Katerina Swanson
Diesel fuels are classified into 1D, 2D, and 4D variants, with 4D being used in low-speed engines and 2D in warmer weather. Specific gravity is the ratio of an object's density to water's density at sea level. It is used to determine whether a substance will float in water, with substances of lower specific gravity floating. For fuels, specific gravity is calculated by dividing the fuel's density in pounds per gallon by water's density of 8.325 pounds per gallon. The specific gravity of pump gas typically ranges from 0.720 to 0.770, with lower specific gravity fuels burning faster and higher specific gravity fuels burning slower. So, what is the specific gravity of 2-diesel fuel?
Characteristics and Values of Diesel Fuel 2D
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Specific Gravity | 0.720-0.770 |
| Usage | Warmer weather |
| Mixture | Sometimes mixed with 1D fuel for winter use |
| Viscosity | Higher than 1D |
| Boiling Point | Higher than 1D |
| Engine Use | Faster burning fuel, requiring less spark advance |
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What You'll Learn
Calculating specific gravity
Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of any substance to the density of another substance taken as a standard. For liquids and solids, the standard substance is water, while for gases, it is hydrogen or air. This value is calculated by taking the density of the substance in pounds per gallon and dividing it by the density of water, which is 8.325 pounds per gallon.
For example, let's consider the case of diesel fuel. Diesel fuels in the USA are classified into three types: 1D, 2D, and 4D, each with different viscosity and boiling point ranges. Suppose we have a sample of 2D diesel fuel with a density of 7.5 pounds per gallon. To calculate its specific gravity, we divide its density by that of water:
5 pounds per gallon / 8.325 pounds per gallon = 0.901.
So, the specific gravity of this particular 2D diesel fuel is approximately 0.901. This value indicates that the fuel is "'heavier'" than water, as any value greater than 1.0 is considered denser than water.
Specific gravity is an important parameter in the petroleum industry, especially when dealing with fuels. It helps determine fuel metering, particularly for carbureted engines. Additionally, it can provide insights into the composition of the fuel. In the context of race fuels, a lower specific gravity often indicates a faster-burning fuel, while a higher specific gravity suggests a slower-burning fuel. This information is crucial for engine tuning and maintaining consistent performance.
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Diesel fuel classes
Diesel fuel, also known historically as diesel oil or heavy oil, is a liquid fuel designed for diesel engines, which are a type of internal combustion engine. Diesel engines do not require spark ignition due to the compression of inlet air and subsequent fuel injection. The most common type of diesel is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil, but non-petroleum-derived alternatives such as biodiesel, biomass-to-liquid (BTL), and gas-to-liquid (GTL) diesel are becoming more popular.
Diesel fuel has various colloquial names and variations depending on the region. In the United Kingdom, diesel fuel for road use is often called "white diesel" or "DERV" (an acronym for diesel-engine road vehicle). In Australia, it is known as "distillate," while in Indonesia, Israel, and most Middle Eastern countries, it is called "Solar," which is a trademarked name from the national petroleum company Pertamina. The French term for diesel fuel is "gazole."
One notable type of diesel fuel is ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD), which has significantly reduced sulfur content. As of 2016, almost all petroleum-based diesel fuel available in the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, and North America is of the ULSD type. Before standardization, diesel engines typically ran on inexpensive fuel oils, which are still used in watercraft diesel engines today.
Diesel fuel can be classified as a Class II liquid according to the National Fire Coding Classification. Class II liquids are combustible and have a temperature flashpoint between 100°F (37.8°C) and 140°F (60°C). Other examples of Class II liquids include camphor oil, pine tar, methanol, and various solvents.
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Impact on fuel metering
The specific gravity of diesel fuel has a significant impact on fuel metering, particularly for carbureted engines. Fuel with a higher specific gravity is denser, causing the float in a carb's float bowl to sit higher, resulting in a lower fuel level. This lower fuel level has several effects on fuel metering.
