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Dieselengines
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byChrisWoodford.Lastupdated:July26,2015.

Haveyouevergazedinamazementasagianttruckcrawlsslowlyupahill?Probablynot!Suchthings
happeneveryday.Butstopandthinkforamomentaboutwhat'shappeninghowahuge,heavyload
isbeingsystematicallyliftedagainsttheoverwhelmingpowerofgravityusingnothingmorethana
fewcupsofdirtyliquid(fuel,inotherwords)andyoumightagreethatwhatyou'reseeingisquite
remarkable.Dieselenginesarethepowerbehindourbiggestmachinestrucks,trains,ships,and
submarines.Onthefaceofit,they'resimilartoordinarygasoline(petrol)enginesbuttheygenerate
morepower,moreefficientlybyworkinginasubtlydifferentway.Let'stakeacloserlook!

Photo:Dieselengines(liketheoneinthisrailroadlocomotive)areidealforpullingheavytrains.This
isasuperblypreserved(andhighlypolished!)BritishRailClass55("Deltic"),number55022,called
RoyalScotsGreydatingfrom1960.
Whatisadieselengine?

Likeagasolineengine,adieselengineisatypeofinternalcombustionengine.Combustionisanother
wordforburning,andinternalmeansinside,soaninternalcombustionengineissimplyonewherethe
fuelisburnedinsidethemainpartoftheengine(thecylinders)wherepowerisproduced.That'svery
differentfromanexternalcombustionenginesuchasthoseusedbyoldfashionedsteamlocomotives.
Inasteamengine,there'sabigfireatoneendofaboilerthatheatswatertomakesteam.Thesteam
flowsdownlongtubestoacylinderattheoppositeendoftheboilerwhereitpushesapistonbackand
forthtomovethewheels.Thisisexternalcombustionbecausethefireisoutsidethecylinder(indeed,
typically67metersor2030ftaway).Inagasolineordieselengine,thefuelburnsinsidethe
cylindersthemselves.Internalcombustionwastesmuchlessenergybecausetheheatdoesn'thaveto
flowfromwhereit'sproducedintothecylinder:everythinghappensinthesameplace.That'swhy
internalcombustionenginesaremoreefficientthanexternalcombustionengines(theyproducemore
energyfromthesamevolumeoffuel).

Photo:Atypicaldieselengine(fromafiretruck).PhotobyJuanAntoineKingcourtesyofUSNavy.

Howisadieselenginedifferentfromagasolineengine?
Gasolineenginesanddieselenginesbothworkbyinternalcombustion,butinslightlydifferentways.
Inagasolineengine,fuelandairisinjectedintosmallmetalcylinders.Apistoncompresses
(squeezes)themixture,makingitexplosive,andasmallelectricsparkfromasparkingplugsetsfire
toit.Thatmakesthemixtureexplode,generatingpowerthatpushesthepistondownthecylinderand
(throughthecrankshaftandgears)turnsthewheels.Youcanreadmoreaboutthisandwatchasimple
animationofhowitworksinourarticleoncarengines.
Dieselenginesaresimilar,butsimpler.First,airisallowedintothecylinderandthepiston
compressesitbutmuchmorethaninagasolineengine.Inagasolineengine,thefuelairmixtureis
compressedtoaboutatenthofitsoriginalvolume.Butinadieselengine,theairiscompressedby
anythingfrom14to25times.Ifyou'veeverpumpedupabicycletire,you'llhavefeltthepump
gettinghotterinyourhandsthelongeryouusedit.That'sbecausecompressingagasgeneratesheat.
Imagine,then,howmuchheatisgeneratedbyforcingairinto1425timeslessspacethanitnormally
takesup.Somuchheat,asithappens,thattheairgetsreallyhotusuallyatleast500C(1000F)and
sometimesverymuchhotter.Oncetheairiscompressed,amistoffuelissprayedintothecylinder
typically(inamodernengine)byanelectronicfuelinjectionsystem,whichworksabitlikea
sophisticatedaerosolcan.(Theamountoffuelinjectedvaries,dependingonhowmuchpowerthe
driverwantstheenginetoproduce.)Theairissohotthatthefuelinstantlyignitesandexplodes
withoutanyneedforasparkplug.Thiscontrolledexplosionmakesthepistonpushbackoutofthe
cylinder,producingthepowerthatdrivesthevehicleormachineinwhichtheengineismounted.
Whenthepistongoesbackintothecylinder,theexhaustgasesarepushedoutthroughanexhaust
valveand,theprocessrepeatsitselfhundredsorthousandsoftimesaminute!

Animation:Likeagasolineengine,adieselengineusuallyoperatesbyrepeatingacycleoffourstages
orstrokes.

