Diesel fuel and engines are different from regular gasoline and engines in several ways. Several people think that diesel engines are loud, produce more smoke, and smells like rotten eggs when they are not in use. At first, diesel fuel and engines got caught in some emission scandals, and experts believe predicted that diesel engines and fuel would disappear. But diesel-powered engines and fuel recovered in the market, and up until today, consumer interests remained steady. That is why in this article, we are going to talk about some facts about diesel fuel and engines that most of us don’t know about.
- Diesel engines are now a new standard – Back in the day, diesel engines are smelly, loud, and dirty. But today, diesel fuel and engines are brighter, cleaner, and more evident. And there are almost fifty models of diesel engines available in the market today to the consumers.
- Diesel engines go farther and use less fuel – Diesel engines today has now the power to enable most models to start and drive like gasoline engine can. Diesel technology keeps on improving as time goes by, and emission controls are now more effective and available in smaller packages. This means that engines can be downsized from six to four-cylinder in an array of vehicles. Today, diesel engines have a 45 MPG highway mileage rating, and it can reach around 50 MPG in testing on the road. This means you will save more gas with fewer stops on the road.
- Diesel fuel has a low flammability level – Because diesel fuel has a high flash point, it is more difficult to combust. This is true, especially on both inside and outside of an engine. Diesel fuel also has a high viscosity, which means that it can travel into the spark chamber while allowing more liquid structure. Plus, diesel fuel is more efficient in an engine compared to regular gasoline, and it also tends to last longer and produces more movement.
- Diesel fuel was invented by accident – An accident led to the creation of the diesel fuel. When it was first created, diesel fuel was known to be a byproduct, and it was often discarded rather than used. It wasn’t until in 1894 when Rudolf Diesel came along and invented a diesel engine that is capable of handling the diesel fuel. Since then, diesel fuel was given a name and a new purpose.
- EPA sees diesel engines the same as gasoline engines – The Environmental Protection Agency in the United States requires diesel engines to be able to meet the same standards as the regular gasoline engines do. In 2007, car manufacturers began putting in particulate filters in diesel cars to remover the visible smoke that is coming out from the exhaust.
- Diesel fuel works better at high altitudes – Gasoline engines need a specific ratio of air-to-fuel which means that in high altitudes where there are fewer air molecules, it can affect the car’s performance. Vehicles that are running on diesel engines have turbochargers that can put more air into the air to fuel ratio.
- There are several classifications for diesel fuels – Loading up your car with diesel cars is not as easy as you think. There are different types of diesel fuel that you should know to be able to get the most out of your diesel car. The most common diesel fuel type is known as Type B or number 2 light diesel, and it is used for a more specific purpose such as heating oil applications and fast cars.
- Diesel fuel is not dirty at all – Despite common misconception, diesel fuel is not greasy. In fact, they are just as clean as the gasoline fuels that we have today.
Diesel engines don’t use any spark plugs – Almost all internal combustion engines such as gasoline-powered motorcycle, cars, snowmobiles, and even lawnmower needs to ignite air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of the driver and in most case, they need a sparkplug to do the thing. Since diesel engines are compression engines, their air and fuel cocktail are ignited as the fuel is injected into the cylinder of the engine at extremely high pressure, which is why no spark plugs are needed.