Ameer Randolph
Diesel fuel is a distillate fuel oil commonly used in motor vehicles with compression ignition engines. It is derived from the fractional distillation of crude oil and is the most common type of diesel fuel. Diesel fuel has a heavier molecular weight than gasoline and is similar or lighter than kerosene or No. 1 fuel oil. In the United States, diesel fuel is primarily refined from crude oil, while in Europe, coal-tar creosote oil was historically used. The term distillate has been used to describe various fuel types, including diesel and fuel oil, with specific grades indicating their intended use. For example, No. 1 Diesel Fuel is a light distillate fuel oil used in high-speed diesel engines, while No. 2 Distillate can be used as either a diesel fuel or fuel oil.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common Names | Diesel, diesel oil, heavy oil, petrodiesel, DERV, gas oil, distillate, tractor fuel |
| Origin | Diesel fuel originated from experiments conducted by German scientist and inventor Rudolf Diesel for his compression-ignition engine in the 1890s. |
| Composition | A mixture of hydrocarbons obtained by distillation of crude oil. |
| Cetane Number | The cetane rating is a measure of the ignition quality of a fuel. The higher the cetane rating, the shorter the lag time between the fuel entering the combustion chamber and the time it begins to burn. |
| Cetane Number Range | Typical cetane ratings for No. 2 diesel: 46–48. No. 1 diesel: 51–53. |
| Heat Value | The heat value of No. 2 diesel fuel is 139,500 BTUs per gallon. The heat value of No. 1 diesel fuel is 125,500 BTUs per gallon. |
| Viscosity | Viscosity is a measure of resistance to flow. Fuel viscosity is an important factor in the operation of modern High-Pressure Common-Rail (HPCR) fuel system-equipped engines. |
| Sulphur Content | Ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) is a type of diesel fuel with substantially lowered sulfur content. |
| Usage | Diesel fuel is commonly used in trucks, buses, locomotives, heavy equipment, and oil and gas extracting equipment. |
| Standardization | Diesel fuel is standardized in many countries, e.g., EN 590 standard in the European Union. |
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What You'll Learn
- Diesel fuel is refined from crude oil and biomass materials
- Distillate fuel is a type of fuel used for internal-combustion vehicles
- Diesel engines typically ran on cheap fuel oils before standardisation
- Diesel fuel is used in diesel-engine generators to generate electricity
- Diesel fuel is the most common type of distillate fuel
Diesel fuel is refined from crude oil and biomass materials
Diesel fuel is a distillate fuel oil designed for use in diesel engines, which are internal combustion engines. Diesel engines are used in most freight and delivery trucks, trains, buses, boats, farm, construction, and military vehicles, and some cars and light trucks. Diesel fuel is also used in diesel-engine generators to generate electricity in remote locations, and as backup or emergency power supplies in many large buildings, hospitals, and electric utilities.
Diesel fuel is commonly produced by refining crude oil. The physical characteristics of crude oil determine how refineries process it. Crude oils are classified by density (API gravity) and sulfur content. Less dense (lighter) crude oils (with higher API gravity) generally contain more light hydrocarbons. Refineries can produce high-value products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel from light crude oil with simple distillation. In the United States, petroleum refineries produce an average of 11 to 12 gallons of diesel fuel from each 42-gallon (U.S.) barrel of crude oil.
Diesel fuel can also be refined from biomass materials. One method of doing so is gasification, where biomass is thermally converted to syngas and then catalytically converted to hydrocarbon fuels. Pyrolysis is another method, which involves the chemical decomposition of organic materials at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen. The process produces a liquid pyrolysis oil that can be upgraded to hydrocarbon fuels, either in a standalone process or as a feedstock for co-feeding with crude oil into a standard petroleum refinery. Hydrothermal processing is a third method, which uses high pressure and moderate temperature to initiate chemical decomposition of biomass or wet waste materials to produce an oil that may be catalytically upgraded to hydrocarbon fuels.
