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Special
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Written by Sabrina Deparine
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Monday, 06 July 2009 11:48 |
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Page views: 2493 |
All types of gasoline products available in the market contain fuel additives. These additives are blended with the gasoline to enhance its properties. For instance, there are fuel additives that can boost the octane ratings of the gasoline. Some may be corrosion inhibitors while others simply serve as lubricants.
In most cases, fuel additives are used in order to impart higher compression ratios to the gasoline-air mixture in the engine which, in turn, may improve the efficiency and power of the gasoline. Some fuel additives, however, may impart environmental and health risks.
Some of the most common fuel additives are:
1. Hybrid Compound Blends
a. Combustion catalyst – lowers the ignition point of the gasoline product to avoid temperature burn. One good example of this is the combustion enhancer additive that pushes for a catalytic reaction to produce a more complete burn. This was used by Petron Corporation in their XCS fuel, touted as a complete combustion system.
b. Burn rate modifier – increases the burn time of fuel to contribute to fuel efficiency.
c. Polymerization – increases the fuel ignition surface area to give more power to the engine.
d. Stabilizer, demulsifier, and dispersant – prolongs the shelf life of gasoline and prevents contamination from water.
e. Corrosion inhibitor – inhibits the corrosive properties of fuel to prevent corrosion on the gas tank and fuel system.
f. Catalyst additives – contributes to the preservation of engine life and promotes fuel economy. an example of this will be Chevron (Caltex) Oronite which improves fuel performance and dissolves deposits, inhibits corrosion, controls oxidation, and reduces friction and wear.
g. Detergents – cleans the engine.
2. Oxygenates – are compounds that contain oxygen which reduce carbon monoxide during the fuel combustion process.
a. Alcohols – such as methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butanol, gasoline-grade t-butanol. These are used to reduce the flammable properties of gasoline as well as to boost the engine performance and to reduce the harmful emissions.
b. Ethers – such as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), tertiary amyl methyl ether, tertiary hexyl methyl ether, ethyl tertiary butyl ether, tertiary amyl ethyl ether, and disopropyl ether. These reduce the chemical reactivity of the gasoline components especially during the combustion process.
3. Antioxidants – act as stabilizers for the engine. They prevent oxidation and excessive polymerization that may lead to the formation of harmful engine residues.
4. Antiknock agents – help in reducing engine knocking and increase the octane rating of the fuel product.
5. Fuel dyes – are literally dyes that are added to fuel products to help distinguish one type of fuel product from another.
6. Other fuel additives
a. Nitrous oxide – oftentimes used as an oxidizer for vehicles that are used in racing activities.
b. Nitromethane – more popularly known as “nitro”. This is utilized as a high-performance racing fuel.
c. Acetone – used primarily to improve the vaporization process in the engine.
d. Ferox – a catalyst that is added to enhance fuel economy and to help preserve the engine life. It also contributes to the cleaning of the engine and reduces emissions and pollutants.
e. Oxyhydrogen – is used to infuse hydrogen and oxygen into the engine system, supplementing some of the functions of the gasoline to enhance fuel efficiency.
f. Ferrous picrate – enhances the combustion process, resulting to increased fuel mileage.
In the case of ethanol-blended gasoline or E10, fuel additives may vary depending on the region and/or oil company. However, fuel additives are mixed with E10 in order to improve its octane rating and inhibit its corrosive properties.
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0 a.m. about 30 points,