Duhok Polytechnic University

College of Technical Engineering

Department of Petrochemical

Petroleum refinery prac.

Third YEAR level

Name Of student: Dlzar Yousif

Group : A
Name of Experiment : octane number
Objective

quantitative determination of the knock rating of liquid spark-ignition

engine fuel in terms of Octane number

Introduction

Octane number (ON) is one of the most important properties of gasoline

streams and is a measure of its antiknock property. It is defined as the
volume percentage of i-octane in a blend of n-heptane and i-octane,
which produces the same knock intensity as the test fu el un der
stand ard test con ditio ns in an ASTM internal combustion
engine. ASTM defines two different types of ONs, the research octane
number (RON) and the motor octane number (MON), which are
evaluated using the ASTM D2699and the ASTM D2700 tests,
respectively.1,2Bothmethodsuseth e same standard test eng in e bu
t diff er in the op erating conditions. RON is measured in an engine
running at 600 remand a fuel/air mixture at a temperature of 60°F, while
MON is measured with the engine running at 900 rpm and a
fuel/air mixture at a temperature of 300°F. The slower engine
speed and the lower fuel/air temperature as required in the RON test are
representative of the fuel performance for city driving, while the faster
engine speeds and higher fuel/air temperature represent the fuel performance
for highway driving. Knock results from the premature combustion
of the gasoline due to compression in the engine.3As the fuel/air
mixture is compressed in the internal combustion engine, certain molecules in
gasoline tend to self-ignite even before they reach the ignition spark,
thereby creating a resistive expansive motion in the compression
stroke of the engine and hence the knock.
Depending on the thermal stability of the molecule
(whichdependsonits mo lecu lar stru cture ) and the ensu ing radi
cals, certain moleculestentcombossooner(andknockmore)thanothers.C o n s e
q u e n t l y , O N i s a d i r e c t f u n c t i o n o f t h e m o l e c u l a r compos
ition of the gasoline fuel, and any modeling effort should explicitly
acknowledge it.

Display Sample holder

Measure bottom
Conclusions
We have developed a composition-based predictive model for
both RON and MON that can be universally applied across wide variety
of gasoline fuels derived from different naphtha process streams and
blends.Eachgasolinefueliscompositionally rep resen ted b y 57 d iffe
rent mo lecular lu mp s and b y combination of different GCs
and correlated to the ON. The model structure permits a wide range
of composition extrapolation from pure components to real gasoline
blends. Its predictions are within a SE of (1 number for both RON
and Mona cross the multitude of gasoline fuels. The model is applicable
for a broad range of ONs from 30 to 120. Further improvements

PETROL COMPOSITION

Petrol is a complex mixture of at least 100 different compounds,

mostly hydrocarbons. Most of these are branched-chain alkanes, and
some are aromatic compounds.

OIL REFINING AND ITS PRODUCTS

When crude oil is brought to the refinery, the first process carried out
on it is fractionation or fractional distillation. This means that the many
compounds in the crude oil mixture are separated according to their
different boiling points. Some examples of the resulting fractions and
their uses follow:
• Refinery Gas - used to make Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)
• Light Gasoline - used to make petrol
• Naphtha - used to make petrol
• Kerosene - used as central heating fuel or to make jet fuel
• Gas Oil - used to make diesel fuel
• Residue Fractions - used to make bitumen for roads.
ADDITIVES
the use of additives in petrol manufacture provides a means of
preventing knocking. Two types of additive have been in use in recent
decades.

lead compounds and oxygenates.

Lead compounds e.g. tetra ethyl lead These work by preventing the
type of reactions that cause knocking. They have been in use since the
1920s, but have long been criticised for their harmful environmental
effects—the lead compounds present in exhaust fumes are toxic. Their
use has been phased out in many countries, and they were banned in
Ireland in 2000.
Oxygenates e.g. alcohols or ethers

These compounds work by raising the octane number of the fuel. They
cause less pollution, because apart from not containing lead, they
produce lower levels of carbon monoxide when they burn. The most
commonly used oxygenate is MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether). The
systematic name is 2- methoxy-2-methylpropane. Its octane rating is
118
HIGH OCTANE COMPOUNDS
Apart from the use of additives, knocking may also be prevented by
using a mixture of high-octane compounds in petrol manufacture.
Certain molecular features are desirable in ensuring that compounds
have high-octane ratings. These are:

a) A high degree of branching

b) Short chain length

c) The existence of rings.

High-octane compounds can be obtained from low by three

processes, each involving the use of catalysts:
a) Isomerization

b) DE hydro cyclisation

c) Catalytic cracking.

These processes will be explained in the succeeding paragraph

Procedure
1. The first step was to switch power to on. The display will show the
version number followed by the 15-second count down after which
“Clear chamber and press measure” will appear.
2. We make sure there is no sample holder in the sample chamber
and Cover the chamber with a light shield.
3. After we covered the chamber with a light shield, the MEASURE
key was pressed to standardize the instrument. After the reading
takes place, “Put in sample” appeared on the display. This indicates
that the instrument has been standardized; it is now ready to measure
the sample.
4. Then we remove the light shield from the sample chamber and
place the filled sample in the sample chamber by being carefully to
align the alignment stripe on the sample holder with the left alignment
stripe on the instrument.
5. Carefully we replaced the light shield over the sample holder. This
shield must always be used when measuring the fuel sample or a
standard; otherwise the result will be incorrect.
6. We pressed the MEASURE button. After the “reading” takes place
“remove and replace” displayed.
7. Now the sample holder was removed and rotated to align the stripe
on the sample holder with the right alignment stripe in the instrument
and again Carefully the light shield was replaced over the sample
holder.
8. Again we pressed MEASURE button to take reading. After the
“Reading” takes place. “Remove & Press M” displayed.
9. We removed the sample holder and cover the empty chamber with
the light shield and pressed measure button again.
10. After the measurement is complete, we repeated step 3-11 to
measure another fuel sample.
Discussion:
1. Define Octane number.
Octane number (ON) is one of the most important properties of
gasoline streams and is a measure of its antiknock property

2. Why do we measure octane number of gasoline?

The octane number of te knocking resistant of gasoline reference is

also sometime made to front octane number, also called RON 100

And the observed road octane number (RdON.)

3. Which hydrocarbons have highest ON and which one has the

lowest?

4. What is meant by RON, MON and AKI?

To determine octane number of gasoline an engine test is carried out at

two different speeds and the octane umber are defined as the research
octane number (RON) and the motor octane number (MON), which are
conducted at two different speeds, 600 and 900 rpm, respectively.

Antiknock Index (AKI) or Pump Octane Number (PON; sometimes

Posted Octane Number) is a measure of a fuel’s ability to resist engine
knock or octane quality. The AKI is an arithmetic average of RON and
MON. The AKI of a motor fuel is the average of the RON and MON as
determined by the formula (R+M)/2
5. How can gasoline ON be increased?

Apart from the use of additives, knocking may also be prevented by

using a mixture of high-octane compounds in petrol manufacture.
Certain molecular features are desirable in ensuring that compounds
have high-octane ratings. These are:

a) A high degree of branching

b) Short chain length

c) The existence of rings.

References
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237273089_Chemical_Interpretation_of_Octane_Number

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281059433_Octane_Rating_of_Gasoline_and_Octane_Boost
er_Additives

https://pdst.ie/sites/default/files/ch_cw_petrol.pdf

https://www.eesi.org/files/Robert_McCormick_061215.pdf

https://ar.scribd.com/document/181710044/octane-number-pdf