Diesel Fuel
Petroleum fuel starts off as crude oil that's naturally found in the
Earth. When crude oil is processed at refineries,
it can be separated into several different kinds of fuels, including gasoline,
jet fuel, kerosene and, of course, diesel.
If you have ever compared diesel fuel and gasoline, you know that they are different. They
certainly smell different. Diesel fuel is heavier and oilier. It evaporates
much more slowly than gasoline -- its boiling point is actually higher than the
boiling point of water. You will often hear diesel fuel referred to as
"diesel oil" because it's so oily.
Diesel fuel evaporates more slowly because it
is heavier. It contains more carbon atoms in longer chains than
gasoline does (gasoline is typically C9H20, while diesel fuel is typically
C14H30). It takes less refining to create diesel fuel, which is why it
used to be cheaper than gasoline. Since 2004, however, demand for diesel has
risen for several reasons, including increased industrialization and
construction in China and the U.S.
Diesel fuel has a higher energy
density than gasoline. On average, 1 gallon (3.8 L) of diesel fuel
contains approximately 155x106 joules (147,000
BTU), while 1 gallon of gasoline contains 132x106 joules (125,000 BTU). This, combined with the improved
efficiency of diesel engines, explains why diesel engines get better mileage
than equivalent gasoline engines.
Diesel fuel is used to power a wide variety of
vehicles and operations. It of course fuels the diesel trucks you see lumbering
down the highway, but it also helps move boats, school buses, city buses,
trains, cranes, farming equipment and various emergency response vehicles and
power generators. Think about how important diesel is to the economy -- without
its high efficiency, both the construction industry and farming businesses
would suffer immensely from investments in fuels with low power and efficiency.
About 94 percent of freight -- whether it's shipped in trucks, trains or boats
-- relies on diesel.
A sample of diesel
fuel