The Effect Of Gasoline Additives On Engine Performance/Run Time
School Name
Greenville Technical Charter High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Gasoline additives have often made headlines in the last ten years. As scientists search for reliable sources of alternative fuel, additives have taken the role of temporary measures or as performance boosters. Some like ethanol did not live up to expectations as they reduced performance as well as emissions, which “balanced out” each other. Some like lead were banned in the US because of their devastating environmental impact. Still others like octane boosters can be bought at a nearby auto parts store. In this experiment an old lawnmower engine was fixed and was used it to measure several different effects of gasoline additives. The additives involved lead, ethanol, and two store bought additives, all in various amounts. Pure gasoline was ran first as a control, then each additive was ran in constant amounts. Performance of the engine was measured in RPM (measured every 30 seconds) and total run time was recorded. In the end, it was determined that the control of pure gasoline ran the best, with lead and ethanol tied for second. It is believe the generally poor performance of the additives had to do with the fact that our engine was a two stroke, not a four-stroke engine like the additives were designed for.
Recommended Citation
Henderson, Parker S., "The Effect Of Gasoline Additives On Engine Performance/Run Time" (2015). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 224.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2015/all/224
Start Date
4-11-2015 11:45 AM
End Date
4-11-2015 12:00 PM
The Effect Of Gasoline Additives On Engine Performance/Run Time
Gasoline additives have often made headlines in the last ten years. As scientists search for reliable sources of alternative fuel, additives have taken the role of temporary measures or as performance boosters. Some like ethanol did not live up to expectations as they reduced performance as well as emissions, which “balanced out” each other. Some like lead were banned in the US because of their devastating environmental impact. Still others like octane boosters can be bought at a nearby auto parts store. In this experiment an old lawnmower engine was fixed and was used it to measure several different effects of gasoline additives. The additives involved lead, ethanol, and two store bought additives, all in various amounts. Pure gasoline was ran first as a control, then each additive was ran in constant amounts. Performance of the engine was measured in RPM (measured every 30 seconds) and total run time was recorded. In the end, it was determined that the control of pure gasoline ran the best, with lead and ethanol tied for second. It is believe the generally poor performance of the additives had to do with the fact that our engine was a two stroke, not a four-stroke engine like the additives were designed for.