1. Intake:Air(lightblue)isdrawnintothecylinderthroughtheopengreenairinletvalveonthe
rightasthepistonmovesdown.
2. Compression:Theinletvalvecloses,thepistonmovesup,andcompressestheairmixture,
heatingitup.Fuel(darkblue)isinjectedintothehotgasthroughthecentralfuelinjectionvalve
andspontaneouslyignites.Unlikewithagasengine,nosparkingplugisneededtomakethis
happen.
3. Power:Astheairfuelmixtureignitesandburns,itpushesthepistondown,drivingthe
crankshaft(redwheelatbottom)thatsendspowertothewheels.
4. Exhaust:Thegreenoutletvalveontheleftopenstoletouttheexhaustgases,pushedoutbythe
 returningpiston.

Whatmakesadieselenginemoreefficient?
Intheory,sparkpluggasolineenginesshouldbemoreefficientthandieselengines.Inpractice,the
reverseistrue:dieselenginesareuptotwiceasefficientasgasolineenginesaround40percent
efficient,thatis.Insimpleterms,thatmeansyoucangomuchfurtheronthesameamountoffuel(or
getmoremilesforyourmoney).Thereareseveralreasonsforthis.First,thelackofasparkingplug
ignitionsystemmakesforasimplerdesignthatcaneasilycompressthefuelmuchmoreand
compressingthefuelmoremakesitburnmorecompletelywiththeairinthecylinder,releasingmore
energy.There'sanotherefficiencysavingtoo.Inagasolineenginethat'snotworkingatfullpower,
youneedtosupplymorefuel(orlessair)tothecylindertokeepitworkingdieselenginesdon'thave
thatproblemsotheyneedlessfuelwhenthey'reworkingatlowerpower.Anotherimportantfactoris
thatdieselfuelcarriesslightlymoreenergypergallonthangasolinebecausethemoleculesit'smade
fromhavemoreenergylockingtheiratomstogether(inotherwords,dieselhasahigherenergy
densitythangasoline).Dieselisalsoabetterlubricantthangasolinesoadieselenginewillnaturally
runwithlessfriction.

Howisdieselfueldifferent?

Dieselandgasolinearequitedifferent.You'llknowthismuchifyou'veeverheardthehorrorstories
ofpeoplewho'vefilleduptheircarortruckwiththewrongsortoffuel!Essentially,dieselisalower
grade,lessrefinedproductofpetroleummadefromheavierhydrocarbons(moleculesbuiltfrommore
carbonandhydrogenatoms).Crudedieselenginesthatlacksophisticatedfuelinjectionsystemscan,
intheory,runonalmostanyhydrocarbonfuelhencethepopularityofbiodiesel(atypeofbiofuel
madefrom,amongotherthings,wastevegetableoil).Theinventorofthedieselengine,Rudolf
Diesel,successfullyranhisearlyenginesonpeanutoilandthoughthisenginewoulddopeoplea
favorbyfreeingthemfromadependencyonfuelslikecoalandgasoline.Ifonlyhe'dknown!

Photo:Havegreasewilltravel:JoshuaandKaiaTickell,acoupleofenvironmentalists,usethistrailer
(theGreenGreaseMachine)tomakebiodieselfuelfortheirvan(attachedtothefront)usingwaste
cookingoilthrownoutbyfastfoodrestaurants.Thefuelcostsanimpressive$0.80pergallon.Photo
byWarrenGretzcourtesyofUSDepartmentofEnergy/NationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory
(DOE/NREL).

Advantagesanddisadvantagesofdieselengines
Dieselsarethemostversatilefuelburningenginesincommonusetoday,foundineverythingfrom
trainsandcranestobulldozersandsubmarines.Comparedtogasolineengines,they'resimpler,more
efficient,andmoreeconomical.They'realsosafer,becausedieselfuelislessvolatileanditsvapor
lessexplosivethangasoline.Unlikegasolineengines,they'reparticularlygoodformovinglargeloads
atlowspeeds,sothey'reidealforuseinfreighthaulingships,trucks,buses,andlocomotives.Higher
compressionmeansthepartsofadieselenginehavetowithstandfargreaterstressesandstrainsthan
thoseinagasolineengine.That'swhydieselenginesneedtobestrongerandheavierandwhy,fora
longtime,theywereusedonlytopowerlargevehiclesandmachines.Whilethismayseema
drawback,itmeansdieselenginesaretypicallymorerobustandlastalotlongerthangasoline
engines.

Pollutionisoneofthebiggestdrawbacksofdieselengines:they'renoisyandtheyproducealotof
unburnedsootparticles,whicharedirtyandhazardoustohealth.Intheory,dieselsaremoreefficient,
sotheyshoulduselessfuel,producefewercarbondioxideemissions,andcontributelesstoglobal
warming.Inpractice,there'ssomeargumentoverwhetherthat'sreallytrue.Somelaboratory
experimentshaveshownaveragedieselemissionsareonlyslightlylowerthanthosefromgasoline
engines,althoughmanufacturersinsistthatifsimilardieselandgasolinecarsarecompared,the
dieselsdoindeedcomeoutbetter.AccordingtotheBritishSocietyofMotorManufacturersand
Traders:"DieselcarshavecontributedmassivelytoreducingCO2emissions.Since2002,buyers
choosingdieselhavesavedalmost3milliontonnesofCO2fromgoingintotheatmosphere."Diesel
enginesdotendtocostmoreinitiallythangasolineengines,thoughtheirlowerrunningcostsand
longeroperatinglifegenerallyoffsetsthat.

