Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 194 views

    Octane Numbers

    Uploaded by

    sidaks6869
    The octane number of a fuel indicates its resistance to autoignition under compression. Fuels with higher octane numbers, like isooctane, are less likely to ignite prematurely than fuels with lower octane numbers, like heptane. The octane rating can be increased through the addition of additives, blending in higher-octane fuels, or refinery processes like isomerization, reforming, and cracking that alter the molecular structure of the fuels. These processes produce fuels with shorter or more branched alkane chains, which increases their octane rating.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Octane Numbers

    Uploaded by

    sidaks6869
    194 views4 pages
    The octane number of a fuel indicates its resistance to autoignition under compression. Fuels with higher octane numbers, like isooctane, are less likely to ignite prematurely than fuels with lower octane numbers, like heptane. The octane rating can be increased through the addition of additives, blending in higher-octane fuels, or refinery processes like isomerization, reforming, and cracking that alter the molecular structure of the fuels. These processes produce fuels with shorter or more branched alkane chains, which increases their octane rating.

    Original Description:

    octane rating

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The octane number of a fuel indicates its resistance to autoignition under compression. Fuels with higher octane numbers, like isooctane, are less likely to ignite prematurely than fuels with lower octane numbers, like heptane. The octane rating can be increased through the addition of additives, blending in higher-octane fuels, or refinery processes like isomerization, reforming, and cracking that alter the molecular structure of the fuels. These processes produce fuels with shorter or more branched alkane chains, which increases their octane rating.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    194 views4 pages

    Octane Numbers

    Uploaded by

    sidaks6869
    The octane number of a fuel indicates its resistance to autoignition under compression. Fuels with higher octane numbers, like isooctane, are less likely to ignite prematurely than fuels with lower octane numbers, like heptane. The octane rating can be increased through the addition of additives, blending in higher-octane fuels, or refinery processes like isomerization, reforming, and cracking that alter the molecular structure of the fuels. These processes produce fuels with shorter or more branched alkane chains, which increases their octane rating.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    3/17/2015

    Octane numbers

    Octanenumbers
    Theoctanenumberofafuelisbasedonhowfuelsautoignite,undercompression.
    Itisbasedonthescalewhereisooctaneis100(minimalignitionunderpressure)andheptaneis0(easilyignitesunder
    pressure).
    Forexample,apetrolwithanoctanenumberof92hasthesameknockasamixtureof92%isooctaneand8%heptane.
    Octaneratingdecreaseswithanincreaseinthecarbonchainlength.
    Octaneratingsincreasewithcarbonchainbranching.
    Octaneratingsincreaseinaromaticswithsamenumberofcarbons.
    Itisimportanttoknowoctanenumbersforpetrolbecausetheautoignitionoffuelscausesaknockingeffectinpetrolengines.
    Thisiswhereitignitestwiceonceduetothehighpressureandagainwhenthesparkignitesthepetrol.Thiscausesthecar
    enginetobelessefficientanditcanalsodamagetheengine.
    However,dieselenginesrelyonthisknockingeffect,astheyhavenosparkplugsandrelyontheeffectofcompressiontomake
    theirfuel/airmixturesignite.
    Howoctaneratingofafuelcanbeincreased
    Therearetwowaystoincreasetheoctanenumberofafuel.Oneistoputspecialadditivesintothefuelwhichdiscourageauto
    ignition,andtheotheristoblendhighoctanefuelsinwiththeordinarypetrol.
    Antiknockingadditives
    Antiknockingadditivesaresubstanceswhichreducethetendencyofafueltoautoignite,andsoincreasetheoctanenumber.
    Sincethe1920s,smallamountsofleadcompoundshavebeenusedaseconomicalandeffectiveantiknockadditives.
    Concernovertheenvironmentaleffectsofleadedpetrolhasleadtoagradualphasingoutofleadedpetrol.
    Petrolcompanieshavefocusedtheirattentiononrefiningandblendingtogethighoctaneratings.
    http://www.4college.co.uk/as/df/octane.php

