METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE ABILITY OF HEAVY FUELS TO SELF-IGNITE UNDER DIESEL CONDITIONS

摘要

The invention comprises a method and an apparatus for determining (as Cetane Number) the ability of heavy fuels to self-ignite under diesel conditions. In a first stage, a known amount of oil sample is partially oxidized by exposure to an oxidizing gas while gradually increasing the temperature. In a second stage, a catalytic post-oxidation to CO2 and water is carried out and a detector monitors continuously the amount of CO2 produced as a function of temperature; the oil's Cetane Number is computed from the analytical data using a statistical model based on multivariate principal component analysis.