Fuel Specifications

Basics

• This page aims to lay out the various Specifications for fuels
• This is done for several reasons
  • One, using “bad fuel” may take a long time, or certain conditions (Cold (Fuel Gelling), Water/Humidity, Long Storage Times (Sludge Formation, Oxidation, etc) in order to cause a noticeable impact
    • Because of this one could THINK a fuel is “good” only for it to be a market failure causing all kinds of bad press later etc
  • SECONDLY it aids in Engine and Fuel System Design as you can properly understand things like Material Compatibility Issues for things like Gaskets , O-Rings , and Flexible Hoses
  • Finally certain markets such as Aviation, Military, Maratime, and Power Plants have particular standards for your fuel to even be considered to be used
    • Being able to compete on various contracts or development projects may be of use for funding etc

Historical Examples

Ethanol Blending into Gasoline

• Some issues were documented with Material Compatibility , mainly in Gaskets , Seals, and O-Rings
• Also Rust due to Ethanol being Hydrophillic made engines not designed with this in mind have issues
  • In a storage context (ESPECIALLY in Underground Storage Tanks for Filling Stations etc) once a certain amount of water/moisture enters the tank such as a heavy rain, Phase Seperation can occur
    • This also would then change the Octane Rating of the fuel due to lack of Ethanol Octane Booster etc
• Gasoline Blowtorches / Liquid Fuel Pressure Lamps / Liquid Fuel Pressure Stoves also have some issues with this
  • RE Camp Fuel and the pages on those devices etc

Non-Ethanol High Octane Fuels

• Ferrocene or other Organometallic Additives (Other than Tetraethyl Lead) had issues of coating the inside of cylinders with a thin layer of that metal
  • Also unlike Lead, the Valve Seat cushioning effect wasn’t present (Albeit CITATION NEEDED)
    • Modern Engines don’t need this though, and things like Tighter Tolerances or Catalytic Converters etc don’t like that metal coating
• Some blends such as alternatives to 100LL SUPPOSEDLY had issues with Materials Compatibility (Seals and Paint supposedly, although some low tech testing on this has been documented)

Specifications

General

• Flash Point + Freezing Point
• Vapor Pressure
  • Reid Vapor Pressure
• Specific Energy (Both per liter and per kg)
• PH
• Material Compatibility
• Oxidative Stability
• Viscosity (At STP )
• Fuel Lubricity / Lubricity
• Ash Content
• Likeliness to form a Varnish/Sludge
  • Related to Oxidative Stability as well as Cloud Point if i remember correctly (Re: Oil Winterization / Degumming )

Relevant to Spark Ignition Engines

• Fuel Octane Rating

Relevant to Compression Ignition Engines

• Cetane Rating
• Gell Point / Cloud Point

Relevant for Fire Safety/Process Design

• Melting Point
• Boiling Point
• Flame Point
• Combustion Point
  • The term “Fire Point” is also used for this however there is potential with confusion due to the same term being used to describe Muster Points or Manual Fire Alarm Triggers
  • Also the abbreviation being the same as Flame Point could cause issues
  • This Combustion Point shall be used instead (which is already common)
• Autoignition Point
• Smoke Point
• Coking Behavior
  • Ie tendency to form Petcoke
  • This can impact Heat Exchange on Tank Heater Coils or in Direct Fired Process Heaters etc
  • Also in the “generator” in devices such as Liquid Fuel Pressure Stoves or Pressure Lanterns etc this can become an issue, although most are designed with crude cleaning methods built in (typically a removable mesh)

Relevant to Safety/Occupational Health

• Toxicity/Carconogenity
  • LD50 while gruesome can be of use for things such as this
  • You also have PEL , REL , and IDLH values, although these can be complicated by some factors
    • Novelty: Some newer/infrequently used outside of laboratory context chemicals/mixtures may not have much data on them
    • Lobbying: Due to lobbying by industry etc OSHA limits may not match what NIOSH or even other countries list as REL etc, so be aware of any differences and proceed at your own risk tolerance
    • Measurability: “Standard” Meters are “5 Gas Meters” which do Oxygen Levels (Under 20.9% = Bad), Carbon Monoxide , VOCs , LEL , and Hydrogen Sulphide
      • Anything OTHER than that can not be easily measured in the field. Custom Glass tubes can be sampled, but this isn’t common and usually is more akin to a PH Strip color test than a hard number value
      • Certain elements/chemicals such as Hydrogen Gas can also interact with meters giving unconventional readings
      • Aerosols and Particulate Matter are also rarely measured in-field although some solutions exist for the latter
        • For example Welding Fumes or Abrasive Grinding may be VERY bad for one’s lungs but register as fine to meters used
        • Aerosols of Heavier Liquids may also be lofted into the air/lungs/onto skin etc without registering on meters

Internal Links

• Fuel Additives
  • Top Tier Rated Gasoline
  • White Gas / Camp Fuel (The LACK OF additives to an extent is core to the functionality of this)