electricity.
Baffle
A usually static device that regulates the flow of a fluid. In the tank, it is intended to avoid slosh noise.
Biofuels
Biofuel refer broadly to any liquid resulting from a mix of fossil fuel and liquid derived from biomass. Bio-diesel is a mix made of vegetal or animal oil while bio-ethanol is a mix of ethanol (from renewable sources) with gasoline.
Blow-molding
Formation process of hollow articles by swelling of a hot plastic element called parison against the internal surfaces of a mold.
CAE
Computer Assisted Engineering.
Canister
Thanks to its active charcoals, the canister avoids hydrocarbons vapors to be released in the atmosphere by trapping them onto its surface (adsorption) and to release them easily (desorption or purge) into the engine where they are burnt.
CARB
California Air Resources Board. California state agency in charge of regulating air quality. CARB is a major actor in setting environmental regulation standards.
CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)
Natural gas compressed to a volume and density that can be used as a on-board fuel supply. CNG is stored in high-pressure containers.
CO (Carbon monoxide)
Is the result of incomplete oxidation of carbon in the combustion of carbonaceous material (such as gasoline, fuel oil, coal, wood, etc…). This gas is extremely dangerous: at high concentrations exposure can be fatal. The greatest danger of CO lies in its undetectibility; it is colorless, practically odorless, and tasteless, when inhaled or ingested CO attaches itself to red blood cells causing carboxyhemoglobin, which inhibits oxygen intake and can result in the asphyxiation of body organs.
CO2 (Carbon dioxide)
CO2 results from all combustion processes. This gas is not considered dangerous to the health but is largely responsible for the “greenhouse effect”.
Coated Diesel Particulate Filters or Coated soot filters (CDPF)
Coated DPF consists of a precious metal, typically platinum, being washcoated on the surface of the filter substrate to act as a catalyst in the oxidation process of accumulated soot particles.
Coextrusion
Blow molding technology that allows fuel systems to be made of multilayer plastics, and especially to integrate barrier layers to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
Conventional Fuels
Traditional gasoline or diesel fuels.
Diesel Particulate filter
A diesel particulate filter, also called DPF, is a device designed to remove diesel particulate matter or soot from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine.
ELV (End-of-Life Vehicles)
The EU Directive 2000/53/EC aims to prevent waste from vehicles at their end of life, and to promote reuse, revalorization and recycling of their components and materials.
Emissions
The principal emissions from gasoline engines are carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) (NOx mainly in direct injection engines). Diesel engines do produce large quantities of carbon dioxide, heavier particulates and NOx, but low level of carbon monoxide.
Emissions standards
Governmental regulations that define standards and limits on pollutants (CO2, NOx, PM, HC…) emissions to protect the environment.
EPA
US Environmental Protection Agency.
ESD
Electrostatic Discharge, as although rare, generating sparks and even ignition during refueling.
Fill(er) Pipe
Pipe that transfers the fuel from the nozzle to the fuel tank when refueling.
Fluorination
Fluorination is a treatment that allows monolayer plastic fuel systems to comply with Euro 2000 and LEVI emission regulations, by lowering tank permeation to hydrocarbons.
The principle of fluorination consists in treating plastic parts using a mix of fluorine and nitrogen. Fluorine generates a chemical substitution reaction on plastic surface : hydrogen atoms (H) are replaced by fluorine atoms (F).
FLVV (Fuel limit vent valve)
Valve that allows management of vapors, premature shut off and venting the fuel tank while refueling.
Fuel cell
Fuel cell produce electrical electricity through chemical reaction with hydrogen and oxygen.
Fuel Delivery Module (FDM)
Subassembly that delivers fuel to the engine and composed of the fuel pump, reservoir and fuel lines. It may also include fuel filter, level sensor, pressure regulator…
Fuel filter
Before reaching the engine, the fuel has to be filtered through up to 4 or 5 filters to eliminate any impurity, for a better combustion and higher engine performance.
Fuel lines
Fuel arrives to the engine via the feeding line, the pressure regulator maintaining a steady pressure in these lines. As all fuel will not be burnt by the engine, exceeding quantity has to come back into the tank through return lines.
Fuel Pump
The fuel pump takes the fuel from the tank to deliver it to the engine.
