Published: 2nd Nov, 2023
Context:
India has joined the League of Nations producing 'reference' petrol and diesel, specialized fuels used for testing automobiles.
Need to produce reference fuel for India:
- For decades, India has relied on imports to meet the demand for these specialised fuels.
- Now, the Indian Oil Corporation’s Paradip refinery in Odisha will produce 'reference' grade petrol and its Panipat unit in Haryana will produce such quality diesel.
- Shifting from dependence on imports and this initiative is in line with the government's objective of becoming Aatmanirbhar has started producing the fuel at its refineries,
What are reference fuels?
- ‘Reference fuels’ (gasoline and diesel) are premium high-value products, used for calibration and testing of vehicles by auto OEMs and organizations involved in testing and certification in the automotive field.
- For vehicle testing purposes, the fuel has to be of a higher grade than regular or premium petrol and diesel.
- The host of specifications -- from Cetane number to flash point, viscosity, sulphur and water content, hydrogen purity and acid number -- are listed under government regulations, such fuels are referred to as 'reference' petrol/diesel.
How fuels differ?
- The biggest difference between the normal and premium fuel lies in the octane number.
- The regular fuel has an octane number of 87, but premium fuel has an octane number of 91.
- Reference grade fuel comes with a 97 octane number.
|
The octane number is a unit to measure the ignition quality of petrol or diesel. |
Applications:
- These reference fuels are used for emission testing of vehicles equipped with spark ignition engines.
Courses
Study
Notes
Home
Resources
More
