A new method of estimating derived cetane number for hydrocarbon fuels

A new spectroscopic predictor for estimating ignition characteristics including derived cetane number is proposed for hydrocarbon fuels. This spectroscopic predictor is the ratio of room temperature absorbance of unreacted fuel vapor at 3.41 and 3.39 μm, termed here as the “3.41/3.39 absorption ratio.” Its wide availability and applicability are demonstrated for a range of pure hydrocarbons, mixtures of pure hydrocarbons, and distillate and...