Tracerco trials world's first portable fuel fraud test system

World leading technology company Tracerco, part of the FTSE 100 Johnson Matthey Plc, has developed the world’s first fully portable, lightweight and rugged system to field detect fuel use crimes such as adulteration and smuggling.

The new analyser, Nemesis, has undergone a series of rigorous trials in Malaysia to demonstrate suitability and robustness in hot and humid tropical conditions and prove its reliability in remote regions with unmade roads, including off-road, ahead of future deployment in the Asia region

The testing proved that Nemesis’ bespoke application software and communications systems are robust enough to handle remote locations and be integrated into a government authority’s field-testing/inspection programme.

Fuel crime is a global problem. Wherever significant price differentials between subsidised or rebated fuels, non-rebated fuels and industrial solvents the incentive for organised crime to smuggle adulterate and substitute fuels can exist. Moreover, the determined criminal can easily defeat conventional fuel security markers, such as dyes, by washing or laundering the fuel to remove the marker.

Nemesis works in tandem with Tracerco’s unique range of non-launderable markers is field portable and provides rapid sample analysis with marker detection down to extremely low ppt levels. Results are available at the touch of a button and presented in a clear and precise quantitative format which eliminates the risk of ambiguous interpretation. Collected data can be transmitted instantly using 3 or 4G technologies to a central control location, thereby avoiding the potential for tampering or interfering with the results.

Measuring 50cm by 31cm by 46cm and weighing 22 kg, Nemesis is fully portable and can be powered from a car battery, ideal for use in the remotest of locations. The analyser is weatherproof, extremely rugged and doesn’t require a lengthy start up, enabling rapid deployment.

Tracerco leads the world in the research and development of launder resistant fuel markers and the future deployment in Asia follows success in other countries with fuel security problems. Andy Hurst, Tracerco’s Managing Director, said

“The latest field trials of Nemesis have succeeded in proving its versatility and value as a sophisticated tool for authorities in the fight against fuel adulteration.”

“Having first deployed this new portable analyser on fuel security programmes in the Americas, we are now confident that Nemesis can play a full and effective role in helping the government authorities in Asia combat fiscal losses caused by fuel related crime.”

To see Nemesis in action, visit YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeHVyhOJkic