Quality Control of Petroleum Products

in the Japanese Marketing System

January 21, 2010

National Petroleum Association

Presentation
Quality standards of Japanese petroleum
products
Amendment of the Law on the Quality
Control of Gasoline and Other Fuels
Results of a purchase-based market
sampling test of Japanese petroleum products

National Petroleum Association

Quality Standards of Japanese Petroleum Products

Aim of the Law on the Quality Control of Gasoline and Other Fuels
This law aims at upholding consumer interests by implementing
measures necessary for the marketing of petroleum products that
affect the lives of Japanese citizens, including gasoline, diesel fuel
and kerosene, for ensuring that these petroleum products are of
merchantable quality and stably supplied. It also aims at taking
measures necessary for ensuring adequate implementation of
international agreements on the prevention of marine pollution
caused by fuel oil.
National Petroleum Association

JIS and the Law

Japanese Industrial
Standards (JIS)
Voluntary standards
Not enforceable
Aiming at standardization
Provided by agreement of
interested parties
Standards of manufacturers
JIS mark certification system

Law on the Quality Control of

Gasoline and Other Fuels
Statutory regulations
Penal regulations
Aiming at protecting consumer benefits
Mandatory & standard requirements
SQ mark certification system
(on the equivalent level of JIS)

National Petroleum Association

An Outline of the Law on the Quality Control of

Gasoline and Other Fuels

Securing merchantable quality of gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, etc. for

protecting consumer benefits (Enforced in Apr. 1996)
Gasoline distributors obligations to register themselves and analyze
gasoline quality
Mandatory quality standards specified from the viewpoint of
environment, safety and human health. (Specification criteria: 10 for
gasoline, 3 for kerosene, 9 for diesel fuel and 2 for fuel oil)
Distribution of products which do not conform to the mandatory quality
standards is prohibited
Standard quality specifications conforming to JIS are provided
separately from the viewpoint of performance
Gas stations selling gasoline ,diesel fuel,kerosene that meets the
standard quality specifications are qualified to use SQ marks
(Certification mark system for distributors)

National Petroleum Association

Quality Standards of Motor Gasoline

Testing

Legal specifications
NO DETECT

SULFUR mass

0.001

MTBE vol

mass

BENZEN vol
KEROSINE vol
METHANOL
ETHANOL vol
EXISTENT GUM mg/100mL
COLOR
OCTANE NUMBER
DENSITY g/cm3
DISTILLATION

T10

T50
T90

E.P.

RESIDUE vol

COPPER STRIP
VAPOUR PRESSURE

JIS

SQ Mark
Standard

OXYGEN

Mandatory

LEAD

1.3
1
4
NO DETECT
3
5
ORANGE
(High Octane Gasoline) 96.0 (Regular Gasoline) 89.0

0.783
70
75 110
180
220
2.0
1

kPa

OXIDATION STABILITY min

4478Winter upper 93Summer upper 65

National Petroleum Association

Quality Standards of Diesel Fuel

Legal specifications

Testing
SULFUR mass

0.001

JIS

CETANE INDEX
FAME mass
METHANOL mass
ACID NUMBER mgKOH/g
Individual ORG. ACID* mass
ACID NUMBER mgKOH/g
FLASH POINT
P.P.

5.0
0.01

SQ Mark

TG mass

360

Standard

Mandatory

DISTILLATION T90

0.12

0.01
0.13

BDF

0.003
45
No.1: -2.5 No.2: -7.5 etc.

JIS

C.F.P.P.

45

No.1: -1 No.2: -5 etc.

10CARBON RESIDUE mass

0.1

KINEMATIC VISCOSITY mm2/s

1.7

*Total of Formic, Acetic and Propionic acid

National Petroleum Association

Quality Standard of Kerosene

Legal specifications

Testing
JIS

Standard
SQ Mark

Mandatory

Sulfur mass
Flash Point
COLOR
DISTILLATION
T95
SMOKE POINT mm
COPPER STRIP

0.008
40
+25
270
21
1

Quality Standard of Fuel Oil

Mandatory

Testing
SULFUR mass
REACTION

Legal specifications
4.5
Alkalinity or Neutrality

National Petroleum Association

 Amendment of the Law on the Quality Control of Gasoline and Other Fuels
The Japanese government promotes use of
biofuels
Kyoto Protocol Target Achievement Plan:
Introduction of0.5 m KL (coe) of biofuels into
the market (FY 2010)
Blending of ETBE in gasoline
Direct blending of ethanol in gasoline (E3)
Blending of FAME derived from waste
cooking oil in diesel oil

containing biofuels of inadequate quality

cause:
Vehicle malfunction
Air pollution

gasoline containing
concentrated alcohol

diesel fuel
containing FAME

Law Amendment
Securing merchantable quality of gasoline/ diesel fuel containing biofuels

Aiming at protecting consumer benefits

Promoting use of biofuels

Primary points of the law amendment

Current law controlled only refineries, oil
import terminals and gas stations.
Blenders were no control under the current
law.