In addition to crude oil and biomass, refineries and blending facilities add other oils and liquids during the processing of diesel fuel. Before diesel fuel was standardized, diesel engines typically ran on cheap fuel oils. In the United States, these were distilled from petroleum, whereas in Europe, coal-tar creosote oil was used. Some diesel engines were fuelled with mixtures of fuels, such as petrol, kerosene, rapeseed oil, or lubricating oil.
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Distillate fuel is a type of fuel used for internal-combustion vehicles
In the context of diesel engines, distillate fuel specifically refers to the lighter fractions of diesel and fuel oil. This can include No. 1 distillate, which is a light distillate fuel oil used in high-speed diesel engines, and No. 2 distillate, which can be used as either a diesel fuel or a fuel oil. No. 1 diesel fuel, for instance, has a distillation temperature of 550 degrees Fahrenheit at the 90% point and is commonly used in city buses and similar vehicles.
Historically, the term "distillate" had a broader meaning. In the early and mid-20th century, distillate fuel, also known as tractor fuel, was commonly used to power North American agricultural tractors. These tractors could also run on kerosene, gasoline, or a variety of light fuel oils, depending on availability and cost. With the increasing popularity of diesel-fuelled tractors after World War II, the term "distillate" evolved to refer specifically to the lighter fractions of diesel and fuel oil.
Today, diesel fuel is a common term for the distillate fuel oil used in motor vehicles with compression ignition engines. These engines, invented by German engineer Rudolf Diesel and patented in 1892, are designed to use fuel ignition without a spark, relying instead on the compression of inlet air and the injection of fuel. Diesel fuel is now standardised in many countries and is typically refined from crude oil, although alternative sources such as biomass are also used.
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Diesel engines typically ran on cheap fuel oils before standardisation
Diesel fuel, also known as diesel oil, heavy oil, or simply diesel, is any liquid fuel designed for use in a diesel engine. Diesel engines are internal combustion engines that use mechanical compression to ignite the fuel without a spark. Rudolf Diesel, the German engineer after whom diesel engines are named, first experimented with illuminating gas as fuel in the late 1890s. However, due to the unavailability of fine, high-quality coal dust, the diesel engine was never intended to be a coal-dust engine. It wasn't until December 1899 that Diesel tested a coal-dust prototype, which proved functional but suffered from piston ring failure due to coal dust deposition.
Before diesel fuel was standardised, diesel engines typically ran on cheap fuel oils. In the United States, these oils were distilled from petroleum, while coal-tar creosote oil was used in Europe. During the 1920s and 1930s, several series-production aircraft diesel engines that ran on fuel oils were manufactured because of their low fuel consumption, reliability, fire resistance, and minimal maintenance requirements. Additionally, tractors and heavy equipment from the 1920s to the 1940s were often multifuel, capable of running on spark-ignition and low-compression engines, akroyd engines, or diesel engines. As a result, farm tractors during this period could burn various fuels, including gasoline, alcohol, kerosene, or any light grade of fuel oil, depending on the most affordable option in their region.
The term "distillate" was often used in the US farming industry to refer to light fuel oils such as gasoline, kerosene, or tractor vaporising oil. Distillate fuel, also known as tractor fuel, was a petroleum product commonly used in North American agricultural tractors during the early to mid-20th century. It was chemically similar to kerosene but impure and crudely refined. While distillate-powered tractors were introduced in 1925, they were eventually phased out as diesel-fuelled tractors gained popularity.
The introduction of motor-vehicle diesel engines in the 1930s, such as the Mercedes-Benz OM 138, highlighted the need for higher-quality fuels with proper ignition characteristics. However, it wasn't until after World War II that the first modern high-quality diesel fuels were standardised. These standards included specifications such as DIN 51601, VTL 9140-001, and NATO F 54. Today, diesel fuel is standardised in many countries, with specifications like EN 590 in the European Union.