Firstly, the density of the fuel influences the fuel level in the float bowls. When using a heavier fuel with a higher specific gravity, the float sits higher, leading to a lower fuel level. This change in fuel level can impact the metering of the fuel and requires adjustments to maintain consistent engine performance.
Secondly, specific gravity is an indication of the fuel's composition, especially for race fuels. A lower specific gravity typically suggests a faster-burning fuel, while a higher specific gravity indicates a slower-burning fuel. This characteristic is essential for proper fuel metering, as it determines how quickly the fuel will be consumed and affects the engine's performance.
Additionally, when switching to a diesel fuel with a different specific gravity, it is crucial to consider the implications for ignition timing. While the changes may be minor, they are significant for the proper tuning and consistent performance of the engine. Failure to make the necessary adjustments can lead to engine failure or suboptimal performance.
For engines that use pump gas, the specific gravity can vary significantly, typically ranging from 0.720 to 0.770. This variation is due to differences in octane ratings, regional considerations, and seasonal changes. As a result, engines that operate on pump gas must be tuned conservatively to prevent engine failure when encountering batches of pump gas with different specific gravities.
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Burning speed
The burning speed of diesel fuel, or flame propagation speed, is the measured rate of expansion of the flame front in a combustion reaction. In general, the flame propagation speed of diesel fuel ranges from 20 m/sec to 80 m/sec.
The burning velocity of diesel fuel depends on various factors, primarily the mixture conditions such as the equivalence ratio, temperature, and pressure, as well as the fuel type. Diesel fuel is a multi-component fuel in the liquid phase, which presents challenges in determining its burning velocity. Its high evaporation temperature makes it difficult to achieve a premixed mixture of diesel vapour with air. Therefore, diesel fuel is typically preheated before mixing with air to ensure that the mixture temperature exceeds the boiling point and prevent re-condensation.
The combustion process in a diesel engine (CI) is predominantly an unsteady turbulent diffusion flame, with the fuel initially in the liquid phase. In contrast, a conventional spark-ignition (SI) flame is a premixed unsteady turbulent flame, and the fuel-air mixture is in the gaseous state. The concept of flame propagation speed is more crucial in SI engines than CI engines because it influences the behaviour of detonation, while ignition delay is a significant phenomenon in CI engines.
Diesel engines have a unique combustion process compared to gasoline engines. In a diesel engine, only air is initially introduced into the combustion chamber and compressed with a high compression ratio, typically between 15:1 and 23:1. This compression increases the air temperature inside the cylinder, causing atomised diesel fuel injected into the combustion chamber to ignite. The fuel injector ensures that the fuel breaks down into small droplets and distributes evenly. The heat of the compressed air vaporises the fuel from the surface of the droplets, initiating combustion.
Additionally, diesel engines have turbochargers that enhance their performance, especially at high altitudes. By pumping more air into the combustion chambers, turbochargers enable diesel engines to maintain optimal fuel-to-air ratios and perform efficiently in thin air conditions. This feature contributes to the overall burning speed characteristics of diesel fuel in engines.
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Fuel floatation
Diesel fuel tanks are designed to be strong and durable, but they can still encounter buoyancy challenges. To address this, fuel tanks and drums are often treated with fluorine to improve their barrier properties and reduce permeability. However, fluorine treatment does not address porosity issues, which can be a problem with rotational moulding.
One solution to improve the buoyancy of diesel fuel tanks is to use a low-density foam that can be machined or extruded into the desired shape. This foam should have good barrier properties and be compatible with diesel fuel without absorbing it. This will help to maximise the buoyancy force per unit volume.
Another approach is to use a hollow glass bead-filled nylon 6 application, although the specific fuel type for this method is unclear. Alternatively, polypropylene (PP) is also suggested as a suitable material for diesel fuel tanks due to its favourable properties.
The key to achieving effective buoyancy in diesel fuel tanks is to select materials with low specific gravity that are compatible with diesel fuel and can withstand the fuel's permeation. By treating these materials with fluorine or using resins with good barrier properties, the buoyancy performance of diesel fuel tanks can be significantly improved.
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