Automobile gasoline is a mixture of hydrocarbons that, in a vaporous state, have the ability to create explosive mixtures at a certain concentration of gasoline and air vapors. The first cars ran on gasoline produced exclusively by direct distillation of oil.
Instructions
Step 1
Understand clearly what cracking and straight distillation are. Since oil consists of many fractions with different boiling points, as it heats up, these fractions condense one by one. One of these fractions is gasoline. However, this gasoline, due to its characteristics, is not suitable for modern cars. It has a low octane number (no higher than 91), which does not allow the use of such gasoline for powerful engines. Its quality can be improved with the help of various additives, but, unfortunately, many of them are quite toxic and pose a significant threat to the environment. In addition, the yield of gasoline as a result of conventional distillation does not exceed 20%. Cracking (splitting) has become a radical method for improving the quality of gasoline, which occurs due to additional heating of heavier high-boiling fractions, for example, fuel oil.
Step 2
Cracking makes it possible to bring the yield of gasoline from oil up to 70%. Currently, the following brands of gasoline are produced on the territory of the CIS countries: AI-72, 76, 80, 91, 93, 95 and 98. Depending on various additives, they can have a characteristic color. To distinguish cracking gasoline from straight-run gasoline, pour the fuel into a transparent container and look at the light. Thus, AI-72 and 76 have pink and yellow colors, respectively, while AI-93 and 98 have red and blue colors.
Step 3
Smell the liquid. The additives give a characteristic chemical odor. Never sniff gasoline for long. Toxic!
Step 4
Gasolines with a low octane rating (up to 91) are generally straight run and have less knock resistance. Pay attention to the operation of your own car. In engines running on low-octane gasoline, pistons and exhaust valves burn out faster. This is reminded of the vibration, the characteristic metallic knock and black exhaust. For cracked gasolines with a high octane number, the knock resistance is significantly higher.
Step 5
Almost all gasolines contain various additives, including antiknock agents. The most famous of these is tetraethyl lead. With its effectiveness, it is at the same time very toxic, and therefore it was replaced by a new generation of safe additives based on organic manganese compounds. To identify cracking, conduct chemical studies, for this contact a specialized laboratory. Do not experiment at home, the material is toxic and fire hazardous.
