Analysis of Organometallic Gasoline Additives with the Composition-Explicit Distillation Curve Method

Published

September 9, 2010

Author(s)

Thomas J. Bruno, Evgenii Baibourine

Abstract

Problems associated with pre-ignition of fuel in a spark ignition engine have been documented for many years, and include poor performance and structural damage. These problems were addressed in the past by adding organometallic additives such as tetraethyl lead to the fuel. While this additive is banned, others are permitted is some jurisdictions. Two such additives are ferrocene (FC) and ethylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT). In this brief paper, we apply the advanced distillation curve approach to the analysis of these two additives (at concentrations of 20 and 40 mg/L) in a typical gasoline. We observe that neither additive affects the volatility of gasoline until the 55 % distillate volume fraction. Subsequent to this fraction, we note temperature departures from the base gasoline that progress from 1 to 7 oC for FC, and From approximately 1 to 4 oC for MMT. We further note, with the composition explicit data channel of the ADC, that the additives do not vaporize until after the 55 % distillate volume fraction, and that the concentration in distillate increases as the distillation proceeds to completion.

Citation

Energy and Fuels

Volume

24

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1021/ef1006403

Keywords

distillation curve, gasoline, organometallic additive, ferrocene

Citation

Bruno, T. and Baibourine, E. (2010), Analysis of Organometallic Gasoline Additives with the Composition-Explicit Distillation Curve Method, Energy and Fuels, [online], https://doi.org/10.1021/ef1006403 (Accessed April 25, 2024)