3 Interesting Facts About Diesel
Diesel fuel is used in a lot of large vehicles like semi trucks, tractors, and dump trucks. It is also used in a lot of consumer vehicles. Not everybody knows a lot about diesel, even those people who drive diesel vehicles. But, there are some really interesting facts about diesel.
Diesel Is Less Flammable Than Gas
If there is a puddle of diesel fuel and someone, for some reason, decides to throw a match in it, all the match will do is go out, unlike gas, which will light up and start a fire. Some people may wonder if this means that diesel is inflammable, meaning it won't burn at all. However, the answer to that is both yes and no. Diesel has a high flashpoint, which is when it ignites. That technically makes it combustible. However, diesel is flammable, under the right circumstances.
Diesel Engines Need to Provide Pressure
In a gasoline engine, the spark plugs provide a little spark to ignite some gas. That small explosion starts the car and helps get the cylinders moving. Since diesel isn't nearly as flammable as gasoline, diesel engines need to work a little harder to start. When a person turns the key to start a diesel engine, it is a slightly longer process. The engine needs to start warming up and fuel starts to be injected into the cylinders at the same time. The fuel keeps being injected into the cylinders until a lot of pressure is built up. When enough heat is built up in the engine and enough pressure is built up in the cylinders, the vehicle can start. While this sounds like it can be a long process, it's generally not all that long, generally under 2 seconds. It can take a little longer when the weather is very cold.
Diesel Submarines Run Silently
Submarines break down into nuclear and diesel. Nuclear engines need to keep running when the submarine is underwater. A submarine that has a diesel engine can be very silent underwater. The reason for that is because the diesel engine charges huge batteries that actually run the submarine, not because the water may be louder than the submarine's engine. When the batteries need to be charged, then the submarine needs to go close to the surface so that it can run a snorkel up to the surface so that the engines can get the air that they need to run. Then the diesel engines are run until the batteries are recharged.
Diesel fuel is a very energy-packed fuel. It has a lot of uses. There are also a lot of interesting facts about fuel that many people don't know but are really interesting to know. Knowing these facts can help dispel some of the myths that exist around diesel.