Chapter Twenty-Six

Fuels and Other Energy Sources

 Objectives

• Describe the basic composition of gasoline.

• Explain why materials are added to gasoline
to make it more efficient.
• Name the common substances used as
oxygenates in gasoline and explain what
they do.
 Objectives (Cont’d)

• Describe how the quality of a fuel can be

tested.
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages
of the various alternative fuels.
• Explain the differences between electric,
hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles.
 Products Developed from
Crude Oil
• Lubricating oil
• Grease
• Asphalt
• Kerosene
• Diesel fuel
• Gasoline
• Natural gas
 Factors That Affect
Engine Knock
• Lean fuel mixture • Coolant temperature
• Over advanced • Excessive carbon
ignition timing deposits
• Compression ratio • Air inlet temperature
• Valve timing • Combustion chamber
• Turbocharging or shape
supercharging • Octane number
 Factors Affected by Fuel
Volatility
• Cold starting and warmup
• High altitude operation
• Crankcase oil dilution
 Fuel Additives

• Anti-icing
• Metal deactivators
• Rust inhibitors
• Gum or oxidation inhibitors
• Detergents
 Fuel Quality Tests

• Reid vapor pressure

– Measures the volatility of the fuel.
– Affects how an engine runs in cold weather.
• Alcohol test
– Excessive alcohol can cause corrosion and
damage to rubber components.
– May cause driveability complaints.
 Alternative Fuels

• Propane (LP-gas)
• Diesel fuel
• P-series fuel
• Compressed natural gas (CNG)
• Hydrogen
• Ethanol
 Hybrid Vehicle Designs

• Series hybrid
– The electric motor drives the vehicle.
– The engine is used to drive the generator.
• Parallel hybrid
– The vehicle relies on power from the electric
motor or the engine or both.
– Is the most common design.
Toyota Hybrid Layout
Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist
System
A Fuel Cell
 Summary

• The ideal air/fuel ration is referred to as

stoichiometric.
• Gasoline is a complex mixture of
approximately 300 various ingredients,
mainly hydrocarbons, refined from crude oil
for use as fuel in engines.
 Summary (Cont’d)
• An octane number or rating is assigned to a
fuel to indicate its antiknock quality.
• Oxygenates are compounds that are added
to fuels to improve combustion efficiency,
increase fuel octane ratings, and reduce
emissions.
• Two tests can be done to test the quality of
gasoline: the Reid vapor pressure test and
the alcohol content test.
 Summary (Cont’d)
• Diesel fuel contains more energy per gallon
and is more efficient than gasoline.
• Diesel fuel’s ignition quality is measured by
the cetane rating.
• P-series fuels can be used alone or freely
mixed, in any proportion, with gasoline.
• CNG is a fossil fuel that offers several
advantages over gasoline.
 Summary (Cont’d)

• Hydrogen can be used directly or mixed

with natural gas in internal combustion
engines and is the fuel for fuel cells.
• Renewable fuels release fewer emissions
and lower amounts of carbon dioxide than
gasoline.
 Summary (Cont’d)

• Electric vehicles use electric motors that

are powered by electricity stored in
batteries.
• Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have an
internal combustion engine and an
electric motor.
 Summary (Cont’d)

• Some HEV designs have an engine that is

used only to drive a generator that charges
the battery or powers the electric motor.
• A fuel cell is a device that converts fuel
directly to electricity, has no moving parts
or chemicals, and requires no maintenance.