Sasol has opened a R70 million Fuels Application Center (SFAC) in Cape Town which will a facilitate state-of-the-art fuels research and development program to test the impact of its range of synthetic and crude oil derived fuels on vehicle emission and performance.
The center is one of a few such test facilities in the world and the first of its kind in southern Africa. It is an extension of the existing fuels research facility situated at the Sasol R&D facility in Sasolburg and complements the work done at the Sasol Advanced Fuels Laboratory at the University of Cape Town.
Sasol Technology Managing Director, Willem Louw explains: "This facility has six engine test cells that are used for research and testing. Inside each cell is a specific engine that is coupled to a dynamometer (an electrically controlled brake to simulate vehicle operating conditions) so that the engine can be run under the entire scope of operating conditions that it would in its normal application."
Research teams are interested in both the performance of the fuel in the engine and the gases and particulate matter that are emitted from the exhaust pipe. Three of the six cells have the ability to analyze these gases accurately, making it possible to determine the effects of various fuel formulations on exhaust emissions in an effort to help minimize Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.
Speaking at the launch Sasol CE Pat Davies said the center will showcase local innovation. "This Sasol Fuels Application Centre will facilitate state-of-the-art fuels research and development while showcasing the best of our home-grown technology, from the African continent, to the rest of the world,” Davies said.