How Diesel engines work and why they are more fuel efficient - By: georgefonti

The workings of a diesel engine are not rocket science but it can be considered one of the most important inventions that happened after the industrial revolution. A diesel engine works more or less like a petrol engine with the only difference being that a diesel engine is powered by the heat generated through the compression of fuel which ignites. The petrol engine on the other hand is ignited by a spark plug. The diesel engine was the invention of a German engineer by the name of Rudolf Diesel in 1892 and is considered the most efficient out of all internal combustion engines. The reason for its high efficiency is said to be the extremely high compression of the fuel ratio which is a 14:1 to 25:1 before it gets ignited as against the petrol engine ratio which is from 8:1 to 12:1. The fuel in a diesel engine is pure and directly transferred to the combustion chamber whereas the petrol engine has a carburetor for this purpose.

The main advantage therefore is the fuel efficiency in the diesel engine since the more efficient the engine is the lesser fuel it needs to perform certain types of work. Lesser fuel obviously means it’s cheaper for everyday purposes and is therefore used in great quantities for industrial work due to the large quantities of diesel required to carry out heavy duty industrial work. Industries have realized that the slightest fall in costs due to even a very small increase in fuel efficiency can ultimately make a huge difference in any business.

Vehicles that use diesel for transporting goods usually calculate the engine efficiency as a ratio of the total distance to be covered to the amount of fuel used. This means, the more distance there is, the better the fuel efficiency becomes. Its not only the rate or ratio of combustion that impacts the efficiency of a diesel engine, many other factors contribute to it such as weight of the vehicle, engine properties, body drag and rolling resistance of a vehicle. An amalgamation of all these factors mean, while a new vehicle is bound to have very high diesel efficiency, an older vehicle that has seen more wear and tear will see this efficiency gradually receding.

Research has discovered that diesel engine efficiency can be increased dramatically by using a mixture of water and ethanol. Although this solution cannot be added directly to the fuel and as such cannot be used in a diesel engine vehicle in a straight forward manner, it can certainly be used in diesel engines by the use of two separate lines where the mixture can be added to the diesel at the time of combustion. This will not only increase the efficiency of the engine but will also help to cool down the engine much quicker and reduce emissions.

There is no doubt that vehicles with diesel engines have proved to be more popular than those with gasoline due to the extra mileage it can provide to the gallon when compared to vehicles fueled by gas. Diesel powered vehicles however are rather more costly than those run by gasoline.

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