Fuel with a cetane value of 45 to 55 is recommended for modern highway diesel engines. Cenex Premium Diesel has a cetane number of 47 to 52, whereas standard no. 2 diesel has a cetane value of 40 to 42.
What is a good cetane rating for diesel?
Diesel engines, in general, perform effectively with a CN of 48 to 50. Fuels having a lower cetane number have longer ignition delays, which means the combustion process takes longer to complete. As a result, higher-speed diesel engines work better with higher-cetane-number fuels.
In Europe, the minimum diesel cetane number was set at 38 in 1994 and 40 in 2000. EN 590, with a minimum cetane index of 46 and a minimum cetane number of 51, is the current standard for diesel sold in the European Union, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. The cetane number of premium diesel fuel can be as high as 60.
Which diesel has the highest cetane rating?
The cetane rating, often known as the cetane number, is a measurement of diesel fuel quality or performance. The higher the number, the more efficiently fuel burns in a vehicle’s engine. The cetane number is a rating assigned to a fuel to rate the quality of its combustion, analogous to the octane rating. The difference is that the octane rating is used to rate gasoline, while the cetane rating is used to grade diesel. High-performance diesel vehicles require fuel with a higher cetane rating, just as high-performance gasoline vehicles demand higher octane ratings.
The amount of cetane—a clear, colorless hydrocarbon that ignites under high pressures—in a particular diesel mixture determines its cetane rating. The maximum attainable purity of diesel fuel is pure cetane, which has a cetane rating of 100.
The fundamental difference between cetane and octane ratings is that the octane rating shows how well a gasoline can withstand pre-ignition owing to compression, ensuring that the fuel only ignites when a spark from the spark plug strikes it. The cetane number, on the other hand, measures the fuel’s ignition delay. In other words, it refers to the time it takes for the fuel to be pumped into the chamber and for combustion to commence. Unlike gasoline engines, which try to avoid any compression ignition, diesel engines rely on compression ignition and so do not require a spark. The delay between when the fuel is delivered into the combustion chamber and when it ignites is decreased with a higher cetane number. Because of the compression, the fuel is able to ignite more easily and quickly. As a result of the reduced delay period, the fuel combustion is more thorough.
What is the acceptable minimum cetane rating of a high speed diesel engine?
Fuels with a minimum cetane number of 40, as defined by ASTM D 975 Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils, are thought to function adequately in modern diesel engines. In Europe, the minimum cetane number is 51.
What is the highest cetane rating?
0 is the lowest cetane number possible (least ignitable). The cetane number refers to the percentage of cetane in the mixture that correlates to the test fuel’s ignition quality. Equally a result, a fuel with a cetane number of 50 is as ignitable as a 50/50 blend of cetane and 1-methylnaphthalene. Heptamethylnonane (with a cetane number of 15) can also be used as a non-ignitable reference fuel instead of 1-methylnaphthalene.
Is there top tier diesel?
HPCR engines will benefit from the TOP TIERTM diesel fuel properties developed by a consortium of light-duty and heavy-duty diesel original equipment manufacturers. Today’s diesel engines typically use high pressure common rail (HPCR) technology, and HPCR engines will benefit from the TOP TIERTM diesel fuel properties developed by a consortium of light-duty and heavy-duty diesel original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The TOP TIERTM diesel badge is displayed at dispensers by retailers who sell diesel fuel and biodiesel blends that meet the TOP TIERTM diesel criteria.
What is the difference between cetane index and cetane number?
The ignition delay time, or the time between the start of injection and the onset of combustion, is related to the ignition quality of diesel fuel. Fuels with good ignition quality have a short ignition delay, while fuels with low ignition quality have a long ignition delay. In the paper on diesel combustion, the ignition delay was examined in further depth.
While ignition quality is dictated by the chemical composition of the fuel, the ignition delay time used to characterize it is not. Conditions such as the temperature and pressure of the environment into which the fuel is injected have a significant impact on the ignition delay time. As a result, testing designed to determine the ignition quality of a certain fuel must be conducted under carefully controlled test settings to ensure that only fuel effects are measured.
For the quantification of ignition quality, a variety of tests have evolved, which can be classified into three types:
- The most essential and widely accepted ignition quality test is the cetane number. A conventional single cylinder variable compression ratio diesel engine is used in the cetane number test.
- The cetane index is a computed value obtained from fuel qualities that are reasonably easy to assess. As a result, the cetane index can be used to determine the quality of fuel ignition without the requirement for a costly cetane number test.
- The more contemporary constant volume combustion chamber approach is used to quantify ignition delay. The derived cetane number is calculated using the ignition delay.
What are the different grades of diesel fuel?
Diesel #1 (or 1-D) and Diesel #2 are the two types of standard diesel fuel (also known as diesel oil) (or 2-D). Diesel fuel is rated by its cetane, which indicates how easily it is to ignite and how quickly it burns, similar to how gasoline is classified by its octane. The more volatile the gasoline, the higher the cetane number.
Is Ampol an Australian company?
The Australian Motorists Petrol Company, subsequently known as Ampol, was established in 1936 and has been a part of Australia’s DNA ever since. Mr Segal stated, “Ampol is an iconic Australian name – a brand that symbolizes our profound Australian tradition and experience.”
Are there different grades of diesel fuel in Australia?
Instead, diesel fuel is given a cetane grade, which indicates how quickly it burns. Aside from that, it follows the same ultra-low sulphur laws and regulations as ordinary diesel. Since 2009, all Australian diesel has been required to be ultra-low sulphur, with a sulphur content of 10 parts per million (PPM).