ARTICLE 6: FUEL SYSTEM
6.1 Fuel tanks:
6.1.1 The fuel tank must be a single rubber bladder conforming to or exceeding the specifications of FIA/FT5-1999, the fitting of foam within the tank however is not mandatory. A list of approved materials may be found in the Appendix to these regulations.
6.1.2 All the fuel stored on board the car must be situated between the front face of the engine and the driver's back when viewed in lateral projection. When establishing the front face of the engine, no parts of the fuel, oil, water or electrical systems will be considered.
Furthermore, no fuel can be stored more than 300mm forward of the highest point at which the driver's back makes contact with his seat. However, a maximum of 2 litres of fuel may be kept outside the survival cell, but only that which is necessary for the normal running of the engine.
6.1.3 Fuel must not be stored more than 400mm from the longitudinal axis of the car.
6.1.4 All rubber bladders must be made by manufacturers recognised by the FIA. In order to obtain the agreement of the FIA, the manufacturer must prove the compliance of his product with the specifications approved by the FIA. These manufacturers must undertake to deliver to their customers exclusively tanks complying to the approved standards.
A list of approved manufacturers may be found in the Appendix to these regulations.
6.1.5 All rubber bladders shall be printed with the name of the manufacturer, the specifications to which the tank has been manufactured and the date of manufacture.
6.1.6 No rubber bladders shall be used more than 5 years after the date of manufacture.
6.2 Fittings and piping:
6.2.1 All apertures in the fuel tank must be closed by hatches or fittings which are secured to metallic or composite bolt rings bonded to the inside of the bladder. The total area of any such hatches or fittings which are in contact with the fuel may not exceed 30000mm².
Bolt hole edges must be no less than 5mm from the edge of the bolt ring, hatch or fitting.
6.2.2 All fuel lines between the fuel tank and the engine must have a self sealing breakaway valve. This valve must separate at less than 50% of the load required to break the fuel line fitting or to pull it out of the fuel tank.
6.2.3 No lines containing fuel may pass through the cockpit.
6.2.4 All lines must be fitted in such a way that any leakage cannot result in the accumulation of fuel in the cockpit.
6.3 Crushable structure:
The fuel tank must be completely surrounded by a crushable structure, which is an integral part of the survival cell and must be able to withstand the loads required by the tests in Articles 18.2.1 and 18.3.
6.4 Fuel tank fillers:
Fuel tank fillers must not protrude beyond the bodywork. Any breather pipe connecting the fuel tank to the atmosphere must be designed to avoid liquid leakage when the car is running and its outlet must not be less than 250mm from the cockpit opening.
All fuel tank fillers and breathers must be designed to ensure an efficient locking action which reduces the risk of an accidental opening following a crash impact or incomplete locking after refuelling.
6.5 Refuelling:
6.5.1 All refuelling during the race must be carried out at a rate no greater than 12.1 litres per second and by using equipment which has been supplied by the FIA designated manufacturer, details concerning the manufacturer may be found in the Appendix to these regulations. This manufacturer will be required to supply identical refuelling systems, the complete specification of which will be available from the FIA no later than one month prior to the first Championship Event.
Any modifications to the manufacturer's specification may only be made following written consent from the FIA.
6.5.2 A cover must be fitted over the car connector at all times when the car is running on the track. The cover and its attachments must be sufficiently strong to avoid accidental opening in the event of an accident.
6.5.3 Before refuelling commences, the car connector must be connected electrically to earth.
All metal parts of the refuelling system from the coupling to the supply tank must also be connected to earth.
6.5.4 No fuel intended for immediate use in a car may be more than ten degrees centigrade below ambient temperature. When assessing compliance the ambient temperature will be that recorded one hour before any practice session or the race by the FIA appointed weather service provider. This information will also be displayed on the timing monitors.
The temperature of fuel intended for use in a car must be measured via an FIA approved and sealed
sensor.
6.5.5 The use of any device on board the car to decrease the temperature of the fuel is forbidden.
6.6 Fuel sampling:
6.6.1 Competitors must provide a means of removing all fuel from the car.
6.6.2 Competitors must ensure that a one litre sample of fuel may be taken from the car at any time during the Event.
6.6.2 All cars must be fitted with a –2 'Symetrics' male fitting in order to facilitate fuel sampling. If an electric pump on board the car cannot be used to remove the fuel an externally connected one may be used provided it is evident that a representative fuel sample is being taken. If an external pump is used it must be possible to connect the FIA sampling hose to it and any hose between the car and pump must be -3 in diameter and not exceed 2m in length. Details of the fuel sampling hose may be found in the Appendix to these regulations.
6.6.3 The sampling procedure must not necessitate starting the engine or the removal of bodywork (other than the cover over the refuelling connector).