Diesel and gasoline

Composition of gasoline and diesel

Gasoline legislation and standards
Diesel legislation and standards
Engine technology

Composition of gasoline and diesel

Both gasoline and diesel fuel consist of hundreds of different hydrocarbon molecules. In addition, several bio-
origin components, such as ethanol in gasoline blending, are common.
Gasoline contains mainly alkanes (paraffins), alkenes (olefins), and aromatics. Diesel fuel consists mainly of
paraffins, aromatics and naphthenes. The hydrocarbons of gasoline contain typically 4-12 carbon atoms with
boiling range between 30 and 210 C, whereas diesel fuel contains hydrocarbons with approximately 1220
carbon atoms and the boiling range is between 170 and 360 C. Gasoline and diesel fuel contain approximately
86 wt-% of carbon and 14 wt-% of hydrogen but the hydrogen to carbon ratio changes somewhat depending on
composition.
Paraffinic hydrocarbons, especially normal paraffins, improve ignition quality of diesel fuel, but low-temperature
properties of these paraffins tend to be poor. Aromatics in gasoline have high octane numbers. However,
aromatics and olefins may worsen engine cleanliness, and also increase engine deposits, which is an important
factor for new sophisticated engines and after-treatment devices. Aromatics may lead to carcinogenic
compounds in exhaust gases, such as benzene and polyaromatic compounds. Olefins in gasoline may lead to
an increase in the concentration of reactive olefins in exhaust gases, some of which are carcinogenic, toxic or
may increase ozone forming potential. Additives may be needed to ensure adequate properties of gasoline and
diesel fuel.
Traditional gasoline and diesel fuel are not covered extensively in the "AMF Fuel Information System". Instead,
focus is given to alternative blending or replacement options of gasoline and diesel. However, engine
technology together with legislation and standards for gasoline and diesel are discussed briefly.
Gasoline legislation and standards
The engine and after-treatment technology impose requirements on fuel quality. Basic fuel analyses were
developed to screen general performance and operability of fuels in internal combustion engines. Fuel
properties important in environmental contexts, such as compatibility of fuel with emission control devices, were
defined subsequently. The functionality and general performance of gasoline can be defined, for example, in
terms of octane rating, volatility, olefin content, and additives. Environmental performance can be defined, for
example, in terms of aromatics, olefins, benzene content, oxygenates, volatility, and sulfur (lead is not allowed
in most countries). Fuel properties are controlled by legislation and by fuel standards. There are also a number
of other regional and national standards on fuels.
In Europe the Fuel Quality Directive, 2009/30/EC, defines the requirements for basic fuel properties for
gasoline. The European standard EN 228 includes more extensive requirements than Fuel Quality Directive to
ensure proper functionality of gasoline on market. CEN (European Committee for Standardization) develops
standards in Europe.
In the US, ASTM D 4814 is a specification for gasoline. The ASTM standard includes a number of classes,
waivers, and exceptions taking into account climate, region and, for example, ethanol content of gasoline. In
2011 US EPA accepted waiver for usage of 15 vol-% ethanol blend for 2001 and newer cars. In the US
gasoline-oxygenate blends are considered substantially similar if they contain hydrocarbons, aliphatic ethers,
aliphatic alcohols other than methanol, up to 0.3 vol-% methanol, up to 2.75 vol-% methanol with an equal
volume of butanol, or higher molecular weight alcohol. The fuel must contain no more than 2.0 wt-% oxygen
except the fuels containing aliphatic ethers and/or alcohols (excluding methanol) that must not contain more
than 2.7 wt-% oxygen. In the USA, so called P-Series fuel consisting of butane, pentanes, ethanol, and the
biomass-derived co-solvent methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF) is allowed for FFV cars.
Automobile and engine manufacturers have defined recommendations for fuels in World Wide Fuel Charter
(WWFC). Category 4 is the most stringent WWFC category for markets with further advanced requirements for
emission control to enable sophisticated NOx and particulate matter after-treatment technologies.
Selected requirements and fuel properties are shown in Tables 1 and 2 below.
Table 1. Selected requirements for gasoline properties in Europe and in the U.S., together with
automanufacturer's recommendations (WWFC). Complete requirements and standards are available from
respective organizations.
Table 2. Examples of some non-limited gasoline properties.
Diesel legislation and standards
Engine and after-treatment technology impose requirements for fuel quality. Basic fuel analyses were
developed to screen general performance and operability of fuels in internal combustion engines. Fuel
properties important in environmental contexts, such as compatibility of fuel with emission control devices, were
defined subsequently. The functionality and general performance of diesel fuel can be defined, for example, in
terms of ignition quality, distillation, viscosity, and additives. Environmental performance can be defined in
terms of aromatics and sulfur content.
Fuel properties are controlled by legislation and by fuel standards. In Europe, Fuel Quality Directive
