HP Difference with 40 VS 50 Cetane

[NASCAR Mike]

My X had its annual state inspection at the Ford dealer and the diesel tech asked me which cetane diesel I used.

I told him the only cetane in the area was 40.

He responded that the 560 torque and 325 horsepower were obtained using 50 cetane diesel and that using 40 cetane I have lost some power.

Is this true?

 

[dpantazis]

... the Ford dealer ... diesel tech

that is an oxyMORON!

no, its not true. he does not understand the fundamentals.

the stickers on the pumps are probably old, and keep in mind the cetane number listed on them is a MINIMUM.

cetane is IGNITABILITY not energy content.

its not a gasser. cetane is NOT like octane..the only similarity is they both end in 'tane'

do a search here on SDD for cetane or look at this page-
Cetane Number

BioD has higher cetane numbers because of the chemical makeup of the fuel as it has more oxygen in it, hence it has its own oxidizer.

the Low Sulpher Diesel (LSD) standard had a minimum cetane of 42.

Ultra Low Sulpher Diesel (USLD) standard has a minimum cetane of 52.

dennis

 

[Moe-B]

As I understand it, if all other conditions are equal, a higher cetane index for a given fuel type will translate into slightly more power because it lets the fuel ignite and burn more efficiently. It is true that biodiesel has less BTUs per volume unit than petroleum diesel and therefore produces less power even though it has a higher cetane number. On the other hand, if you put a cetane booster in a given petroleum fuel, the treated fuel will make more power than the untreated fuel because the treated fuel will ignite easier and release the stored energy more efficiently than the slower-igniting untreated fuel.

I think...

 

[dpantazis]

Moe-B-

i think what you are saying is basically correct. i do not recall or know of any experiments testing/proving it or if the results are that measurable.

dp

 

[Moe-B]

I have seen references to tests that measure cetane effects on power but never actually read any. Most of the additive makers claim more horsepower, of course. You're probably right about it being negligible, though.

 

[no-red 6 0]

hey let me jump in here w/ a tid bit of info. on this subject.


dennis, remember my 'fuel' issues (of which i have since dropped - no one was listening and or cared).....but i was being told by my tech at the time that i needed to run a 50 cetane (which supposedly was only offered in Detroit) as it was only type of fuel which did not cause any runability issues...smoke, bad mpg, etc.

beyond that, i don't quite have the kind of pocket change that it costs to have a gallon of fuel tested, round here to the best of my knowledge is 42ish maybe...