Quote:
Originally Posted by eagleclaw
No offense taken but lets look at the difference between gasoline and diesel, since you mentioned it.
Gasoline is often thought of as being a single chemical, but it's actually a complex mixture of hydrocarbons that generally have 4 to 12 carbon atoms in their molecules. In the case of gasoline made from Oklahoma crude oil, "5 compounds make up 29% of the gasoline fraction, whereas 20 compounds make up 59% of the gasoline fraction" (reference 1). Diesel fuel is a light oil that is heavier than gasoline, composed of hydrocarbons generally having between 10 and 20 carbon atoms in their molecules (2). The point is, gasoline and diesel fuel aren't the same.
Gasoline is typically burned in spark-ignition internal combustion engines, in which a source of energy (a spark) is required to start the ignition process. Simply put, these engines mix gasoline vapor and air, compress the result, apply a spark to initiate combustion, and then force the byproducts of combustion out as exhaust. Gasoline is well suited to this process, although sometimes either it or engine operating conditions can cause "knock," an unwanted and destructive condition in which a portion of the fuel ignites spontaneously due to compression alone, without the aid of the spark.
And diesel
Diesel fuel is typically burned in compression-ignition internal combustion engines, which draw in air and subject it to high compression (much higher than in a gasoline engine), causing it become very hot. At peak temperature and pressure, diesel fuel is injected into the cylinder and self-ignites (autoignition). After combustion is complete, the combustion byproducts are exhausted out of the engine. Sometimes, such as on cold days, electrically heated devices called "glow plugs" are used to provide extra heat for starting, but these play no role once the engine is warmed up.
Diesel fuel is rated not by octane number but something called a cetane number. The cetane number gauges the ease with which the diesel fuel will autoignite when compressed. Higher cetane numbers indicate easier self-ignition and better engine operation, whereas a higher octane fuel would be more resistant to self-ignition under compression
|
You were the one who posted the concrete block/chickenwire experiment weren't you?
let me give you one to try:
Build a couple of small brush piles. Spray them both with water. and wait about an hour or until most of the water is gone and the pile is just good and damp.
Then douse each pile..one with gas and the other with diesel.
You'll find that the gas is easier to light,(STAND BACK) but burns away quickly and leaves the brush pile with a cold, disapointing whisps of smoke.
Now light the pile you doused with diesel. You will probably have to use some rolled up newspaper as a torch to get it to light. But once the diesel catches fire, most likely it will burn hot enough and long enough to dry the pile out so it will continue to burn.
Either way, diesel burns hotter than gasoline.
It contains more energy,but it is released more slowly.