Difference between Diesel and Gasoline Engines

What is the difference between Diesel and Gasoline Engines? Why is a diesel engine more efficient than
a gasoline engine?

The compression ratio of an engine refers to the extent to which gasses can be compressed in the engine
cylinder. A high engine compression ratio is desirable as it creates greater heat from compression and
also mixes and evaporates air and fuel molecules better by forcing them into a tighter space. An engine
with a high compression ratio allows for more power when fuel combustion occurs and can generate
more force from that power.

In a diesel engine only air is compressed after which fuel is injected. This allows diesel engines to reach
very high compression ratios of between 14:1 and 23:1.

In a gasoline engine, both air and fuel are sucked into the engine at the same time and this limits
compression in the engine cylinder. Gasoline also has a lower combustion temperature. Compression
ratios in cars usually range between 7:1 to 10:1. High compression ratios can make gasoline engines
knock or detonate if lower octane rated fuel is used. This can reduce efficiency or cause engine damage.

Efficiency of an engine is also determined by how engine speed is controlled. Speed is directly related to
how much fuel is burned. In gasoline engines, the amount of air entering the engine is controlled by the
butterfly valve in the carburetor. In the carburetor, the amount of fuel that can be mixed with air is
determined by the rate of air flow. Reducing air entering the engine also reduces the amount of fuel
entering the engine. Increasing fuel intake will not help as engine speed will not increase beyond the
point where the fuel burns all of the available oxygen.

In diesel engines on the other hand there is no restriction on the amount of air entering the engine.
Therefore there is always enough oxygen available to be burned. Engine speed therefore is restricted
only by the amount of fuel injected into the engine cylinder. As more fuel is added, the engine will try to
attain a greater speed to keep up with the higher fuel injection rate. In fact diesel engines need a
governor that controls the amount of fuel injected in order to limit speed.

Gasoline engines need spark plugs to ignite the petroleum which is not required in diesel engines as the
high compression ratio allows air to be heated to very high temperatures.

The composition of diesel and gasoline fuel also make a difference in the efficiency of these engines.
Diesel is heavier than gasoline. Since the chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms that make up these fuels
are longer and heavier in diesel, it has 17% more of these atoms in comparison to gasoline thereby
allowing diesel engines to be more fuel efficient.

It should be noted that diesel engines are heavier and take longer to accelerate than gasoline engines. A
diesel engine takes longer to be warmed up and can be difficult to start during winter. As a solution,
many diesel engines come with glow plugs that help to heat up the engine in conjunction with an engine
heating system.

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Key difference: A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition. As its name suggests
it runs on petrol, also known as gasoline. Hence, a petrol engine is also known as a gasoline engine,
especially in North America. A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on diesel. It is
also known as a compression-ignition engine. In a diesel engine, only the air is compressed and the fuel
is injected into very hot air at the end of the compression stroke. The engine uses the heat of
compression to initiate the ignition. Hence, a diesel engine is self-igniting.

Petrol EngineAutomobile, autocar, motor car or car is essentially a vehicle that runs on an engine or a
motor. While there are many types of engines in the market, there are two most commonly used
engines. These are the petrol engine and the diesel engine. Other types of engines may be electrical
engine, or even a hybrid engine.

A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition. As its name suggests it runs on
petrol, also known as gasoline. Hence, a petrol engine is also known as a gasoline engine, especially in
North America. The petrol engine was first invented in 1876 in Europe. After which many different
models improving on it were released.

In most petrol engines, the fuel and air are usually pre-mixed before compression. However, some
modern petrol engines now use cylinder-direct petrol injection. The pre-mixing is done by an
electronically controlled fuel injection, except in small engines. The spark plug is then used to initiate the
combustion process.

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on diesel. It is also known as a compression-
ignition engine. In a diesel engine, only the air is compressed and the fuel is injected into very hot air at
the end of the compression stroke. The engine uses the heat of compression to initiate the ignition.
Hence, a diesel engine is self-igniting. The ignition process involves burning the fuel that has been
injected into the combustion chamber. The diesel engine was first developed by German inventor Rudolf
Diesel in 1893. However, the diesel engine was not used in an automobile before the 1930s. Still, diesel
cars did not get popular until the 1970s.

Diesel EngineAs compared to other combustion engines, internal or external, the diesel engine has the
highest thermal efficiency. This is mainly due to the engine’s very high compression ratio. There are two
main types of diesel engines: two-stroke and four-stroke engines. A two-stroke, two-cycle, or two-cycle
engine is a type of internal combustion engine which completes a power cycle in only one crankshaft
revolution and with two strokes, i.e. up and down movements of the piston. Comparatively, a four-stroke
engine or a four-cycle engine is an internal combustion engine which completes a power cycle in four
separate strokes during two separate revolutions of the engine's crankshaft, and one single
thermodynamic cycle. The four strokes include intake, compression, power, and exhaust.

The main difference between a petrol engine and a diesel engine is the fact that a petrol engine uses
spark plugs to initiate the combustion process, while a diesel engine uses the heat of compression to
self-ignite. Furthermore, petrol engines tend to run faster than diesel, mainly due to the lighter pistons,
connecting rods and crankshaft. Another reason is that petrol burns faster than diesel, hence energy is
released faster. Also, a petrol engine tends to have lower efficiency than a diesel engine due to its lower
compression ratios.

Diesel engines tend to have various advantages over other internal combustion engines, including:

They burn less fuel than a petrol engine to do the same amount of work.

