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2016 ANNUAL REPORT
Fuel Quality
In the first half of 2016, the fuel and
asphalt QA tests carried out by the Center
of Electrochemical and Chemical Energy
(CELEQ as per its Spanish acronym) and
the National Laboratory of Structural
Materials and Models (LANAMME as per
its Spanish acronym) of the University
of Costa Rica (UCR), under the authority
of the Public Services Regulatory
Authority (ARESEP), confirmed that all
the products sold by RECOPE complied
with Costa Rican regulations. Random
samples must be taken and subjected
to QA testing, in accordance with the
National Quality Assurance Program,
from storage tanks in each of the four
plant and storage sites, to wit: Moín, El
Alto, La Garita and Barranca.
These samples confirmed the results of
the QA tests carried out by RECOPE’s
internal laboratories, whose reports
also declared that the fuels and asphalts
authorized for sale in Costa Rica met the
established specifications.
The table below lists the average results
of the tests that were carried out by the
QA Laboratories in 2016, and shows that
RECOPE met, and even exceeded, the
octane- and sulfur-level requirements
for gasoline, diesel and bunker.
QUALITY ASSESSMENT RESULTS
2016
Test
Min.
Average
Max.
Upper/Lower Limit
Standard
Octane Level
Plus 91
91.0 N.O.
91.6 N.O
92.2 N.O.
91.0 (Min.)
ASTM D-2699
Premium Gasoline
95.0 N.O.
95.4 N.O
96.2 N.O.
95.0 (Min.)
ASTM D-2699
Sulfur Level
Plus 91
17.00 mg/kg
26.30 mg/kg
60.0mg/kg
80 mg/kg (Max.)
ASTM D-2622
Premium Gasoline
12.00 mg/kg
19.00 mg/kg
59.00mg/kg
80 mg/kg (Max.)
ASTM D-2622
Diesel
3.00 mg/kg
12.90 mg/kg
31.00mg/kg
50 mg/kg (Max.)
ASTM D-2622
Bunker (mass fraction)
1.67 %
2.49 %
2.94 %
3.00% (Max.)
ASTM D-4294
Source: Pacific Central and Caribbean Department of Quality Assurance
