Automotive Fuel
Mankind is trying to move away from the use of hydrocarbon fuel for refueling cars, but yet the time of TOTAL refusal from it will not come soon.
Therefore, the topic of fuel quality is still relevant for the successful operation of any vehicle.
Gasoline quality:
- Octane number. Any car owner is aware of the importance to pay attention to this indicator when operating a particular vehicle.
- Concentration of resins. The lighter the fractional composition of gasoline, the less resin is formed during its combustion. The benefits for engine operation are obvious here.
- Presence of metal-containing additives. Presence of metal-containing additives in gasoline, such as manganese, lead, iron, provokes an increased deposition of metal oxides in the combustion chamber and on spark plugs, which leads to their accelerated wear. It leads to undoubted harm for the environment, because toxic substances are released into the air.
- Proportion of sulfur compounds. High sulfur content in the fuel leads to carbon deposits, accelerated corrosion of engine elements and reduces the resource of lubricants (motor oil).
- Saturated vapor pressure. If we are talking about the quality of gasoline, this indicator must be taken into account. Saturated vapour pressure affects both starting of the engine and the possibility of vapor lock formation. It is significant that the pressure limit of saturated fumes for gasoline in some regions is enshrined in law, as it is important for the control of air pollution
- Induction period. The longer it is, the longer the fuel is able to maintain its properties. This indicator has the undoubted importance for the transportation and storage of gasoline.
Some gasoline quality indicators are also applicable to diesel fuel.
For example, the concentration of resins in the composition of the fuel is of equal importance. But DIESEL FUEL is traditionally used in regions with difficult climatic conditions; therefore, for reliable operation of the engine, it is necessary to take into account such parameters as
- Limiting filterability temperature
- Pour point
- Water content
- Lubricity
- Viscosity and Density
- Cetane number
Neglecting the need to check fuel quality before use vehicle will inevitably shorten the life of the engine. It happens that the reason for frequent visits to a car service may be hidden precisely in the fact how you FILL the fuel tank.
In domestic conditions, it is NOT possible to find out the chemical composition, characteristics and possible deviations from the standard of gasoline or diesel fuel.
It is also worth considering the fact that a reliable result can only be obtained when testing on specialized laboratory equipment, using arbitration methods of analysis.
So, to accurately determine the octane number of gasoline, a motor stand is used, which, in fact, is an internal combustion engine. Only in this case it is possible to correctly determine both the motor and research octane numbers of the fuel,whereas the use of express analyzers and indicators to establish the MON and RON will not give such an accurate assessment of the quality of oil products. Contacting laboratory experts to clarify the composition and quality of fuel is a guarantee from additional costs associated with the repair of engine mechanisms.