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Like every other machines, vehicles need fuel to move. In this case, the type of fuel is very important as regards to the type of engine. Heavier vehicles tend to use diesel engines as opposed to lighter vehicles that use petrol or gasoline engines. But why is this? This is because it goes all the way to the core function of vehicle itself which is centred on what is called Torque force rather than speed. Looking closely at how diesel and petrol engines work should makes us appreciate the usefulness of the application of this fuel systems and how they are used to perform tasks.
As mentioned above, the usefulness of diesel engine is centred around the Torque. You can consider Torque as the amount of force generated by the rotation of the crankshaft. In this case the speed at which the crankshaft rotates while producing that force is not relevant in this scenario.
The ability of a diesel engine to generate Torque and horsepower at low rpm ( Revolutions Per Minute ) is essential for towing heavy loads. Whether the truck is travelling for hours in the mountains or on level highways, it needs engines and fuels that provide a lot of Torque.
How Diesel And Petrol Engines Work
Petrol engines, often known as gasoline engines, are spark-ignited combustion engines. That is, the fuel inside the engine cylinders is ignited by a spark from a spark plug. Diesel engines, on the other hand, ignite diesel fuel by compressing it until it self-ignites. When compressed, all fossil fuels auto ignite at some point. At this time of auto-ignition, a fuel power can be determined. More specifically, the amount of pressure a fuel can withstand influences whether or not it is suitable for use in a compression engine.
Compression Ratios Of Petrol And Diesel Engines And Why Diesels Are Used In Large Vehicles Rather Than Petrol
Compression resistance is high in diesel, but not in petrol. The difference between the space inside a cylinder when the piston is at bottom-dead-center and top-dead-center is the compression ratio. When a cylinder is filled with vaporized petrol, the piston sits at bottom-dead-center. The piston rises once the cylinder is filled. The petrol ignites in the top-dead-center position. A spark-fired petrol engine has a compression ratio of 8:1 to 12:1.
Torque is the reason why huge vehicles use diesel engines instead of petrol engines. The compression resistance of diesel is higher than that of petrol. Diesel engines can be compression-fired because diesel fuel has a higher compressive resistance than gasoline. Petrol engines are unable to do so.
Diesel engines have a higher thermal efficiency than petrol engines because they can be compression-fired. Because they have larger compression ratios, they have greater thermal efficiency. The compression ratio determines how much energy is released. The higher the compression ratio, the more energy is released. The Torque increases as more energy is discharged.
