Buster,
The Noack test was developed in Europe and DIN 51581 is the original designation. Now that the test has been adopted in the US, the American Society for Testing and Materials has written a test protocol for it and given it a test number of ASTM D-5800. If you look at a recently updated amsoil spec sheet, the test is called ASTM D-5800.
The DIN and ASTM tests are the same ....The oil sample is first weighted, then held @ 250C/482F for one hour. A slight vacuum is held on the sample to draw off any oil vapors. The sample is weighted after the test and the weight loss expressed in terms of a percentage is the Noack score for the formulation.
I find that Noack volatility relates pretty well to oil consumption, as long as you are comparing the same SAE grade. All things being equal, a heavier oil will generally reduce consumption.
TS