So I was driving to work today in Seattle, passed by a Shell station, and saw "New Nitrogen-Enhanced Gasoline". A quick Google search shows it's a new product being released by Shell, with 5x the gov't-mandated cleaning power, supposedly designed with direct-injection and hybrid engines in mind. Any thoughts on this stuff? Marketing gimmick, actually beneficial, or potentially harmful?

 

I'm no chemist, but I believe that nitrogen is non combustible. Correct me if I'm wrong. I do know that nitrogen makes up 78% of our air so would be 78% of the air in the combustion chamber. Oxygen is what fuels ignition of gasoline. Could this just be Shell's latest marketing ploy?

 

I believe the nitrogen is being used as a cleaning agent. But if you have direct injection, then you don't have air/fuel flowing over your valves, so how would you get any of the benefits of cleaning additives? Shell specifically states that they're targeting direct-injection engines with this new fuel...

 

Nitrogen is part of the cleaning molecule used...basicly promotion of new formula:


Shell Launches New Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines

3 March 2009

Shell has introduced Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline in all three grades. The new formulations contain a novel cleaning system designed to clean up gunky build-up on intake valves and fuel injectors.
Gunk (carbon deposit) formation on injectors can reduce fuel flow and fuel economy. Gunk has a porous surface that can trap the gasoline that is sprayed by the fuel injector; as a result, the fuel charge does not get in the cylinder at the right time, thus negatively affecting combustion.
Shell says that its Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System contains a “carrier fluid” that acts like water, washing away both the cleaning agents and the engine gunk into the cylinder, where gunk is destroyed as part of the combustion process. In addition, The Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System acts like a barrier to keep engines clean and protect them from performance-robbing gunk better than before.
Nitrogen is a key element of the active cleaning molecule in the new fuel, making it significantly more stable at the higher temperatures common in modern engines, such as direct fuel-injection gasoline engines. The increased stability ensures that the molecule can work under much tougher engine conditions by resisting thermal breakdown better than conventional cleaning additives.
Shell worked with automotive manufacturers to gain insight into current and future engine technologies. Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines were tested in laboratories, independent testing facilities, and on the road, accumulating more than a half-million miles in various vehicles and engines—including conventional, turbo-charged, and direct fuel-injection gasoline engines, hybrids, newer vehicles with low mileage, and older vehicles with high mileage.
Shell dual-fuel testing. Click to enlarge.
Shell scientists used dual fuel engines to conduct head-to-head comparisons with other lower-quality gasolines. In these tests, split engines simultaneously run on different types of gasoline in order to collect data under the exact same conditions. The results of these head-to-head comparisons showed that the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines are more effective than lower quality gasolines in protecting against the build-up of harmful engine gunk, according to Shell.
The Nitrogen Enriched formula prevents build-up of gunk more effectively than gasolines containing only the minimum amount of cleaning agents as required by the EPA. The new cleaning system is certified to meet the Top Tier Detergent Gasoline Standard—voluntary standards designated by leading automakers (Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen) to try to raise the bar on fuel quality beyond minimum government criteria.
Shell V-Power premium gasoline provides maximum protection with the highest concentration of the Nitrogen Enriched cleaning system and more than five times the minimum amount of cleaning agents required by federal government standards.

 

Wonder how this will affect catalytic converters?