OCTANE - THE WHOLE STORY

Definition: A value used to indicate the resistance of a motor fuel to knock. Octane numbers are based on a scale on which isooctane is 100 (minimal knock) and heptane is 0 (bad knock).

Also Known As: Octane Rating

Example: A gasoline with an octane number of 92 has the same knock as a mixture of 92% isooctane and 8% heptane.

Gasoline consists of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons. Most of these are alkanes with 4-10 carbon atoms per molecule. Smaller amounts of aromatic compounds are present. Alkenes and alkynes may also be present in gasoline.

Gasoline is most often produced by the fractional distillation of petroleum, also known as crude oil (it is also produced from coal and oil shale). The crude oil is separated according to different boiling points into fractions. This fractional distillation process yields approximately 250 mL of straight-run gasoline for each liter of crude oil. The yield of gasoline may be doubled by converting higher or lower boiling point fractions into hydrocarbons in the gasoline range. Two of the main processes used to perform this conversion are cracking and isomerization.

In cracking, high molecular weight fractions and catalysts are heated to the point where the carbon-carbon bonds break. Products of the reaction include alkenes and alkanes of lower molecular weight than were present in the original fraction. The alkanes from the cracking reaction are added to the straight-run gasoline to increase the gasoline yield from the crude oil. An example of a cracking reaction is:

alkane C13H28 (l) --> alkane C8H18 (l) + alkene C2H4 (g) + alkene C3H6 (g)

In the isomerization process, straight chain alkanes are converted into branched chain isomers, which burn more efficiently. For example, pentane and a catalyst may react to yield 2-methylbutane and 2,2-dimethylpropane. Also, some isomerization occurs during the cracking process, which increases the gasoline quality.

In internal combustion engines, the compressed gasoline-air mixtures have a tendency to ignite prematurely rather than burning smoothly. This creates engine knock, a characteristic rattling or pinging sound in one or more cylinders. The octane number of gasoline is a measure of its resistance to knock. The octane number is determined by comparing the characteristics of a gasoline to isooctane (2,2,4-trimethylpentane) and heptane. Isooctane is assigned an octane number of 100. It is a highly branched compound that burns smoothly, with little knock. On the other hand, heptane is given an octane rating of zero. It is an unbranched compound and knocks badly.

Straight-run gasoline has an octane number of about 70. In other words, straight-run gasoline has the same knocking properties as a mixture of 70% isooctane and 30% heptane. Cracking, isomerization, and other processes can be used to increase the octane rating of gasoline to about 90. Anti-knock agents may be added to further increase the octane rating. Tetraethyl lead, Pb(C2H5)4, was one such agent, which was added to gas at the rate of up to 2.4 grams per gallon of gasoline. The switch to unleaded gasoline has required the addition of more expensive compounds, such as aromatics and highly branched alkanes, to maintain high octane numbers.

Gasoline pumps typically post octane numbers as an average of two different values. Often you may see the octane rating quoted as (R+M)/2. One value is the research octane number (RON), which is determined with a test engine running at a low speed of 600 rpm. The other value is the motor octane number (MON), which is determined with a test engine running at a higher speed of 900 rpm. If, for example, a gasoline has an RON of 98 and a MON of 90, then the posted octane number would be the average of the two values or 94.

High octane gasoline does not outperform regular octane gasoline in preventing engine deposits from forming, in removing them, or in cleaning the engine. Consumers should select the lowest octane grade at which the engine runs without knocking.

HOWEVER - Running an engine on low octane fuel which causes detonation will damage your engine!

NOTE - The design of some modern four stroke water cooled engines makes engine knock difficult to hear.  For that reason, Powroll tests all our products on the dyno with sensors to determine the proper octane rating.  Failure to follow our (or other manufacturer's) recommendations can result in engine failure.

Information above gleaned from the Chemistry section of about.com

AVIATION FUEL - "AV GAS"

Aviation gasoline (or "av gas") is blended specifically for use in small aircraft.

Many high performance engine owners use it because of it's high stated octane rating (usually 100-110) and the relatively low price compared to racing fuel.

Unfortunately this fuel is not all it appears to be.

Av gas octane is rated on a different scale than gasolines intended for ground level use. What is 100 octane "av", is not necessarily 100 octane "ground level".

Besides this, there is also a big chemical difference. Normal ground level race fuels are made up of gas molecules that have a "light end" and a "heavy end". The light end of the molecule ignites easily and burns quickly with a low temperature flame (as a piece of thin newspaper would burn). The heavy end of the molecule is not so easily ignited, but it burns with a much more intense heat (as an oak log would). This heavy end of the gasoline molecule is responsible for the hotter, more powerful part of the combustion process.

Small aircraft are constructed as very weight conscious vehicles. That's because their somewhat weak engines often have difficulty taking off with any extra weight. To help reduce this weight problem, av gasolines are blended with no heavy molecule end. This makes a gallon of av gas weigh substantially less than a gallon of ground level fuel.

Since small plane engines turn very low rpms and produce so little power per cc, the omission of the heavy end is not a horsepower issue. However, for high output racing engines used here on the ground, there is defiantly a compromise in power, and reliability may suffer.