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Diesel fuel is used in diesel-engine generators to generate electricity
Diesel fuel, also known as diesel oil, heavy oil, or simply diesel, is a liquid fuel designed for use in diesel engines. Diesel engines are a type of internal combustion engine that uses compression to ignite the fuel without a spark. Diesel fuel is produced through the fractional distillation of crude oil, resulting in a mixture of carbon chains containing 9 to 25 carbon atoms per molecule. This process creates different grades of diesel fuel, such as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 diesel fuel, which are used in various applications.
Diesel fuel is commonly used in diesel-engine generators to generate electricity. These generators, also known as diesel gensets, combine a diesel engine with an electric generator to produce electrical energy. They are particularly useful in places without access to a power grid or as emergency backup power sources during power failures. Diesel generators are widely used in residential, commercial, and industrial settings, with power output ranging from 8 to 30 kW for homes and small businesses, and up to 2,000 kW for larger industrial applications.
The size of the diesel generator and its fuel tank capacity play a crucial role in determining its functionality and runtime. The voltage regulator is an essential component of a diesel generator, ensuring consistent voltage output and preventing fluctuations. Diesel generators are known for their rapid response times, making them suitable for peak-lopping and supporting main power grids during high-demand periods. They are also used in ships for auxiliary power and propulsion, as well as in rural areas as a primary or backup power source.
Diesel fuel used in generators can include not only diesel but also biodiesel and other derivatives of crude oil, such as natural gas, alcohols, gasoline, and wood gas. The use of diesel generators has environmental implications due to the release of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and particulate matter into the atmosphere, negatively impacting air quality. However, diesel engines have higher thermal efficiency compared to other internal combustion engines, and diesel generators are favoured for their reliability, simplicity, and the widespread availability of diesel fuel.
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Diesel fuel is the most common type of distillate fuel
Diesel fuel is a distillate fuel oil sold for use in motor vehicles that use compression ignition engines. It is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil, although alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as biodiesel, biomass-to-liquid (BTL), or gas-to-liquid (GTL) diesel, are also being developed and adopted. In the United States, diesel fuel is typically refined from crude oil at petroleum refineries, producing an average of 11 to 12 gallons of diesel fuel from each 42-gallon barrel of crude oil.
Distillate fuel is a general classification for one of the petroleum fractions produced in conventional distillation operations. It is usually distilled from crude petroleum and includes diesel fuels and fuel oils. Distillate fuel was commonly used to power North American agricultural tractors from the early to mid-20th century. Distillate fuel was also used in machines with specific provisions for distillate, as well as all-fuel tractors that could handle kerosene, gasoline, or distillate.
The term "distillate" has had varied usage and formulation over time. In the United States, the term "distillate" referred to light fuel oils, while in Australia, diesel fuel is known as distillate. The number designations of distillate fuels, such as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4, refer to the lighter fractions of diesel and fuel oil, with different characteristics between the two. For example, No. 1 distillate is a light distillate fuel oil used in high-speed diesel engines, while No. 2 distillate can be used as either a diesel fuel or a fuel oil.
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Frequently asked questions
Diesel fuel is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, which is a type of internal combustion engine. It is commonly used in oil and gas extraction equipment, trains, buses, boats, and farm, construction, and military vehicles.
Distillate fuel, also called tractor fuel, is a petroleum product that was used to power North American agricultural tractors in the early and mid-20th century. It is heavier than gasoline but lighter than kerosene or No. 1 fuel oil.
Yes, diesel is a distillate fuel. The most common type of diesel fuel is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil.
Other types of distillate fuel include No. 1 distillate, No. 2 distillate, and No. 3 distillate. No. 1 distillate is a light distillate fuel oil used in high-speed diesel engines, while No. 2 distillate can be used as either a diesel fuel or fuel oil. No. 3 distillate is a distillate oil used for burners requiring low-viscosity fuel.
Diesel fuel is also known as distillate (in Australia), gas oil (in French), and Solar (in Indonesia, Israel, and the Middle East). In the United Kingdom, diesel fuel for road use is commonly called diesel or white diesel, while an agricultural-only product is known as red diesel.
