Gasoline Specifications

Difference between Straight run gasoline &

cracked gasoline
Volatility
1-ASTM 2- Reid vapor pressure
Gum Content
1-Existing gum
2-Poteintal gum
3-Oxidation Stability
4-Amount of Unsaturations

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Gasoline Specifications
Sulfur Content
1-Doctor test
2-Copper strip test
3-Sulfur bomb test
4-Sulfur lamp test

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Difference between straight run
gasoline & cracked gasoline
Straight run gasoline Cracked gasoline
Comes directly from
distillation column
(distillation of crude oil)
Comes from cracking of
large compounds
Less amounts of
unsaturated
hydrocarbons (expected
to have less gum)
More amounts of
unsaturated
hydrocarbons (expected
to have more gum)
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Volatility/ASTM Method
In this test, we calculate T
c
from the following
rule where:
T
c
(F) = 100 + (atmospheric temperature (F)/2)
All the previous temperatures are in Fahrenheit
(F)
Then we see the location of T
c
on the ASTM
curve of gasoline at 10% distilled volume and
then start to compare where:
IF T
c
> T, then this means that the gasoline
sample will vaporize at lower temperature, it
means that it is more volatile than required.

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Volatility/ASTM Method
Solution: Decrease its volatility by removing
some of the butane contained with it
IF T
c
< T, then this means that the gasoline
sample will vaporize at higher temperature, it
means that it is less volatile than required.
Solution: Increase its volatility by adding some
butane.


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Volatility/Reid Vapor Pressure
In this test, gasoline sample is put in certain
equipment with certain design where above the
sample, there is air chamber saturated with
water vapor and at the top of this equipment a
gauge pressure exist
The whole previous equipment is put in a water
bath kept at 100 F
A mixer exist to ensure homogeneity in
temperature every where around the equipment
A thermometer exist to make sure that
temperature is 100 F

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Volatility/Reid Vapor Pressure
As the temperature is 100 F, gasoline sample will
vaporize and enters in the chamber with the water
vapor that already exists
The reading of the gauge pressure will be a
measure for both the amounts of vapors that exist in
the chamber which are the gasoline vapor and the
water vapor
Reading vapor pressure of water = Reid vapor
pressure (RVP)
The limit for the RVP is 6 -12 PSI
In Egypt, the limit is from 7 8 PSI , where it is 7 in
summer and 8 in winter

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Gum Content
When unsaturated hydrocarbons are oxidized,
the form resinous compounds called gum.
Problem of gum is that it clog pipes, so it would
be very dangerous if it exists in appreciable
amounts and cause clogging of some parts of
the engine
Two types of gum exists which are:
1-Existing gum : already existing in gasoline
2-Potential gum: Could be formed upon storage

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Amount of existing gum
100 CC of gasoline is heated in a standard
apparatus with standard conditions where
gasoline is put in a container and the container
is put in water bath kept at 100 F.
The gasoline sample will vaporize and only the
gum will remain in the container
Then the amount of gum is weighted and the
gum content is reported as mgm gum/100 cc
gasoline

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Amount of potential gum
In this test, standard volume of gasoline sample
is put in a copper dish which is heated by steam
and an oxygen stream is passed above the
sample, the gasoline sample will vaporize also
and the amount of gum remaining could be
measured.
In this test, the gum is formed during the
experiment as unsaturated hydrocarbons are
oxidized by oxygen at the presence of high
temperature.
Cu dish acts as a catalyst

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Oxidation Stability
In this test, we measure the resistance of the
sample towards oxidation
As gum is formed as result of oxidation of
unsaturated hydrocarbons so if the sample
resists oxidation this will result in lower gum
content .
Gasoline is put in standard apparatus where
gauge pressure exists in it and there is an
opening in it where oxygen can enter from it
The whole apparatus is kept in water bath at
standard temperature


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Oxidation Stability
1. Pressure decreases as oxygen dissolute other
components
2. The pressure remains constant for some time
as the sample resists oxidation (stability region)
3. Pressure starts to decrease as chemical
reaction occurs and oxygen is consumed
4. We measure the time taken by the sample to
drop the pressure by 2 PSI
5. IF time is > 7 hours, then the sample can
resists oxidation


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Amount of Unsaturations
In this test, we titrate our sample with a standard
solution where:
100 grams of the gasoline sample is put in the
conical flask
In the burette , mixture of bromine and carbon
tetra chloride is used
We start titration, as bromine goes down with the
sample it reacts with the unsaturated
hydrocarbons and its color changes from red to
colorless
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Amount of Unsaturations
When red color appears in the flask, it means
that bromine did not find any unsaturated
hydrocarbons to react withit is the end
point
We do not need any indicator as it is self
indicating as bromine changes its color when it
reacts and though we can determine the end
point easily
The amount of unsaturations is reported as
number of grams of bromine required to saturate
100 grams of gasoline

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Sulfur Content/Doctor Test
In this test, the sample is put in beaker with a
mixer and doctor solution is used where it is a
mixture of sodium plombite & sulfur powder
If mercaptans exist, they will react with sodium
plombite and the sulfur powder to give PbS
(black precipitate) according to the following
reactions:
2 RSH + Na
2
PbO
2
2NaOH + RS-Pb-SR
RS-Pb-SR + S PbS + RSSR

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Sulfur Content/Cu-Strip Test
In this test, Gasoline sample is put in a standard
apparatus where:
Cu strip is put with the sample
The apparatus is put in a water bath
The water bath is kept at standard temperature
Heating is applied at standard rate
Thermometer exist in the apparatus (in the flask
itself)
The sample is heated for certain standard time

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Sulfur Content/Cu-Strip Test
After the standard time pass, the copper strip
is taken out and its color is determined
A standard table was already done for this
experiment at these standard conditions
Correlating the sulfur content and color of
strip
Each color stands for certain amount of
sulfur so by knowing the color of your strip,
you can use the table to find the amount of
sulfur compounds
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Sulfur bomb Test
In this test, air is allowed to react with the sulfur
compounds to produce sulfur dioxide where the
latter is absorbed in sodium carbonate and from
calculations of strength of the solution used, they
can determine the amount of sulfur.
Gasoline sample is put in a metallic flask
Molten sodium is placed around the flask where
it takes heat produced from the reaction and
heats the sample to accelerate the oxidation rate
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Sulfur Bomb Test
There are two tubes connected with the flask,
one for air or oxygen to enter and the other for
produced gases to get out
SO
2
and CO
2
and H
2
O are produced
SO
2
is absorbed in Na
2
CO
3

Strength of Na
2
SO
3
is calculated before and
after the reaction and from these calculations,
amount of sulfur can be determined

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Sulfur Lamp Test
Same idea as before but with some differences
in the apparatus where:
Glass flask is used instead of metallic flask
An empty trap is used to trap any particles with
the gases
Water tap is used to assure that the SO
2
will
move in the right direction where it is then
absorbed in Na
2
CO
3


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