Amended law starts control of

blenders.
Source: Agency for Natural Resources and Energy

Safety
Refineries/
Oil import
terminals

Blending of
ethanol/ BDF

Blenders

Gas Stations

No control under
the current law
Amended law:
1 Prior registration
2 Quality verification

National Petroleum Association

Primary points of the amendment

to the Law on the Quality Control of Gasoline and Other Fuels
Obligations of the specified manufacturers (Blenders)
a. Pre-registration
Required to submit documents including business plans, a product
quality analysis contractors certificate, etc.
b. Quality verification
In principle, quality analysis is required for every production lot
After fulfilling certain conditions (i.e. when a plan for the
verification of specified processing quality is approved),
quality analysis is required once in three months
Preferential measures for off-specification fuels for research/testing
Approval of research/test plans
E10, B20, etc.
National Petroleum Association

10

Results of a purchase-based market

sampling test of Japanese petroleum products
Purchase-based market sampling test
Out of a nozzle

Gas Stations

Purchasing a 1-liter
Sample at one time
No prior notice

Project subsidized
by the government

Sampling test
National Petroleum
Association

Report on
nonconformity

it
-s
On
s
in
io
ct
pe
n

Agency for Natural

Resources and Energy

National Petroleum Association

11

Purchase-based test samples

and the nonconformity ratio (Gasoline)
FY

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Service stations

52,592

51,294

50,067

48,672

47,584

45,792

44,057

42,090

126
0.23%
26

113
0.21%
10

82
0.15%
7

89
0.16%
8

71
0.13%
8

60
0.12%
2

63
0.12%
20

261
0.41%
191

0.05%
54,200

0.02%
53,594

0.01%
54,321

0.01%
54,340

0.01%
54,759

0.00%
52,151

0.04%
51,440

0.30%
64,046

57
0.10%
20

68
0.12%
21

112
0.19%
45

152
0.26%
91

30
0.05%
10

33
0.06%
6

40
0.07%
18

77
0.11%
54

0.03%
58,981

0.04%
58,288

0.08%
58,697

0.16%
58,556

0.02%
58,609

0.01%
55,570

0.03%
55,012

0.08%
68,293

HG:
Nonconforming
samples
Ratio
Nonconforming
to mandatory
specifications
Ratio
Samples
RG :
Nonconforming
samples
Ratio
Nonconforming
to mandatory
specifications
Ratio
Samples

Note: HG (High Octane Gasoline), RG (Regular Gasoline)

National Petroleum Association

12

Purchase-based test samples and

the nonconformity ratio (Diesel fuel & Kerosene)
FY
diesel fuel:
Nonconforming
samples
(Coumarin
detected)
Ratio
Nonconforming
to mandatory
specifications
Ratio
Samples
Kerosene:
Nonconforming
samples
Ratio
Nonconforming
to mandatory
specifications
Ratio
Samples
(Exc. color
nonconformity)

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

400

525

447

492

414

351

471

519

(269)

(288)

(241)

(224)

(143)

(123)

(84)

(121)

0.69%
41

0.91%
45

0.77%
58

0.85%
94

0.71%
160

0.64%
118

0.87%
301

0.77%
256

0.07%
58,355

0.08%
57,595

0.10%
58,027

0.16%
57,880

0.28%
58,001

0.21%
55,019

0.55%
54,444

0.38%
67,597

132
0.23%
126

251
0.45%
245

199
0.36%
195

236
0.42%
231

158
0.28%
157

96
0.18%
96

71
0.14%
71

100
0.15%
97

0.22%
56,257

0.44%
55,924

0.35%
55,891

0.42%
55,596

0.28%
55,590

0.18%
52,622

0.14%
52,147

0.15%
64,527

National Petroleum Association

13

Details of Nonconformity: High-octane gasoline

Sulfur content

PPM
50

300

10

250

200

Number
INCONGRUENCE
of nonconforming
HG

150

100

50

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

FISCL YEAR

13

10
14

11
15

12
16

National Petroleum Association

14

Nonconformity to sulfur specifications: High-octane

gasoline
H20HG
Monthly variations
in the number of nonconforming products (FY 2008)
40

Causes ofH20HG
nonconformity to sulfur content (FY 2008)

35
30

Others

8%

25

Fuel
oil

20

12%

15

Nozzle+
+ Fuel oil

10

3%
5
0
May

Apr

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct
Nov
Dec

Jan

Mar

Feb

Nozzle

77%

Number of
nonconforming HG

H20HG
Sulfur concentrations
in the nonconforming products (FY 2008)
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-

Sulfur (PPM)
PPM)

National Petroleum Association

15

Details of Nonconformity: Regular gasoline

140
120

Number
ofINCONGRUENCE
nonconforming
RG

Sulfur content

PPM

Fuel containing
concentrated
alcohol

160

50
10

100
80
60
40
20
0

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

FISCALl YEAR

13

10
14

11
15

12
16

National Petroleum Association

16

Details of Nonconformity: diesel fuel

Sulfur content
50050PPM

600

Sulfur content
5010PPM

Number of nonconforming
Diesel fuel

500

400

300

200

100

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

FISCAL YEAR

10%residue)

National Petroleum Association

Details of Nonconformity: Kerosene

(Exc. color nonconformity)
250

Number of nonconforming
Kerosene

200

150

100

50

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

FISCAL YEAR
SULFUR

FLASH POINT

DISTILLATION

SMOKE POINT

COPPER STRIP

National Petroleum Association

18

Summary of the purchase-based

market sampling test

Gasoline: The ratio of nonconformity to the mandatory

specifications had been less than 0.1% until 2007, but it
increased rapidly in 2008 when control on the sulfur content
was tightened (i.e. The upper limit was reduced from 50 ppm to
10 ppm). Rubber hoses for feeding gasoline are likely to be the
main source of sulfur.
diesel fuel: Having a greater ratio of nonconformity to sulfur
specifications, it does not conform to the mandatory
specifications at a rate of 0.4%. Coumarin was detected at a
high rate.
Kerosene: Besides the change in color in summer,
nonconformity to the flash point specifications was obvious.
The ratio of nonconformity to the mandatory specifications is
less than 0.2%.
In general: The nonconformity ratio is not high, but
nonconforming products are increasing due to the tightening of
the sulfur content control.
National Petroleum Association

19

Thank you for your attention!!

National Petroleum Association

20