What all do you know about diesel fuel?

Question

This is for school, need some useful information. Thanks for any replies

Answer 1

It combusts with increased pressure and when used in an engine negates the need for spark plugs.

Answer 2

What a load of cr@p answers.

Diesel fuel is simply a mixture of hydrocarbons around the C10 chain length compared to the lighter fractions of petrol (gasoline).   Gasoline quality is compared in terms of octane rating and diesel is compared in terms of cetane rating.  Just like a petrol engine, a diesel engine needs the right fuel to power it efficiently.  Litre for litre diesel has a higher energy density hence more power can be produced from a litre of diesel than a litre of gasoline.  You can get a petrol engine to run on kerosine (parafin) but only once it is hot.  Similarly you can get a diesel engine to run on straight vegetable oil but only when it is hot.  In all cases the heat is needed to vapourise the fuel so it will burn.  A modern common rail turbo diesel engine is highly refined and electronically controlled so it is quieter, more powerful and more efficient than old diesels ever were.  A big difference between petrol and diesel is that diesel fuel has differing amounts of aromatic hydrocarbons compared to aliphatic hydrocarbons and it is this which can produce soot or fine particles in the exhaust.  These are filtered out in the latest new cars and the filter self cleans on a programmed cycle by running hotter than normal for a few seconds to burn the soot off.  Diesel engines do inherently produce higher levels of nitrogen oxides due to their higher combustion temperature but this can be controlled by engine management and in the latest trucks, chemical de-NOx is fitted.  The future for diesel is very good as we move towards more synthesised diesel fuels which can be made from organic wastes thus reducing reliance on fossil oil reserves, recovering the energy density from waste products and at the same time producing a fuel with higher aliphatic chemistry which will burn cleaner and reduce emissions.  Petrol engines will move towards burning blends of ethanol not produced from food crops but from non-food crops so there will not be competition.  Diesel electric hybrid cars promise the most efficient option of all and they are being launched now across europe.

Answer 3

it makes diesel engines work

Answer 4

In terms of pollution, when diesel is burned in an engine it tends to produce less carbon monoxide than gasoline does, but puts out more hydrocarbons (smelly black smoke and particulate matter).

Answer 5

When Diesel first invented his engine he designed it to run on peanut oil - how's that?

Answer 6

it is basically the dirty remains of petrol and usually used in trucks and make a lot of pollution...cars also come in diesel

Answer 7

Diesel is easier to produce than gasoline, yet it costs more.  This is because it was easier to place a higher tax on diesel which is used mainly by businesses, who then pass the added cost on to the consumers.  Hidden taxes to the consumer are the cause of higher diesel prices.

Answer 8

Conor, the greener the diesel fuel,,the better the quality. It is not as ignitable,explosive as gas. It smell's, even though some people dont mind it. It doesnt help the enviroment when the stacks shoot the fumes into the air, thats why you may have heard that the industry is trying to switching over to corn.Hope I helped you, Max ( I drive a big rig)

Answer 9

In 1960 gas was 18 cents a gal. in Oklahoma. Diesel was 11 cents. It takes a long process to make gasoline but diesel is a by product of gasoline, that which, years ago, was trashed, yet today, it is higher in cost! Its all about $$ & demand!

Answer 10

Derv, Is ignited by height of compression, not by a spark plug as in petrol engines!

Answer 11

Diesel like petrol does not ignite. It is the gases that ignite. Unlike petrol diesel gases must be pressurised before they ignite.

Answer 12

A diesel will burn almost anything including lube oil. Never use gasoline or lighter fuels in a diesel as the explosion are too violent.

Answer 13

litre for litre will produce more kms than petrol Eg a 2ltr diesel will be has efficient as a 1600cc petrol that is the most important thing in to days Climate .