Performance of Elastomeric Materials in Gasoline-Ethanol Blends - A Review

This paper is aimed to provide a comprehensive literature survey on the selection criterion and compatibility of elastomeric materials to gasoline mixtures containing various concentrations of oxygenated hydrocarbons, with a special emphasis on Ethanol (EtOH) gasoline blends. An overview of practical and technical considerations in the usage of EtOH blends is also provided. A special emphasis is given on the compatibility of elastomeric gaskets, O-rings and seals to the EtOH blends. A wide spectrum of material properties; such as, mechanical properties, chemical resistance, swelling and permeability of oxygenated gasoline mixtures through various elastomeric materials are compiled from literature and various standards in the public and private domains. A set of test activities was proposed for evaluation of the performance of various elastomers exposure to several EtOH/gasoline blends.

Keywords: elastomers, ethanol/gasoline blends, swelling, hardness, compression-set, stress relaxation.