The perpetually perplexing Octane rating or Octane number of petrol is nothing more than a ratio between two chemicals in the petrol mixture.
The main fuel used to power engines that rely on spark ignition is petrol, sometimes known as petrol. This fuel is mostly derived through the distillation process from petroleum oil or crude oil. Iso-octane and heptane make up most of this petrol, also known as petrol. The air-fuel mixture that enters the combustion chamber of a typical spark-ignition engine will not burn completely if the fuel does not have the appropriate octane rating. These unburned pockets of the air-fuel mixture will self-ignite under excessive pressure, placing an additional burden on engine parts.
The term “knocking” refers to this phenomenon. The likelihood of knocking is inversely correlated with the octane rating of petrol. Therefore, the likelihood of knocking is lower the higher the Octane rating. The percentage by volume of iso-octane and heptane is compared in the octane rating or octane number of petrol.
In India, unleaded petrol has an octane rating of 91, which means that if the fuel were a pure mixture of iso-octane and heptane, 91% of iso-octane and 9% of heptane would be present. Any engine’s preferred Octane rating is also influenced by its compression ratio. To reduce knocking, higher compression engines demand higher octane fuel.
Types of Petrol (Petrol Grades Available in India)
The minimum octane rating for petrol in India has increased from 88 to 91 in conformity with the Bharat Stage 3 vehicle emission requirements. Thus, before the BS3 standards, unleaded petrol in India had an octane value of 88, and premium petrol had an octane rating of 91. As of right now, there are three categories of petrol in India:
- Unleaded Petrol: 91-octane petrol without additives. All automobiles produced after 2010 may run flawlessly on this fuel.
- Premium fuels: including Speed, Power, Extra Premium, and V-Power, have octane ratings comparable to unleaded petrol. Detergent additives are added to these fuels to clean the engine’s interior and fuel system. We must remember that these fuels’ effects only become apparent after extensive use.
- High-octane Petrol: In India, various manufacturers offer petrol with differing octane ratings. Speed 97, a 97 Octane petrol type, is a product offered by BPCL. IOCL has xp100, their 100 Octane petrol version, while HPCL has poWer99, their 99 Octane petrol variant. These higher-octane fuel options have no better effects on our typical vehicles than regular unleaded fuel.
Although these fuels are mostly available on the market for cars with higher compression ratio engines, we can enjoy a tankful of them on days when we feel like treating ourselves to a little extra petrol.
