Optimax
Encyclopedia
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
's - aka Shell - enhanced high specification fuels for road motor vehicle
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
s.
Initially used for higher octane Super Unleaded petrol/gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, (formerly known as Optimax in some regions), it is now additionally used for high specification diesel fuel.
V-Power petrol
Petrol or gasolineGasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
is assessed, categorised and sold by an octane rating
Octane rating
Octane rating or octane number is a standard measure of the anti-knock properties of a motor or aviation fuel. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating...
. Generally, in most areas of the world, the Research Octane Number (RON) is used, but in North America, the Anti-Knock Index (AKI) is used. Conventional 'standard' "Premium Unleaded" petrol in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia has an octane rating of 95 RON, and in North America it is AKI/RdON/PON 91-93 (RON 96–98). However, higher octane "Super Unleaded" - often formulated with higher quality additives, is usually set at around 98 RON in mainland Europe; but this can vary by market. Most oil/petroleum companies now 'market' their own Super Unleaded petrols under a unique name - and the current name for Shell Super Unleaded fuel is "V-Power". Like most Super Unleaded petrols, V-Power also contains higher concentrations of detergents and other additives to help clean the engine and smooth its operation.
In the United Kingdom and Denmark (where Super Unleaded must be a minimum of 97 RON), V-Power has a rating of 99 RON (whereas V-Powers' predecessor Shell Optimax was rated at 98 RON). There is one other 99 RON fuel available in the UK, namely Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
MOMENTUM99.
In The Netherlands, V-Power has a 95 RON rating, although officials from Shell stated it is effective 97 RON, but classes are limited to 92 RON, 95 RON, 98 RON and 100 RON.
In Germany, all Shell stations offer two varieties of petrol V-Power: Super V-Power, rated at 95 RON, and V-Power Racing 100, rated at 100 RON.
In Greece, most Shell stations offer V-Power Racing, rated at 100 RON. That is also the only petrol type rated at 100 RON throughout the country.
In Australia, from October 2006, Shell and Coles Express
Coles Express
Coles Express is an Australian chain of fuel and convenience stores. The business venture and corresponding fuel discount offer was launched in July 2003 in response to the similar offer by rival Woolworths Limited some years earlier, proving attractive to shoppers.Coles Myer purchased the retail...
re-branded Optimax to V-Power (98 RON). V-Power Racing, the ultra-high performance variant has a rating of 100 RON although Shell have decided to phase out V-Power Racing from 21 July to mid August 2008, instead recommending V-Power. The previously obtainable higher grade V-Power Racing which contained 5% ethanol to boost V-Power's octane rating to 100 RON has now been phased out by Shell due to a "changing market".
In the United States (U.S.), at around 2004, all U.S. Shell gas "Premium" was rebranded as "V-Power". In 2008, Shell in the U.S. launched the new Nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
-Enriched Shell V-Power.
In Canada, from June 2005, Shell Canada re-branded Optimax Gold to V-Power.
In Hong Kong, as there is no oil refinery plant located in Hong Kong, Gasoline was imported from Singapore, which is 98 RON. However, V-Power sold in gas stations rumored reach 107 RON (the highest native RON for consumer grade commercial petrol across worldwide). Such figure is not supported by actual test, nor is it confirmed by Shell and which is contradicted from a reading material for Legislators of Legislative Council.
In New Zealand, from 2007, Shell rebranded 95 Premium Unleaded as V-Power. It is still rated at 95 RON.
In Sweden, Shell V-Power was previously 99 RON, but is now been re-branded under the new owner St1
St1
St1 Oy is a Finnish energy company owning the St1 service stations' chain in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Poland. The company was established in 1995 under the name Greenergy Baltic Oy. In 1997, the St1 chain was established in Finland. In 2000 Greenergy Baltic changed its name to Green. In the...
from June 2011 to "Shell V-Power E5" making it 98 RON with a mix of 5% ethanol.
V-Power Diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s, to facilitate enhanced engine performance along with increased engine protection, for more consistent operation and engine longevity.
V-Power Diesel is a blend of regular petroleum-based diesel and synthetic diesel, created using gas to liquids
Gas to liquids
Gas to liquids is a refinery process to convert natural gas or other gaseous hydrocarbons into longer-chain hydrocarbons such as gasoline or diesel fuel...
(GTL), along with some extra additives designed to clean the injection system and improve injection pump
Injection pump
An Injection Pump is the device that pumps fuel into the cylinders of a diesel engine or less typically, a gasoline engine. Traditionally, the pump is driven indirectly from the crankshaft by gears, chains or a toothed belt that also drives the camshaft on overhead-cam engines . It rotates at half...
and injector lubricity.
One characteristic of V-Power diesel is that it is a lot clearer and odourless than normal diesel, mainly due to the synthetic GTL component.
The fuel is slightly less dense than regular diesel so, per volume, the unit energy is actually lower than regular diesel. This is offset, as the fuel tends to ignite more readily (and thus has a higher cetane rating) than regular diesel, and a side benefit of this is that it tends to produce less soot during combustion.
Anecdotal evidence shows that its performance varies depending on how an engine is set up. In most cases, it will make a rough-sounding engine run noticeably smoother, and can also alter the performance characteristics; typically some low-end torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
is lost, but performance in the middle of the rev range and above is increased. In some engines however, particularly well-tuned common rail
Common rail
Common rail direct fuel injection is a modern variant of direct fuel injection system for petrol and diesel engines.On diesel engines, it features a high-pressure fuel rail feeding individual solenoid valves, as opposed to low-pressure fuel pump feeding unit injectors...
turbodiesel
Turbodiesel
Turbodiesel refers to any diesel engine with a turbocharger. Turbocharging is the norm rather than the exception in modern car and truck diesel engines...
s, very little effect can be seen or felt.
Although the former is true for the European market, Shell also markets a different "premium" diesel in Canada, which they state "Is specially formulated for year-round Canadian weather conditions, with a cetane improver, a de-icer and a corrosion inhibitor." but Shell also states that V-Power diesel will typically have an increased cetane rating of 1 to 2 points over standard diesel, which meets Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
's minimum mandated rating of 40. It also contains no GTL components at all.
External links
- Shell V-Power official website
- Shell V-Power - Products and Services - global V-Power portal