What is the difference between diesel fuel or engines and whatever else there is?

kirkoverpicard

Diesel engines work on the premise of compressing air rapidly to create heat. There are no spark plugs in the engine, as their would be in a gasoline powered engine. The diesel fuel that is used ignites at a rate that promotes high mileage and low waste product. The cylinders in a diesel engine are designed to propmote power but not speed. Also, sometimes diesel engines employ the use of "glow plugs" to pre-heat the air in the cylinders to promote fast start-up. Apr 23 06, 10:42 AM

Baloo55th

Virtually all diesel engines now use glowplugs (not counting the giant ones used in ships - no idea there). Some older ones used a hot bulb, http://iwn.iwai.ie/v26i4/V264P12b.php3 which was preheated for about 10 minutes with a blowlamp! Others, like the old Field Marshall tractor had a facility for putting ignition papers (or even a glowing rag) into the cylinder http://www.ytmag.com/articles/artint117.htm As to the fuel, diesel is a heavier oil than petrol and it doesn't vaporise (or evaporate) easily. As a result, it is much safer to store. Yes, it will burn - it's not too far distant from home heating oil - but it won't explode like petrol can. Paraffin is now used as a fuel normally in jet engines only, but used to be used in some tractors as TVO (tractor vaporising oil). There, the engine was started with petrol and switched over to TVO when warmed up. You had to remember to switch back so as to refiill the carburettor with petrol or you had a heck of a job starting it. (A friend of mine used to run an old Humber Super Snipe on TVO with a TVO tank hidden so when the Revenuers dipped his tank, all they found was petrol. They checked his carb once - but he'd switched over and revved up before they got to it!) The reason for TVO was saving on fuel duty for agricultural vehicles. They use red diesel now - red dye added to indicate not for road use. Apr 25 06, 7:20 AM