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What is the octane number?

Updated: 12/16/2022
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11y ago

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The octane number is a measure of performance of a fuel. It is measured relative to pure isooctane which is given an arbitrary value of 100. It is possible for fuels to have an octane number higher than 100.

The higher the octane number the more compression it takes for the fuel to detonate. Higher octane fuel is used usually in high performance vehicles where the engines have higher compression ratios.

If the octane number of a fuel isn't high enough it can lead to engine knocking this is where the fuel detonates before the fuel is at its maximum compressive state in the engine, this can cause damage and lower performance.

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11y ago
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12y ago

Octane rating or octane number is a standard measure of the anti-knock properties (i.e. the performance) of a motor or aviation fuel. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating. In broad terms, fuels with a higher octane rating are used in high-compression engines that generally have higher performance. Octane rating does not relate to the energy content of the fuel (see heating value). It is only a measure of the fuel's tendency to burn in a controlled manner, rather than exploding in an uncontrolled manner. Where the octane number is raised by blending in ethanol, energy content per volume is reduced.

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