Forensic application of Carburane – a quality control software for the characterisation and differentiation of gasoline petroleum fractions used as fire accelerants. An intelligence approach

Commercial software Carburane, developed at the IFP Energies Nouvelles, was originally designed to accurately evaluate petroleum fraction quality. It can also be applied to forensic problems, and in particular to arson investigation. During a 15-month period, about 350 premium gasoline samples, representative of the three types available on the French territory (SP95, SP95-E10, SP98), were obtained from different oil companies and their associated distribution networks. Samples were collected in gas stations, placed in sealed containers, securely packaged, and were next analysed in the IRCGN laboratory by high resolution capillary column GC (gas chromatography) with flame ionisation detection for the separation and characterisation of different hydrocarbon families. Data processing using Carburane software provided accurate characterisation and comparison of premium gasoline samples that could have been used as fire accelerants. It could assess the closeness of unburned premium gasoline samples found at a crime scene, with similar samples from gas stations or from searched suspect premises. Application to the real case study of a burned residential house provided useful information to the investigators.

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