Fuel-Borne Catalyst (FBC)
A chemical compound of organic and metal materials also called additive, added to the diesel fuel to regenerate diesel particulate filters.
Gauge
Fuel system component that allows to measure the fuel volume in the tank and, throught electric signals, transmitting the information to the instrumental panel.
Grounding
Connection of any component to the vehicle ground to reduce the risk of electrostatic discharge.
HDPE
High Density Polyethylene. HDPE is the high density version of PE plastic and is used for the fuel tank and the filler pipe.
Heat shield
Component that protects the fuel system from any heat source.
Hydrocarbons
Organic chemical compounds that consist only of carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons are usually major components of petroleum products, natural gas, and coals. Hydrocarbons that are not burnt completely during combustion contribute to air pollution.
Hydrogen
A colorless, odorless, highly flammable gas used in hydrogeneration of petroleum and to produce ammonia.
Jet pump
Non-moving, non-electrically powered device which aspirates fuel by drawing from another source of flow through a venturi.
LEVII (Low Emission Vehicles)
Specific emissions standard for United States, updated by Air Resources Board (ARB) in 2000.
LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)
Natural gas (primarily methane) that has been liquefied by reducing its temperature to minus 260 degrees F at atmospheric pressure.
LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)
Hydrocarbon gases, usually propane or butane, kept under pressure.
Mono-layer
Mono-layer production process consists in a single layer of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) realizing the envelope of the fuel tank and filler pipe.
Multi-layer
Process that consists of a multi-layer plastics, including additional barrier layer, which allows a considerable decrease in hydrocarbons emissions.
NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen)
NOx is a generic term of the various nitrogen oxides resulting from engine combustion: primarily nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The NOx emissions result from all high temperature and high pressure combustion.
Nozzle Guide
Geometry or component in the filler pipe to guide the nozzle introduction.
OEM (Original Equipment manufacturer)
The original vehicle or engine manufacturer that provides the original design and materials for assembly and manufacture of their product. OEM is commonly used to designate the car manufacturers.
OPR (overpressure release valve)
Valve that prevents excessive pressure inside the tank.
ORVR (On-board refueling vapor recovery system)
During the refueling operation, hydrocarbons are released by the fuel system. The ORVR system prevents them from being released into the atmosphere.
Over filling prevention valve
Avoids overfilling by closing or restricting fuel flow through the venting valves, at refueling.
Parison
A hollow plastic tube which is thrown out of the blow molding machine head across the head tooling from which a hollow object is blow-molded.
Particulate Matter (PM)
Particulate matter is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets, including acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles.
Permeability
Ability of a material to allow another material to pass through it without rupture.
Permeation
Hydrocarbon vapors that escape to the atmosphere by passing through a solid material.
Pressure regulator
Device that maintains a constant pressure between the fuel tank and the engine.
PZEV (partially zero evaporative emissions vehicles)
One of the most stringent Californian environmental regulation. Adopted in 2003, it requires vehicles to reduce their fuel emissions by a factor of ten, to under 54 mg of hydrocarbons per vehicle per day.
Regrind
Crushed material from production flash & scraps to reduce them into small pieces, so that they are reusable in the Blow Molding machine.
ROV (Roll-over valve)
Safety valve that closes the venting line in case of vehicle roll-over to avoid any leakage of fuel onto the road.
Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)
Technology to reduce NOx emissions using an aqueous urea (ammonia) solution injected into the exhaust.
SHED (Sealed House for Evaporation Determination)
SHEDs allow to measure permeation of a component/fuel system. Mini-SHED measure fuel permeation of the tank or fuel system; flexo-SHED, permeation of lines; micro-SHED of small components; vehicle SHED to measure the entire vehicle.
Soot
Unburned diesel particulate matter.
Sustainable Development
Definition given in 1987 by the Brundtland Report "Our Common Future" : "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Therefore, Sustainable development meets simultaneously three requirements : economic viability, social equity and ecological prudence. In our industrial activity, it implies creating goods and services using processes and systems that are non-polluting, conserving energy and natural resources, economically efficient, safe and healthful for workers, communities and consumers, and socially and creatively rewarding for all working people.
Urea
Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO.
Virtual prototyping
Computer based simulation that allows to predict the manufacturing & the functional performance of a system based on numerical models, allowing to reduce development time and cost.