Diesel

Diesel, also known as petroleum diesel or petrodiesel^[1], is a fossil fuel refined from crude oil containing large hydrocarbon molecules, with a higher amount of carbon atoms than gasoline.^[2] Since diesel is also comprised of large hydrocarbons molecules it has can be boiled at temperatures ranging from 150  to 370 degrees Celsius.^[3] As a result, diesel has a heavier density (approximately 15 percent) than gasoline and does not evaporate as quickly.^[4]

There are two types of diesel commercially used today. Type B or 2 diesel is the most common type of diesel used. A lighter type known as Type A or 1 is used for special applications.^[5]

Today, diesel fuel is primarily used for powering a diesel engine in everything from buses, to boats, to trains, to trucks and cars and, more specifically, most agricultural and construction equipment. Both diesel fuel and the diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine using a compression ignition system, were named after Rudolph Diesel, the inventor of the first working diesel engine in 1892. Early diesel engines ran on coal dust and eventually on a biodiesel made of peanut oil before the petroleum industry actually began commercially manufacturing diesel fuel. In fact, the first vehicle to operate completely on commercial diesel fuel was introduced in 1930.^[6]

Similar to gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, and heating and lubricating oils, diesel is a petroleum-based product that must be processed from crude oil at a refinery. In fact, diesel is very similar to heating oil but contains less sulfur.^[7]

Diesel is processed by pumping crude oil from the ground and then going through distillation at an oil refinery. Distillation involves heating the crude oil until different hydrocarbons reach various boiling temperatures, causing them to separate. Propane and ethane, containing the lightest amount of compounds, surface first to the top of distillation tower. Next, another component called naphtha is separated and used to make gasoline. What is left is a reserve of heavier crude oil components used to produce diesel fuel.^[8]

Sometimes the distillation process is unable to produce an ample supply of gasoline or diesel fuel so heavier fractions of crude oil are broken down into small compounds through a process known as thermal or catalytic cracking, or hydrocracking.^[9] This leads to the production of higher volumes of gasoline and diesel.

One of the advantages of diesel fuel is that it is about 20 to 40 percent more fuel efficient and less flammable than gasoline and essentially packs more power per volume than other fuels. On the downside, diesel lets off very harmful emissions. However, significant strides have been made to reduce the harmful emissions diesel lets off. For example, new diesel fuels with lower sulfur contents are being produced to yield lower emissions. Ultra lower sulfur diesel (ULSD) is highly refined, cleaner, and produces a more complete combustion. It is anticipated that ULSD diesel fuel will eventually replace regular diesel.^[10] In fact, the classification of diesel according to sulfur content is a recent development with diesel fuel being categorized as having an ultra low, low, or regular sulfur content.^[11]

[edit] References

1. ↑ Glossary. More Per Gallon. 2008-09-29.
2. ↑ Independent. Petro Canada. 2008-09-29.
3. ↑ Independent. Petro. 2008-09-29.
4. ↑ Glossary. More Per Gallon. 2008-09-28.
5. ↑ Independent. Petro. 2008-09-29.
6. ↑ Diesel. EIA. 2008-09-20.
7. ↑ Diesel. EIA. 2008-09-29.
8. ↑ Independent. Petro. 2008-09-29.
9. ↑ Independent. Petro. 2008-09-29.
10. ↑ Diesel. EIA. 2008-09-29.
11. ↑ Independent. Petro. 2008-09-29.