Gasoline fuels most small vehicles, including cars and pickup trucks. Large vehicles such as buses, delivery trucks, and long-haul tractor trailers typically run on diesel.
Gasoline and diesel engines have different strengths and require both types of fuel. my automotive engineering students As you learn it, it becomes suitable for a variety of purposes.
Let’s start with the commonalities. Both gas and diesel engines operate through the following processes: internal combustion.
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First, we mix fuel and air because fuel requires oxygen from the air to burn.
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Next, the fuel-air mixture is compressed to make the mixture hot enough to combust.
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The engine then releases heat by burning the mixture of fuel and air. This creates high pressures that move the internal parts that make the car move.
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Finally, cars release used combustion gases into the atmosphere through their exhaust pipes. these gases Contains contaminantsIncludes carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, unburned fuel, etc. harmful to human healthThere is also carbon dioxide, which warms the Earth’s atmosphere.
How a gas-powered internal combustion engine converts the chemical energy of gasoline into kinetic energy that moves the car.
Different engines for different tasks
Both gasoline and diesel fuel are made from crude oil. fossil-based energy sources. However, different types of engines have different chemical properties required.
Gas engines have a small device called ‘A’. flame plug Ignites the compressed fuel-air mixture. It uses hundreds of thousands of volts to create an electric arc that can cause burns, much like striking flint against another stone.
Diesel fuel is harder to ignite and burns slower than gasoline. However, if sufficiently compressed, it ignites without a flame. And because this higher compression ratio increases efficiency, vehicles powered by diesel engines Get more miles per gallon. This is important to transport goods and people as economically as possible. This is one of the reasons why most buses, trains and heavy trucks run on diesel.
Diesel engines tend to be more expensive than gas engines because they require sturdier parts to withstand the higher temperatures and pressures they generate. But they too last longer More than gasoline engines, this benefits vehicles such as long-haul trucks that may travel hundreds of thousands of miles between engine overhauls.
So why do passenger cars use gasoline? One reason is that diesel engines’ higher compression ratios and temperatures make them noisier. This is especially true at high frequencies, which humans find irritating. Diesel engines also have higher levels of fine dust pollutionKnown as PM 2.5 Associated with many human health risks.
This trade-off leads consumers to generally prefer cheaper, quieter gasoline engines in cars they drive for work and pleasure. Efficient and long-lasting diesel engines are more attractive to companies that transport goods and transport large numbers of people.
Beyond the internal combustion engine
In the future, we may not use gasoline or diesel fuel in transportation at all. Some cars and light trucks (models known as hybrids) already run on gas or diesel with batteries and electric motors, or run entirely on electricity. And cities across America Invest in electric school busesThey are less polluting and less expensive to maintain than diesel buses.
Hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles promise to: much lower emissions Especially when charging with electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power, toxic gases and carbon dioxide are generated. these vehicles it will be quieter than gasoline and diesel models Maintenance costs are low Because there are fewer moving parts. Gasoline and diesel vehicles will continue to be used in the future, but they no longer represent the forefront of transportation innovation.
Michael Leamy is Woodruff Endowed Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. This article is republished from: conversation below Creative Commons License. read original article.
