7 things you might not know about diesel, Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
This article was published in the spring two thousand fourteen issue of Argonne Now, the laboratory science magazine.
7 interesting facts about diesel engines, and why they’re an option for the sustainably-minded
- Diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines.
A gas engine is only about 20% efficient. That means only 20% of the fuel actually moves the car, and the rest is lost to friction, noise, or engine functions, or it goes out as fever in the harass. But diesel engines can reach 40% efficiency and higher. That’s why they are so popular for moving powerful vehicles like trucks, where extra fuel truly starts to get expensive.
- If you throw a lit match into a puddle of diesel fuel, it’ll go out.
That’s because diesel is much less flammable than gasoline. In a car, it takes intense pressure or sustained flame to inflame diesel. On the other palm, if you throw a match into a pool of gasoline, it won’t even touch the surface — it inflames the vapors above the surface. (Please don’t do this at home!)
- We now produce about one hundred times more biodiesel than we did ten years ago.
In 2002, the United States produced about ten million gallons of biodiesel. In 2012, that number was nine hundred sixty nine million.
- At high altitudes, diesel engines get better power than gasoline.
Gasoline engines operate at a very specific ratio of fuel and air. At high altitudes, the air is thinner — literally: there are fewer molecules of air per cubic foot. That means that in the mountains, gasoline engines have to add less fuel to keep the ratio flawless, which affects spectacle. Diesel engines have turbochargers, which pump more air into the combustion chambers at high altitudes, which helps them perform better.
The U.S. EPA now requires diesel engines to meet the same pollution criteria as gasoline engines. Carmakers added a device called a diesel particulate filter, which eliminates visible smoke. “If you’re buying a diesel car from two thousand seven or later, it’s no filthier than a gasoline-powered vehicle,” says Argonne mechanical engineer Steve Ciatti.
- Diesel engines get best spectacle below sixty five miles per hour.
They get peak power when the engine revolutions per minute (RPM) are low, generally at speeds below sixty five miles per hour. Gasoline engines, in contrast, get to peak power by running the engine prompt and high and the rpm at Five,000 (i.e., with the pedal to the metal).
- Diesel’s an interesting option for the environmentally minded.
Since they produce less carbon dioxide, run more efficiently, get high mileage to the gallon, and have their emissions cleaned, diesel-powered cars are an alternative for those who wish to reduce their carbon footprints. Since the technology is already well-developed, they tend to be relatively cheap, too.
What if you could combine the best parts about gasoline and diesel engines? Argonne engineer Steve Ciatti is doing just that. Find out more.