Experimental Investigation of API Gravity of Gasoline in Dispensing Stations and its Effects on Gasoline Engines in Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Sunday Igbani, Bebeteidoh Oyinkepreye Lucky

Abstract
In recent years, the frequent reported cases of low engine performance and increasing emission of dangerous pollutants from vehicles in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. This triggered the study which aimed at the investigation of the API gravity of gasoline in some selected dispensing stations and its effects on gasoline engines in the region. And was accomplished by the underpinned objectives: to estimate the specific gravity of the sampled gasoline and to compute the API gravities using the required correlations. Furthermore, the data collected from the experiment were computed in the given equations and outcomes obtained were analysed with spread-sheet tool in Microsoft Excel 2012. The experimental results show that the specific gravity and the API gravity in the region under the time of study are between 0.71 and 0.73, and 69 and 62, respectively. These results concluded that the presence of impurities exist in the sampled gasoline due to adulteration and poor quality of refining process. Therefore, the gasoline automobile engines in Bayelsa State of Nigeria will be affected with crankcase dilution, emission of dangerous pollutants, wash down of oil on engine cylinder liner. This paper demonstrates that the Nigerian government need to redouble efforts to put all the refineries in operations. This will impede gasoline importation, illegal refining of crude oil, adulteration of gasoline, and fuel scarcity.

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