Table 1. Comparison of Properties of Various Fuels.
| gasoline | diesel | methanol | ethanol | n-butanol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| molecular formula | C4–C12 | C12–C25 | CH2OH | C2H5OH | C4H9OH |
| cetane | 0–10 | 40–55 | 3 | 8 | 25 |
| octane value | 80–99 | 20–30 | 111 | 108 | 96 |
| oxygen content (wt %) | 50 | 34.8 | 21.6 | ||
| density (g/mL) (20 °C) | 0.72–0.78 | 0.82–0.86 | 0.796 | 0.79 | 0.808 |
| autoignition temperature (°C) | ∼300 | ∼210 | 470 | 434 | 385 |
| flash point (°C) (airtight) | –45 ∼ −38 | 65–88 | 12 | 8 | 35 |
| low calorific value (MJ/kg) | 42.7 | 42.5 | 19.9 | 26.8 | 33.1 |
| boiling point (°C) | 25–215 | 180–370 | 64.5 | 78.4 | 117.1 |
| stoichiometric ratio | 14.7 | 14.3 | 6.49 | 9.02 | 11.21 |
| latent heat of evaporation (kJ/kg) (25 °C) | 380–500 | 270 | 1109 | 904 | 582 |
| flammability limits (vol %) | 0.6–8 | 1.5–7.6 | 6.0–36.5 | 4.3–19 | 1.4–11.2 |
| saturation pressure (kPa) (38 °C) | 31.01 | 1.86 | 31.69 | 13.8 | 2.27 |
| viscosity (mm2/s) (40 °C) | 0.4–0.8 (20 °C) | 1.9–4.1 | 0.59 | 1.08 | 2.63 |