Journal Article
Options for Use of GTL Naphtha as a Blending Component in Oxygenated Gasoline
2016-04-05
2016-01-0879
The benefits of blending ethanol into gasoline fuel are well established. Ethanol’s high latent heat of vaporisation and chemical auto-ignition resistance combine in producing significant knock resistance, enabling higher compression ratio and/or higher charge boosting. Its high flame speed characteristics result in shorter burn durations. Its high knock resistance and rapid burning enable ignition phasing optimisation. These factors all improve the efficiency of spark ignition (SI) engines. Current “flex-fuel” vehicles are designed to operate on both conventional gasoline as well as blends containing higher volumes of ethanol and/or methanol, the former being commonly known as E85. The American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM D5798 specification for ethanol fuel blends was adapted in 2011 to prescribe a minimum ethanol content of 51 % with the remainder able to consist of low octane blending streams.
