Value of Octane Numbers in Flying

370173

01/01/1937

Event
Pre-1964 SAE Technical Papers
Authors Abstract
Content
THIS paper represents an attempt to illustrate the values of octane-number improvements in aviation gasolines in terms of increased earning power of current-type transport airplanes when proper provisions have been made in the original designs. The procedure consists in computing the change in earning power of a gallon of gasoline when octane-number changes are reflected in altered fuel consumptions or take-off load capacities. In general it appears that:
  1. (1)
    Depending upon operating conditions the potential revenue earning power of one gallon of gasoline may be increased from 2 to 8 cents per octane-number improvement.
  2. (2)
    If the octane-number improvement involves a decrease in energy content, the apparent improvement must be discounted by about 2 octane numbers for each reduction of 1 per cent in heat content below that of gasoline.
  3. (3)
    The economic necessity for high-octane number fuels is particularly apparent when long-range operations are involved.
  4. (4)
    It is evident that the earning power of octane-number improvements is so great that, within practical limits, cost cannot influence the trend toward higher octane numbers to any appreciable extent.
Meta TagsDetails
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/370173
Pages
6
Citation
Barnard, D., "Value of Octane Numbers in Flying," SAE Technical Paper 370173, 1937, https://doi.org/10.4271/370173.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Jan 1, 1937
Product Code
370173
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English