    1/4

    3/17/2015

    Octane numbers

    Therightkindofalkane
    Thebestkindofalkaneforfuelsisnotthemostplentifulincrudeoil.
    Therefinerydoctorsthefuelforourneeds.
    Theshorterthealkanechain,thehighertheoctanenumber.However,thevolatilityofthehydrocarbonincreaseswitha
    decreaseinthechainlength.
    Theshortalkanechainshavetobemixedinpetroltolowertheirvolatilityandhighertheoctanenumberofthepetrol.
    Theotherfactorthataffectstheoctanenumberisthedegreeofbranchinginthealkanechain.Themorebranchedthealkane
    is,thehighertheoctanenumber.
    Crudeoilcontainsbothstraightchainandbranchedalkanes,butitdoesnotcontainenoughbranchedalkanestogiveitahigh
    octanenumber.
    Chemistshavesolvedthisproblemincreasingtheoctanenumbersbyisomerism,reformingandcracking.
    Isomerism
    Isomerizationinvolvesheatingupstraightchainedalkanesinthepresenceofsuitablecatalysts,sothatthechainsbreak.
    Whenthechainsjointogetheragain,theyaremorelikelytobebranched.
    OilrefineriesdothisonalargescalewithC6H14andC5H12.
    Theisomerizationreactionisreversibleandhighertemperaturesfavourtheproductionofstraightchained
    isomers.Howeverthetemperaturecannotbetooloworthereactionwouldtaketoolong,soacompromiseismade
    betweenyieldandrateofreaction.Thetemperatureusedis250oC.
    Thecatalystinvolvedintheisomerizationisplatinumtheproductsarethenpassedoveraformofzeolite,whichactsasa
    molecularsieve,separatingthestraightchainsfromthebranchedchains.
    Reforming
    http://www.4college.co.uk/as/df/octane.php

    2/4

    3/17/2015

    Octane numbers

    Reformingiswherealkanesareconvertedtocycloalkanesandcycloalkanestoaromatichydrocarbons.
    Substancessuchashexane(whicharecommonincrudeoil)areconvertedtocyclohexane.Hydrogenisalsoproduced,whichis
    valuable.
    Cracking
    Crackingisoneofthemostimportantreactionsinthepetroleumindustry.
    Crackinginvolvesbreakinguplargealkaneswhichhavetoomanycarbonsforpetrolintoshorterchainsthatcanbeusedin
    petrol.
    Theseshorterchainsareoftenbranched,whichgivesthemahigheroctanenumber.
    Crackingalsohelpstosolvethesupplyanddemandproblem.Somefractionsareabundantinthecrudeoil,butarenotneeded.
    However,otherfuelsareingreatdemandbutarenotcommoninthecrudeoil.
    Mostofthecrackingisdonebyheatingupthefuelinthepresenceofacatalyst.Thisprocessisreferredtoascatcracking.The
    fuelthatisheatedcanbekerosene,dieseloil,oranyotherheavierfuelsfromtheresidue.
    Zeolitesareonceagainusedinthisprocess,astheyactasexcellentcatalysts.ZeoliteYisusedtocrackthefuel,asit
    particularlyeffectiveatproducingfuelswithahighoctanerating.
    Aswellastheshorterchainedalkanes,alkenesarealsoformed.Thesearemoreoftenbranchedandareimportantinthe
    petrochemicalsindustry.

    Oneproblemwithcrackingisthatcoke(carbon)tendstoformonthecatalystsurface,andsothecatalysteventuallybecomes
    inactive.Toovercomethis,thecatalystiscirculatedwiththeproductsandregeneratedaftereachcycle.

    http://www.4college.co.uk/as/df/octane.php

    3/4

    3/17/2015

    Octane numbers

    Usefulbooksforrevision:

    ReviseASChemistryforSalters(WrittenbyexperiencedexaminersandteachersofSalter'schemistry)
    ReviseASChemistryforSalters(OCR)(SaltersAdvancedChemistry)
    Home

    http://www.4college.co.uk/as/df/octane.php

    4/4

    You might also like