Casey Jane P.

Aguilar

26 September 2013

BSChE 3 Chem 85 A

Engr. Christylene Balagtas

Octane and Cetane Numbers

Octane number is defined as a number that is used to measure the antiknock properties of a liquid motor
fuel (as gasoline) with a higher number indicating a smaller likelihood of knocking or detonating which means
explosion caused by its premature burning in the combustion chamber. The higher value of octane number is usually
used in high compression engines which consequently have high performance and correlate to higher activation
energies: This being the amount of applied energy required to initiate combustion. Since higher octane fuels have
higher activation energy requirements, it is less likely that a given compression will cause uncontrolled ignition,
otherwise known as autoignition or detonation. The number also indicates how much fuel can be compressed before
it ignites and the percent by volume of iso-octane in a combustible mixture, which is iso-octane and normal heptane,
causing the anti-knocking properties to match the gas being tested.
On the other hand, cetane number is defined as the measurement of the combustion quality of diesel fuel
during compression ignition. It also denotes on the percentage by volume of cetane in a combustible mixture, which is
cetane or n-hexadecane and 1-methylnapthalene, whose ignition characteristics match those of the diesel fuel being
tested. Higher cetane fuels will have shorter ignition delay periods than lower cetane fuels, meaning the more easily
the fuel will combust in a compression setting (such as a diesel engine). The characteristic diesel "knock" occurs
when the first portion of fuel that has been injected into the cylinder suddenly ignites after an initial delay. Minimizing
this delay leads to less unburned fuel in the cylinder at the beginning and less intense knock. Therefore higher-cetane
fuel usually causes an engine to run more smoothly and quietly. Cetane numbers are only used for the relatively light
distillate diesel oils and additives like alkyl nitrates and di-tert-butyl peroxide can be used to raise the cetane number.
Comparing both, the octane number is used for gasoline while the cetane number is used for diesel fuel. In
the cetane number, the high numerical values indicate the tendency of the diesel fuel to ignite readily thus performing
better in the engine. On the contrary, in the octane number the high values shows the resistance of gasoline on
spontaneous ignition which leads to less tendency on detonating the engine. These values show the increasing
efficiency of the fuel. Despite their differences, they also have similarities. First, both their numbers range from 0
100 and secondly, a measure of a fuels ignition delay which is the time period between the start of injection and start
of combustion or ignition of the fuel resulting to the increased efficiency of the engine.
References:
1.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7292781/Differences-Between-Octane-Number-and-Cetane-Number

2.
3.

(Date Accessed: 25 September 2013)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating
(Date Accessed: 25 September 2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetane_number (Date Accessed: 25 September 2013)