Photo:Dieselenginesaren'tjustusedinvehicles:thesehugestationarydieselenginesgenerate
electricityinapowerplantonSanClementeIsland.PhotobyWarrenGretzcourtesyofUS
DepartmentofEnergy/NationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory(DOE/NREL).

Whoinventedthedieselengine?
Notsurprisingly,itwasGermanengineerRudolfDiesel(18581913)!Here,briefly,isthestory:

1876:GermanengineerNikolausOtto(18321891)buildshisfirstsuccessfulinternal
combustionengine.
1880:Aged22,RudolfDieselgoestoworkforrefrigeratorengineerCarlvonLinde(1842
1934),wherehelearnsaboutthermodynamics(thescienceofhowheatmoves)andhow
engineswork.
1890:Dieselfiguresouthowtomakeanimprovedinternalcombustionenginewithouta
sparkingplug.
1892:Dieselpatentshisideastopreventothersfromprofitingbythem.
1893:Dieselbuildsahuge,stationaryenginethatworksunderitsownpowerforthefirsttime.
1898:WithDiesel'shelp,thefirstcommercialengineisbuiltinafactoryinStLouis,Missouri,
UnitedStatesbyAdolphusBusch(18391913),brewerofBudweiserbeer.
1899:ManufactureofdieselenginesbeginsatDiesel'splantinAugsburg.Dieselbegins
licensinghisideastootherfirmsandsoonbecomesverywealthy.
1913:Dieseldiesinmysteriouscircumstances,apparentlyfallingoverboardfromtheship
DresdenwhiletravelingfromLondon,EnglandtoGermany.Rumorscirculatethathehasbeen
murderedorcommittedsuicide,butnothingiseverproved.
1922:FirstautomobiledieselengineisbuiltinGermany.

Artwork:RudolfDiesel'soriginalinternalcombustionengine,ashedrewitinhis1895patent.The
cylinder(1)isatthetop.2)A"plunger"(asDieselreferredtoit)isattachedbyacrankandconnecting
rod(3)toaflywheel(4).Ageardrivenbytheflywheel(5)isattachedtoacentrifugalgovernor(6)
thatkeepstheenginespeedconstant(shuttingoffthefuelsupplyiftheenginerunstoofast,then
switchingitbackonwhentheengineslowsdownagain).ArtworkcourtesyofUSPatentand
TrademarkOffice(withcolorsandnumberingaddedbyustosimplifytheexplanation).Youcanread
moreinUSPatent#542,846:MethodofandapparatusforconvertingheatintoworkbyRudolf
Diesel.

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Historyofcars

Books

Forolderreaders

TheDieselEngineReferenceBookbyBernardChallenandRodicaBaranescu.Butterworth
Heinemann,1999.Acomprehensive,wellillustratedguidetoallformsofdieselenginesand
theirapplications,coveringbothroadandmaritimevehicles.
TheDieselEnginebyDanielJ.Holt(ed).SocietyofAutomotiveEngineers,2004.Acollection
oftechnicalpaperscoveringlatesttrendsanddevelopmentsinenginedesign.
LegendaryCarEnginesbyJohnSimisterandTimAndrew.MotorBooks,2004.Thisbook
explores20classicenginesinwordsandphotos.
Biodiesel:GrowingaNewEnergyEconomybyGregPahl.ChelseaGreen,2008.Aworldwide
surveyofbiodiesel,includingitshistory,future,andenvironmentalimpact.

Foryoungerreaders

CarSciencebyRichardHammond.DK,2007.Thisisbestforages912,butwillbeinteresting
toolderreaderstoo.(Iworkedasoneoftheconsultantsandcontributorsonthisbookand
recommendithighly.)

Articles

Dieselcars:Isittimetoswitchtoacleanerfuel?byRichardAnderson,BBCNews,July16,
2015.Intermsofbothpollutionandemissions,dieselenginesseemworsefortheenvironment.

Patents

USPatent#542,846:MethodofandapparatusforconvertingheatintoworkbyRudolfDiesel,
July16,1895.TheoriginalDieselengine,asdescribedbytheinventorhimselfinanearly
patent.
USPatent#542,846:InternalcombustionenginebyRudolfDiesel,August9,1898.Arefined
versionofDiesel'senginedescribedinaslightlylaterpatent.
Ifyoulikedthisarticle...
Youmightlikemynewbook,AtomsUndertheFloorboards:TheSurprisingScienceHiddeninYour
Home,publishedworldwidebyBloomsbury.

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TextcopyrightChrisWoodford2009,2015.Allrightsreserved.Fullcopyrightnoticeandtermsof
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