What are the octane numbers(both research and motor) for 100 % ethanol used as a gasoline blending component?

Question

This is a petroleum refining question directed to chemical engineers if any are present. I presume the numbers are higher than 85 because it could not be volumetrically blended with some petroleum-derived gasoline components which have lower than 85 octane #'s required forthe regular gasoline grade? TWH 06302006

JD, I already indicated it can't be less than 85. What's the source for your 64 #?

Answer 1

Pure Ethyl alcohol has a hellvua (R+M)/2 octane number at 115!

First number is RON, second number is MON

methanol 133 : 105
ethanol 129 : 102
iso propyl alcohol 118 : 98
methyl tertiary butyl ether 116 : 103 (this is MTBE the stuff they just took out of gasoline)
ethyl tertiary butyl ether 118 : 102
tertiary amyl methyl ether 111 : 98

Hope this does the trick for you, and no I am not a chemical engineer, but I do know how to use Google! :^)

Answer 2

Octane is a specific chemical, a petroleum product on which eight carbon molecules join together in a chain. Octane was originally the percent of this chemical present in the gas.

Ethanol is also a specific chemical, which contains no petroleum products. Ethanol therefore has an octane number of 0, but it burns better than 85 octane gasoline.

Answer 3

am not a chemical engineer, am an instrumentation engineer. but i have worked in process industry for a while. the octane no of ethanol is generally about 90. but the big problem with using 100% ethanol is it's low calorific value, much lower than petrol (gasolene)

and yes you can blend volumetrically ethanol with petrol having octane number greater than 80. but it is better to use hi grade petrol for achieving good cv and knock free performance of engine.

Answer 4

64