Quality Control of Gasoline

Significance of the topic

This study addresses the growing demand for rapid, reliable fuel quality assessment to support cleaner, more efficient engines. By enabling faster octane and compositional analysis, the proposed approach helps refineries and laboratories respond to stricter environmental regulations and optimize fuel formulations.

Objectives and study overview

The primary goal was to demonstrate that a single visible–near infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy platform can accurately determine multiple gasoline quality parameters—research octane number (RON), motor octane number (MON), anti-knock index (AKI), aromatic content, and density—thereby replacing laborious conventional methods.

Methodology and instrumentation

Gasoline samples were analyzed in transmission mode over 400–2 500 nm using the XDS RapidLiquid Analyzer equipped with an 8 mm disposable vial and a temperature-controlled sample compartment. Spectral acquisition and chemometric model development were performed with the Vision Air Complete software package.

Results and discussion

Calibration models were built and validated against reference laboratory methods. Key performance metrics include:

• RON: R² = 0.989, calibration error = 0.26, cross-validation error = 0.29
• MON: R² = 0.889, calibration error = 0.50, cross-validation error = 0.53
• AKI: R² = 0.945, calibration error = 0.45, cross-validation error = 0.46
• Aromatic content: R² = 0.974, calibration error = 0.97 vol%, cross-validation error = 1.07 vol%
• Density: R² = 0.973, calibration error = 0.0021 kg/L, cross-validation error = 0.0023 kg/L

The strong correlations demonstrate that Vis-NIR spectroscopy reliably predicts all target parameters. A single measurement requires less than one minute, compared with 30–45 minutes per sample for conventional engine tests or GC methods.

Benefits and practical applications

Vis-NIR analysis offers multiple advantages:

• Dramatically reduced analysis time and increased throughput
• Lower operating costs through reagent-free, maintenance-free operation
• Minimal sample preparation and automated, user-friendly workflows
• Suitability for routine quality control in refineries, blending facilities, and fuel laboratories

Future trends and applications

Ongoing developments are expected to expand this approach to inline and at-line process monitoring, real-time blend optimization, and advanced chemometric algorithms. Portable NIR devices may enable field measurements or refinery-wide networked quality tracking.

Conclusion

The XDS RapidLiquid Analyzer coupled with robust chemometric models provides a fast, accurate, and cost-effective solution for multiparameter gasoline quality control, replacing multiple time-consuming traditional tests with a single one-minute measurement.