Contents

Introduction
Definition
What is knocking ?
Why do we need octane rating ?
What fuel property does octane rating measure ?
How is octane rating carried out ?
How is octane rating determined practically ?
Various methods of measurement
Octane rating for some fuels
How do other fuel properties affect octane rating ?
Can higher octane fuels give more power ?
Introduction

•The octane rating of gasoline

tells you how much the fuel can
be compressed before it
spontaneously ignites by the
spark plug..
 Definition

• The octane rating is a measure of the

auto ignition resistance of gasoline
(petrol) and other fuels used in spark-
ignition internal combustion engines.
Octane molecule

The octane rating was developed by the chemist

Russell Marker.
What is knocking ?
Knocking occurs
when the air-fuel
mixture auto ignites
all at once , before
the flame from spark
Flame front from spark plug
plug ignition can
reach it.

The explosive reaction

causes combustion to
stop before the
optimum timing,
causing a decrease in
performance.
What fuel property does
octane rating measure ?
The fuel property the octane ratings measure is
the ability of the unburnt end gases to
ignite before the flame from the spark
reaches the fuel chamber.

(write it in ur lang)
Within the chemical structure of the fuel is the
ability to withstand pre-flame conditions without
decomposing into species that will autoignite
before the flame-front arrives. Different reaction
mechanisms, occurring at various stages of the
pre-flame compression stroke, are responsible for
the undesirable, easily-autoignitable, end gases.
How is octane rating carried out ?

Octane is measured relative to a mixture of isooctane (2,2,4-

trimethyl pentane, an isomer of octane) and n- heptane.

For example, 87-octane gasoline, has the

same octane rating as a mixture of 87

volume% isooctane and 13 volume% Isooctane N heptane

n-heptane.
How is octane rating determined ?

Normal heptane and iso -octane are

known as primary reference fuels.
Two blends of these are made, one that is one octane number
above the expected rating ,and another that is one octane
number below the expected rating.
These are placed in different carburetor bowls,
and are also rated with air-fuel ratio
Which is adjusted for maximum knock.
The higher octane reference fuel should produce
a knock meter reading around 30-40, and the lower reference
fuel should produce a knock meter reading of 60-70

The sample is again tested, and if it does not fit between the
reference fuels, further reference fuels are prepared,
and the engine readjusted to obtain the required knock
Actual fuel rating is interpolated
from the knockmeter readings
Various methods of measurement
Research octane no:
It is the most common type of octane rating worldwide . RON is
determined by running the fuel through a specific test engine with a
variable compression ratio under controlled conditions,
and comparing these results with those for mixtures of isooctane
and n-heptane.

Motor octane no:

It is a better measure of how the fuel behaves when under load. MON
testing uses a test engine (similar to that used in RON testing), but
with a preheated fuel mixture, a higher engine speed, and variable
ignition timing to further stress the fuel's knock resistance.
Depending on the composition of the fuel, the MON of a modern
gasoline will be about 8 to 10 points lower than the RON.

In the United States and some other countries the headline number is
the average of the RON and the MON, sometimes called the Anti-
Knock Index (AKI), Road Octane Number (RdON), Pump Octane
Number (PON), or (R+M)/2.
• It is possible for a fuel to have a RON
greater than 100, because isooctane
is not the most knock-resistant substance
available.

Racing fuels, straight ethanol, Avgas and

liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) typically have
octane ratings of 110 or significantly higher –
ethanol's RON is 129 (MON 102, AKI 116).

Typical "octane booster" additives include tetra-ethyl

lead and toluene.

Tetra-ethyl lead is easily decomposed to its component

radicals, which react with the radicals from the fuel and
oxygen that would start the combustion, thereby
delaying ignition.
 Octane ratings for some
fuels

OCTANE
FUEL
NO.
2-methylheptane 23
Examples of octane ratings n-hexane 25
2-methylhexane 44

The octane ratings of n- 1-heptene 60

heptane and iso -octane n-pentane 62
are exactly 0 and 100, by 1-pentene 84
definition. For some other n-butane 91
hydrocarbons, the cyclohexane 97
following table gives the
road octane numbers :
How do other fuel properties
affect octane rating ?
The octane rating of hydrocarbons is determined
by the structure of the molecule.

The addition of additives such as alkyl lead and

oxygenates can significantly affect the pre-flame
reactions.

Final Boiling Point.- Decreases in the final boiling

point increase fuel octane. Aviation gasolines have
much lower final boiling points than automotive
gasolines.

Preignition tendency – lesser is the pre-ignition

Do higher octane fuels give
more power ?

 Modern engines can

operate efficiently on
fuels of a wider range
of octane rating, but
there remains an
optimum octane for
an engine under
specific driving
conditions.
 Engine wear is mainly
related to design,
manufacturing, maintenance
and lubrication factors.
Once the octane and run-
on requirements of the
engine are satisfied,
increased octane will have
no beneficial effect on the
engine.
Bibliography
Engineering chemistry- Jain and Jain

Engineering Applied Sciences- Tech max

www.google.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.howstuffworks.com

www.gasolineFAQ.html.co.in