Honda Car Forum

Okay, this was way back. Like when we were driving an almost brand
new 84 Escort GT. There was a gas station on I35 in Farmer's Branch
(just north of Dallas) that sold various "high premium" fuels. One of
them as 112 octane "uncracked". Just what does that mean?

I'm "old enough" to have put Sunoco 120 in my 427 Galaxie 500. Um,
when I was doing the quarter, it kind of needed it.
--

- dillon I am not invalid

"Jimmy, I'm sorry your girlfriend turned out
to be a cylon."
-Special Agent Tim McGee, "NCIS"

Dillon Pyron wrote:
> Okay, this was way back. Like when we were driving an almost brand
> new 84 Escort GT. There was a gas station on I35 in Farmer's Branch
> (just north of Dallas) that sold various "high premium" fuels. One of
> them as 112 octane "uncracked". Just what does that mean?
>
> I'm "old enough" to have put Sunoco 120 in my 427 Galaxie 500. Um,
> when I was doing the quarter, it kind of needed it.


It was Sunoco 260.

Dillon Pyron wrote:
> Okay, this was way back. Like when we were driving an almost brand
> new 84 Escort GT. There was a gas station on I35 in Farmer's Branch
> (just north of Dallas) that sold various "high premium" fuels. One of
> them as 112 octane "uncracked". Just what does that mean?
>
> I'm "old enough" to have put Sunoco 120 in my 427 Galaxie 500. Um,
> when I was doing the quarter, it kind of needed it.


Taken literally ('cracking' is the process of using catalysts to
separate the components of crude oil), it would have been crude oil.
;-) I'm assuming that it was a marketing term that refers to something else.

>
>
> Taken literally ('cracking' is the process of using catalysts to
> separate the components of crude oil), it would have been crude oil. ;-)
> I'm assuming that it was a marketing term that refers to something else.

You have been misinformed. Distillation is used to separate the components
of crude oil. One of the liquids the still produces is octane. Perhaps there
were gas stations selling pure octane in the old days. Sounds implausible
but.... The catalytic cracking unit (cat cracker) uses something called
"gas oil" as its feedstock. It's like kerosene. The gas oil is cracked and
reformed or alkylated to produce more gasoline than crude oil would contain
naturally. All fairly low-tech now. As always, the goal in refining is to
work safely and have no fatalities. Nobody want to end their shift
deceased.....

"Enrico Fermi" <noone@nowhere.com> wrote in
news:S2U0m.1636$bq1.909@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com:


> As always, the goal in refining is to work safely and
> have no fatalities.



Don't get a job with BP...


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Dillon Pyron wrote:
> Okay, this was way back. Like when we were driving an almost brand
> new 84 Escort GT. There was a gas station on I35 in Farmer's Branch
> (just north of Dallas) that sold various "high premium" fuels. One of
> them as 112 octane "uncracked". Just what does that mean?

All I can say that "cracking" is part of the refining process where
individual hydrocarbon types are separated by specific temperature
ranges. What it means in your reference is a mystery to me though..


> I'm "old enough" to have put Sunoco 120 in my 427 Galaxie 500. Um,
> when I was doing the quarter, it kind of needed it.


Weren't all Sunoco blends in the 200 range? Seems to me that My old
Studebaker Avanti would barely tolerate "260" which IIRC was the highest
available blend.

JT

Tegger wrote:

> "Enrico Fermi" <noone@nowhere.com> wrote in
> news:S2U0m.1636$bq1.909@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com:
>
>
>
>>As always, the goal in refining is to work safely and
>>have no fatalities.
>
>
>
>
> Don't get a job with BP...


At least not in the Houston area. More explosions etc that have killed
several people.

BP is not highly regarded in these heeyah pawts...

JT

Enrico Fermi wrote:
>>
>> Taken literally ('cracking' is the process of using catalysts to
>> separate the components of crude oil), it would have been crude oil. ;-)
>> I'm assuming that it was a marketing term that refers to something else.
>
> You have been misinformed. Distillation is used to separate the components
> of crude oil. One of the liquids the still produces is octane. Perhaps there
> were gas stations selling pure octane in the old days. Sounds implausible
> but.... The catalytic cracking unit (cat cracker) uses something called
> "gas oil" as its feedstock. It's like kerosene. The gas oil is cracked and
> reformed or alkylated to produce more gasoline than crude oil would contain
> naturally. All fairly low-tech now. As always, the goal in refining is to
> work safely and have no fatalities. Nobody want to end their shift
> deceased.....
>
>

Amusing. I hope that wasn't a serious post. I'll have to remember to
pick up some "liquid octane" on the way home from work...

For those who want to know:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_(chemistry)

"Leftie" <No@Thanks.net> wrote in message
news:tX%0m.115267$9Z.50263@newsfe08.iad...
> Enrico Fermi wrote:
>>>
>>> Taken literally ('cracking' is the process of using catalysts to
>>> separate the components of crude oil), it would have been crude oil. ;-)
>>> I'm assuming that it was a marketing term that refers to something else.
>>
>> You have been misinformed. Distillation is used to separate the
>> components of crude oil. One of the liquids the still produces is octane.
>> Perhaps there were gas stations selling pure octane in the old days.
>> Sounds implausible but.... The catalytic cracking unit (cat cracker)
>> uses something called "gas oil" as its feedstock. It's like kerosene. The
>> gas oil is cracked and reformed or alkylated to produce more gasoline
>> than crude oil would contain naturally. All fairly low-tech now. As
>> always, the goal in refining is to work safely and have no fatalities.
>> Nobody want to end their shift deceased.....
>
> Amusing. I hope that wasn't a serious post. I'll have to remember to
> pick up some "liquid octane" on the way home from work...
>
> For those who want to know:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_(chemistry)

You are easily amused....Ignorance is bliss... Hope springs eternal....
Your link doesn't work. Octane IS a liquid:
Octane Definition: Any isomeric saturated hydrocarbon found in petroleum and
used as a fuel and solvent.

Grumpy AuContraire <Grumpy@ExtraGrumpyville.com> wrote in
news:VCW0m.88694$d36.9132@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

>
>
> Dillon Pyron wrote:
>> Okay, this was way back. Like when we were driving an almost brand
>> new 84 Escort GT. There was a gas station on I35 in Farmer's Branch
>> (just north of Dallas) that sold various "high premium" fuels. One of
>> them as 112 octane "uncracked". Just what does that mean?
>
> All I can say that "cracking" is part of the refining process where
> individual hydrocarbon types are separated by specific temperature
> ranges. What it means in your reference is a mystery to me though..
>
>
>> I'm "old enough" to have put Sunoco 120 in my 427 Galaxie 500. Um,
>> when I was doing the quarter, it kind of needed it.
>
>
> Weren't all Sunoco blends in the 200 range? Seems to me that My old
> Studebaker Avanti would barely tolerate "260" which IIRC was the highest
> available blend.
>
> JT
>

260 is what I recall.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net