In the News

Technician develops economic fuel-testing device

• Publication Date：03/10/2010
• Source： Liberty Times

Tsai Chung-wei, a technician with the Chiayi City Environmental Protection Bureau in southern Taiwan, has created a new device to extract fuel products from vehicles so the fuel can be tested for legality.

Tsai’s device has attracted attention from the Environmental Protection Administration, and its use will be promoted throughout the island. It is estimated that this will save the National Treasury some NT$2.2 million (US$69,080) a year.

Currently, when environmental protection agencies in cities and counties around Taiwan perform checks on emissions from vehicles that use diesel fuel, the same device that extracts the fuel is used to determine whether the fuel is legal. This device, however, costs NT$35 and can only be used once before it has to be thrown away, which is not very environmentally friendly.

In 2009, for instance, environmental inspectors did random tests on 71,710 diesel fuel vehicles throughout Taiwan. This means that 71,710 of the devices were used and discarded, costing the government upwards of NT$2.5 million.

The Chiayi City Environmental Protection Bureau said the original idea for developing the new device came from an inspector for one of the firms commissioned by the city to carry out checks on the diesel fuel vehicles in the city. Since the inspector was unable to find the materials needed to make the device, he forwarded the idea to Tsai, who continued to work on developing and refining the item.

Little did they expect that this little invention would have such a big impact. The new fuel extracting device has a cost of only NT$2.5, making it both practical and cost friendly.

Tsai said he first looked at all the different inspection devices on the market and then began contacting chemical engineering materials companies. He eventually found a company able to provide the type of transparent plastic test tube he needed for a key component in the device.

Tsai drilled a hole in the test tube and attached a steel wire to it. He also added a small white sticker onto the test tube to indicate when the device was manufactured and also the results of the test. This made it quite easy to distinguish test tubes after fuel samples were taken. At the same time, the design of the item helped to prevent waste.

The Environmental Protection Administration said it is quite impressed by the invention and has invited Tsai to share his experience with other environmental protection agencies throughout Taiwan.

(This article originally appeared March 9, 2010 in “The Liberty Times.”)