RR1015 - Assessment of the safety features of adapted plastic fuel container spouts
Four commercially available fuel container anti-spill spout adapter devices were tested for their ability to prevent spillage by overfilling and if the fuel container was knocked onto its side. The devices were also tested for their ability to resist flashback and prevent internal explosions in petrol containers.
The key findings were:
- Only one of the four devices prevented spillage from over-filling and knocking over; this device has a normally closed push action valve. A study in the US has, however, observed instances of this design of valve failing by sticking in the open position.
- One of the devices prevented spillage from over-filling but created spillage when it was removed from the fuel can.
- Two of the devices did not prevent spillage from over-filling in the test.
- The three devices tested provided flashback resistance under the conditions tested. The fourth device, the push valve variant, was not tested for flashback resistance as the valve needs to be physically held open to allow pouring.
- The tests undertaken at HSL and the previous studies examined demonstrate that the devices do not eliminate all the risks involved in using petrol; care is still needed during use to avoid spillages and accidents.
Assistance in the use of Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our FAQs page.