Is Pertalite more extravagant after the price hike? ITB teacher reveals the problem

TIME.CO, Bandung – Confessions of several motor vehicle users refueling or other types of fuel have recently circulated on social media Pertalite The production of Pertamina. After the price increase, the fuel that is usually used seems more expensive than before.

In response, a lecturer from the Bandung Institute of Technology Energy Conversion Expertise Group (ITB), Tri Yuswidjajanto Zaenuri, explained that if users of Pertamax BBM switch to Pertalite, their consumption will actually be a waste. The reason is that Pertalite’s octane number or Research Octane Number (RON) is lower than Pertamax.

With RON Pertalite 90 and Pertamax 92 and 98, Tri said: “It is only natural that if the horsepower is lower, the fuel will automatically be more expensive.”

The case is different if the previous user also used Pertalite. From usual enough for a week, for example, now maybe about 3-4 days. “Perhaps the chemical composition of the compounds in the fuel has changed so that the calorific value of the gasoline has changed,” he explained on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.

According to Tri, the calorific value that indicates the energy content of the fuel is determined by chemical compounds such as carbon and hydrogen. Due to the difference of these compounds, for example, diesel fuel per kilogram has a higher energy content than gasoline.

Changes in compounds can also involve changes in density or density gas. If the size of the gasoline is the same as a liter, but the density is reduced from 820 to 770 grams, then gasoline consumption will certainly be a waste. “Oh I see density it changes, it changes the calorific value per liter, ”Tri said referring to the calorific value in kilo joules or kilo calories per kilogram.

For this reason, according to him, there are those who say not to refuel during the day when it is hot, or when you only refuel at the gas station. This, he said, was related to the change in density. The problem, Tri said, is that in specifying oil and gas as a condition for the sale of fuel in Indonesia, the calorific value is not taken into account. “Therefore, there is no provision for calorific value in the specification,” he said.

According to Tri, this condition generally applies to commercial transportation fuel transactions. For example, in coal, the price is determined by the calorific value. Or in the industry, there are those who apply international fuel standards at a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. “We don’t know about fuel, we only know rupees per liter,” she said.

A few days ago Pertamina responded to the problem, namely that there was no change in the production specifications of Pertalite. Regarding the answer, Tri replied: “Yes, of course, but there is a possibility that the calorific value has changed.” The change was said to be involuntary. “No, it depends on the oil,” he said again.

From the same oil well, Tri said, the results can be different when turned into fuel. The refinery works alone but the properties of the compounds are inherent in oil. For this reason, the density values ​​at the various service stations can be different so that not all users feel like a waste of fuel.

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