Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Octane Number Definition and Example." ThoughtCo, Sep.

9, 2019,
thoughtco.com/definition-of-octane-number-604586.
The octane number seen on pumps at gasoline stations is a value used to
indicate the resistance of a motor fuel to knock—that is, to make pinging or
ticking sounds in a car's engine when you step on the gas pedal. Octane
number is also known as octane rating. Octane numbers are based on a scale
on which isooctane is 100 (minimal knock) and heptane is 0 (bad knock). The
higher the octane number, the more compression required for fuel ignition.
Fuels with high octane numbers are used in high performance gasoline
engines. Fuels with low octane number (or high cetane numbers) are used in
diesel engines, where fuel is not compressed.

Octane Number Example

A gasoline with an octane number of 92 has the same knock as a mixture of
92% isooctane and 8% heptane.

Why the Octane Number Matters

In a spark-ignition engine, using a fuel with too low an octane rating can lead
to pre-ignition and engine knock, which can cause engine damage. Basically,
compressing the air-fuel mixture may cause fuel to detonate before the flame
front from the spark plug reaches it. The detonation produces higher pressure
than the engine may be able to withstand.
Octane Number
The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of gasoline and other fuels to detonation
(engine knocking) in spark-ignition internal combustion engines. High-performance engines
typically have higher compression ratios and are therefore more prone to detonation, so they
require higher octane fuel. A lower-performance engine will not generally perform better
with high-octane fuel, since the compression ratio is fixed by the engine design.

The octane number of a fuel is measured in a test engine, and is defined by comparison with
the mixture of iso-octane and normal heptane which would have the same anti-knocking
capacity as the fuel under test: the percentage, by volume, of iso-octane in that mixture is the
octane number of the fuel. For example, gasoline with the same knocking characteristics as a
mixture of 90% iso-octane and 10% heptane would have an octane rating of 90. Because
some fuels are more knock-resistant than iso-octane, the definition has been extended to
allow for octane numbers higher than 100.

The octane rating of a spark ignition engine fuel is the detonation resistance (anti-knock
rating) compared to a mixture of iso-octane (2,2,4-trimethylpentane, an isomer of octane) and
n-heptane. By definition, iso-octane is assigned an octane rating of 100 and heptane is
assigned an octane rating of zero. An 87-octane gasoline, for example, possesses the same
anti-knock rating of a mixture of 87% (by volume) iso-octane and 13% (by volume) n-
heptane. This does not mean, however, that the gasoline actually contains these hydrocarbons
in these proportions. It simply means that it has the same detonation resistance as the
described mixture.

Octane rating does not relate to the energy content of the fuel. It is only a measure of the
fuel's tendency to burn rather than explode.

Measurement methods

The most common type of octane rating worldwide is the Research Octane Number. RON is
determined by running the fuel in a test engine with a variable compression ratio under
controlled conditions, and comparing the results with those for mixtures of iso-octane and n-
heptane.

There is another type of octane rating, called Motor Octane Number or the aviation lean
octane rating, which is a better measure of how the fuel behaves when under load. MON
testing uses a similar test engine to that used in RON testing, but with a preheated fuel
mixture, a higher engine speed, and variable ignition timing to further stress the fuel's knock
resistance. Depending on the composition of the fuel, the MON of a modern gasoline will be
about 8 to 10 points lower than the RON. Normally fuel specifications require both a
minimum RON and a minimum MON.

In most countries (including all of Europe and Australia) the "headline" octane rating, shown
on the pump, is the RON, but in the United States, Canada and some other countries the
headline number is the average of the RON and the MON, sometimes called the Anti-Knock
Index (AKI), Road Octane Number (RdON), Pump Octane Number (PON), or (R+M)/2.
Because of the 8 to 10 point difference noted above, the octane shown in the United States is
4 to 5 points lower than the same fuel elsewhere: 87 octane fuel, the "regular" gasoline in the
US and Canada, is 91-92 in Europe. However most European pumps deliver 95 (RON) as
"regular", equivalent to 90-91 US (R+M)/2, and some even deliver 98 (RON) or 100 (RON).

It is possible for a fuel to have a RON greater than 100, because iso-octane is not the most
knock-resistant substance available. Racing fuels, AvGas, LPG, and alcohol fuels such as
methanol or ethanol can have octane ratings of 110 or significantly higher - ethanol's RON is
129 (MON 102, AKI 116). Typical "octane booster" gasoline additives include tetra-ethyl
lead, MTBE and toluene. Tetra-ethyl lead (the additive used in leaded gasoline) is easily
decomposed to its component radicals, which react with the radicals from the fuel and
oxygen that start the combustion, thereby delaying ignition and leading to an increased octane
number. However, tetra-ethyl lead and its byproducts are posionous and tetra-ethyl lead's use
creates an environmental hazards. Beginning in the 1970s, its use in the United States and
most of the industrialized world has been restricted. Its use is currently limited to being an
addative to aviation gasoline.
J.M.K.C. Donev et al. (2018). Energy Education - Octane rating [Online]. Available:
https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Octane_rating. [Accessed: October 24, 2019].
Octane rating, also known as octane number is a measurement of the quality or
performance of gasoline. The higher the number, the better the fuel burns within
the engine of a vehicle. Higher performance vehicles require fuels with a higher octane
rating.
The octane rating of a specific gasoline mixture is based off the ratios of two
compounds in the gasoline—iso-octane, a compound with the same chemical formula
as octane but with slightly different structure and properties, and normal heptane.
These two compounds outline the two extremes of the scale, with pure iso-octane
having a rating of 100 and n-heptane having a rating of zero. Thus, a blend of 90%
iso-octane and 10% n-heptane would have an octane rating of 90.[2]
The higher the octane number, the more compression from the piston the gasoline
can withstand before igniting in the engine. The ability for gasoline to withstand being
compressed is most important for vehicles that run on traditional gasoline. In
contrast, diesel engines do not compress fuel but rather air and then inject fuel. These
engines rely on different ratings, known as cetane numbers.[3]
Pre-Ignition and Knocking
The main difference between whether or not one uses high or low octane gasoline is
determined by the level of "knocking" ones engine experiences. Inside the engine, an
air-fuel mixture is ignited by the spark plug. While this is occurring, the piston is also
moving upwards, compressing the air-fuel mixture and simultaneously increasing its
temperature (since temperature increases as pressure increases). With lower octane
fuels, the air-fuel mixture can also ignite due to this compression. When this flame
front collides with the flame front ignited by the spark plug, an audible "knock" is heard.
When the air-fuel mixture within an engine ignites due to compression rather than from
the spark plug it is known as "pre-ignition"[4] If the fuel combusts and burns before it is
ignited by the spark plug, it burns incompletely. The leftover fuel from this incomplete
ignition causes residue to stick to the inside of the fuel chamber, eventually leading to
the sounds from ones engine known as engine knock.[5]
For a helpful video explaining engine knock, click here.
Generally, the owners manual that comes with new vehicles has manufacturers
recommendations as to which octane rating a vehicle should use to prevent this
harmful pre-ignition and knocking due to build-up. Most auto manufacturers
recommend 87 octane gasoline, but advise using a higher octane gasoline if knocking
is an issue with the lower grade.[2]