Update on Gasoline Fuel Property and Gasoline Additives Impacts on Stochastic Preignition with Review of Global Market Gasoline Quality

Stochastic Preignition (SPI) is an abnormal combustion phenomenon for internal combustion engines (ICE), which has been a significant impact to automotive companies developing high efficiency, turbocharged, direct fuel injection, spark ignited engines. It is becoming clearer what fuel properties are related to the cause of SPI, whether directly with fuel preparation in the cylinder, or mechanisms related to the deposit build-up which contributes to initial and follow-on SPI events. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of global market gasoline fuel properties with special attention given to properties and specific compounds from the fuel and fuel additives that can contribute to SPI and the deposit build-up in engines. Based on a review of the global fuel quality, it appears that the fuel quality has not caught up to meet the technology requirements for fuel economy from modern technology engines. As shown in the data, there are more than just one risk with these fuels in various regions. These are risks which need to be addressed especially as the vehicle population with these technologies increase across the globe, making it much harder for OEM automakers to make cost effective and robust products for consumers.