REFERENCE FUELS

“The Launch of Reference Fuels produced by IndianOil’s Paradip & Panipat Refineries, utilizing the intellectual talent available at IndianOil’s Research & Development Centre, is a dynamic achievement”, said Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs. He was speaking at the historic occasion marking the launch of ‘Reference Gasoline and Diesel Fuels’ produced by IndianOil for the first time in India.

What are Reference Fuels?

Reference fuels (Gasoline and Diesel) are premium high-value products, used for calibration and testing of vehicles by Auto OEMs  and  organizations involved in testing and certification in the automotive field.

For vehicle testing purposes, the fuel has to be of a higher grade than regular or premium petrol and diesel.

Fuel retailers IOC sell petrol and diesel of primarily two kinds –  regular  and premium, through their fuel station network. The biggest difference between the normal and premium fuel lies in the octane number. The octane number is  a  unit to measure the ignition quality of petrol or diesel. Higher the octane number, better is the quality of the fuel. The regular fuel has an octane number of 87, but premium fuel has an octane number of 91. Reference grade fuel, on the other hand, comes with a 97 octane number.

Specification requirements of Reference Fuels are more stringent than commercial gasoline and diesel. The demand of Reference  Fuels  in  India  is  currently  met by importing from other countries.

IndianOil has successfully commenced the production of Reference Gasoline and Diesel Fuels for the first time in India. These fuels are used for calibration and testing of vehicle by Automobile manufacturers and testing agencies like ICAT (International Centre for Automotive Technology) and ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India). The indigenous development of this product is in-line with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision for “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

IndianOil’s teams of Refineries and R&D have strived hard to achieve this feat in the shortest possible time. To meet the International standards, these products had passed through three layer of certification viz., Refinery lab, IOCL R&D Centre and an internationally reputed third party lab.

India is dependent on imports to cater to the demand  for  this  specialized  fuel. These indigenously developed products will lead to import substitution at better price and minimum lead time for the Vehicle manufacturers. Reference Gasoline fuels will be available in E0, E5, E10, E20, E85, E100 from Flagship Paradip Refinery. Reference diesel fuel shall be available in B7 grade from Panipat Refinery.

The indigenously developed product by IndianOil meets Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) specifications, substitutes imports, and is available at better price with reduced lead time.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited has established facilities for production of Reference Gasoline Fuels (E-5, E-10 and E-20) at its Paradip Refinery and Reference Diesel Fuel (B-7) at its Panipat Refinery.