2009/30/EC defines the requirements for basic fuel properties for diesel fuel. European standard EN 590
includes more extensive requirements than Fuel Quality Directive to ensure proper functionality of diesel fuel
on market. In Europe, CEN (European Committee for Standardization) develops standards.
In the US, ASTM D 975 is a specification for diesel fuel. ASTM standard includes several classes. There are
also a number of other regional and national standards on fuels.
Automobile and engine manufacturers have defined recommendations for fuels in World Wide Fuel Charter
(WWFC). Category 4 is the most stringent WWFC category for markets with further advanced requirements for
emission control to enable sophisticated NOx and particulate matter after-treatment technologies.
Selected requirements and fuel properties are shown in Tables 3 and 4 below.
Table 3. Selected requirements for diesel fuel properties in Europe and in the U.S., together with
automanufacturer's recommendations (WWFC). Complete requirements and standards are available from
respective organizations.
Table 4. Examples of some non-limited diesel fuel properties. a,b
Engine technology
GASOLINE Spark-ignition, gasoline fuelled engines are the leading power source of passenger cars. Spark-
ignition engines are simple and cheap when compared to compression-ignition diesel engines. In addition,
stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio allows usage of three-way catalyst (TWC), which is capable of reducing carbon
monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NO x) emissions simultaneously and efficiently. A
drawback of spark-ignition engines is their lower efficiency when compared to compression-ignition engines.
Therefore fuel consumption of spark-ignition engines is higher than that of diesel fuelled engines both in energy
and in volumetric terms.
Gasoline cars equipped with carburetor engines were available until the late 1980s. Today, spark-ignition
engines are port-injection engines, mostly equipped with multi-point fuel injection (MPFI, fuel injected into the
intake port). In the 1990s, direct-injection spark-ignition engines with higher efficiency and lower fuel
consumption appeared on the market. Models using lean combustion with excess air were also introduced in
the 1990s, but they soon disappeared from the market. Spark-ignition engines, whether in-direct- or direct-
injection, are now based on a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio, and are equipped with TWC catalyst.
The exhaust emissions from spark-ignition engines using a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio can be efficiently
controlled with a three-way catalyst (TWC). In TWC which carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons are
oxidized simultaneously with the reduction of nitrogen oxides. With TWC even more than 90% reduction in
engine-out CO, HC and NOx emissions is achieved, and emissions occur mainly at cold start or heavy
acceleration. However, in some conditions TWC catalyst may generate ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions.
TWCs operate efficiently only in a very narrow lambda window close to the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio and
therefore TWCs cannot be used in engines running with a lean mixture, such as diesel engines. The benefit of
a lean mixture would be improved fuel consumption, but at the cost of increased NO x emissions. Exhaust gas
recirculation (EGR) is one of the common technologies used for reducing the NO x emissions of diesel engines,
and it is also used in spark-ignition engines. For direct-injection spark-ignition cars, particulate matter emissions
are high, and therefore particulate filters may become necessary.
Spark-ignition engines today are less sensitive toward fuel than older engine generations, and absolute mass
emissions are low. However, at cold starts, heavy driving conditions, and at low temperatures, there may be
large differences, absolute and relative, between fuels for all cars. In the past, carburetor engines were
especially sensitive toward fuel, for example, drivability and vapor lock problems were experienced. Most of the
gasoline-fuelled cars today can tolerate at least up to 10 vol-% ethanol in Europe and the U.S.
DIESEL Due to their high efficiency compression-ignition diesel engines are the leading power source in
heavy-duty vehicles, because of their high efficiency. Today diesel engines are becoming more popular also in
light-duty cars. Emission control devices and internal engine solutions have crucial effects on the exhaust
emissions. Diesel engines are running on a lean mixture, which improves fuel consumption, but at the cost of
increased nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx). NOx emissions are formed from nitrogen in the air at high
temperatures. High particulate matter (PM) emissions are another problem of diesel engines.
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) are the common technologies used for
reducing the NOx emissions of diesel engines. EGR is an internal engine technology, whereas SCR is an
exhaust after-treatment device using a reducing agent, such as ammonia or urea. With EGR some of the
exhaust gas is returned to the engine cylinders, which lowers the combustion temperature and consequently
NOx emissions. High EGR ratio may lead to problems with engine cleanliness, and particulate matter emissions
may increase. Oxidation catalyst reduces volatile organic emissions. Particulate filters reduce efficiently
particulate matter emissions.