They can convert over 45% of the fuel energy into mechanical energy, while petrol engines can only
convert 30%. This results in a better mileage.

They have high reliability and easy adaptation to damp environments due to the absence of a high
voltage electrical ignition system.

They do not have coils, spark plug wires, etc. The radio frequency emissions from these can interfere
with navigation and communication equipment.
The life of a diesel engine is generally about twice as long as that of a petrol engine.

The parts used to create a diesel engine have increased strength.

Diesel fuel has better lubrication properties than petrol.

Diesel fuel is considered safer than petrol in many applications.

Diesel fuel is less flammable than petrol and has reduced risk of exploding.

Diesel engines are immune to vapor lock, as diesel fuel does not release a large amount of flammable
vapor.

Diesel engines generate less waste heat in cooling and exhaust.

Diesel engines can accept super- or turbo-charging pressure without any natural limit. Petrol engines
inevitably suffer detonation at higher pressure.

Diesel engines’ exhaust contains minimal carbon monoxide.

Many diesel engines can easily run on biodiesel.

However, due to the above mentioned reasons, diesel cars tend to cost more than petrol cars. Still, due
to the better mileage, the cost may effectively be comparable over time. However, this will not be the
case for people who do not drive their cars as much and over great distances. Also, while comparing
cost, one must also keep in mind that over time the cost of the car will depreciate, i.e. go down.

Furthermore, diesel cars are also better for the environment, as they generate fewer emissions than
petrol cars. Due to this, as of 2007, about 50% of all new car sales in Europe are diesel.

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GASOLINE ENGINE

A petrol engine (known as a gasoline engine in North America) is an internal combustion engine with
spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol (gasoline) and similar volatile fuels. It was invented in 1876 in
Germany by German inventor Nicolaus August Otto. In most petrol engines, the fuel and air are usually
pre-mixed before compression (although some modern petrol engines now use cylinder-direct petrol
injection). The pre-mixing was formerly done in a carburetor, but now it is done by electronically
controlled fuel injection, except in small engines where the cost/complication of electronics does not
justify the added engine efficiency. The process differs from a diesel engine in the method of mixing the
fuel and air, and in using spark plugs to initiate the combustion process. In a diesel engine, only air is
compressed (and therefore heated), and the fuel is injected into very hot air at the end of the
compression stroke, and self-ignites.

Speed and efficiency[edit]

Petrol engines run at higher speeds than diesels, partially due to their lighter pistons, connecting rods
and crankshaft (a design efficiency made possible by lower compression ratios) and due to petrol
burning more quickly than diesel. Because pistons in petrol engines tend to have much shorter strokes
than pistons in diesel engines, typically it takes less time for a piston in a petrol engine to complete its
stroke than a piston in a diesel engine. However the lower compression ratios of petrol engines give
petrol engines lower efficiency than diesel engines.

Applications[edit]

Current[edit]

Petrol engines have many applications, including:

Motor cars

Motorcycles

Aircraft

Motorboats

Small engines, such as lawn mowers, chainsaws and portable engine-generators

Historical[edit]

Before the use of diesel engines became widespread, petrol engines were used in buses, lorries (trucks)
and a few railway locomotives. Examples:

Bedford OB bus

Bedford M series lorry

GE 57-ton gas-electric boxcab locomotive

Power measurement[edit]
The most common way of engine rating is what is known as the brake power, measured at the flywheel,
and given in kilowatts (metric) or horsepower (USA). This is the actual mechanical power output of the
engine in a usable and complete form. The term "brake" comes from the use of a brake in a
dynamometer test to load the engine. For accuracy, it is important to understand what is meant by
usable and complete. For example, for a car engine, apart from friction and thermodynamic losses inside
the engine, power is absorbed by the water pump, alternator, and radiator fan, thus reducing the power
available at the flywheel to move the car along. Power is also absorbed by the power steering pump and
air conditioner (if fitted), but these are not installed for a power output test or calculation. Power output
varies slightly according to the energy value of the fuel, the ambient air temperature and humidity, and
the altitude. Therefore, there are agreed standards in the USA and Europe on the fuel to use when
testing, and engines are rated at 25 ⁰C (Europe), and 64 ⁰F (USA)[citation needed] at sea level, 50%
humidity. Marine engines, as supplied, usually have no radiator fan, and often no alternator. In such
cases the quoted power rating does not allow for losses in the radiator fan and alternator. The SAE in
USA, and the ISO in Europe publish standards on exact procedures, and how to apply corrections for
deviating conditions like high altitude.

Car testers are most familiar with the chassis dynamometer or "rolling road" installed in many
workshops. This measures drive wheel brake horsepower, which is generally 15-20% less than the brake
horsepower measured at the crankshaft or flywheel on an engine dynamometer. Youtube video showing
workshop measurement of a car's power. The measured power curve in kW is shown at 3:39.

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DIESEL ENGINE

The diesel engine (also known as a compression-ignition engine) is an internal combustion engine that
uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition and burn the fuel that has been injected into the
combustion chamber. This contrasts with spark-ignition engines such as a petrol engine (gasoline engine)
or gas engine (using a gaseous fuel as opposed to gasoline), which use a spark plug to ignite an air-fuel
mixture.

The diesel engine has the highest thermal efficiency of any standard internal or external combustion
engine due to its very high compression ratio. Low-speed diesel engines (as used in ships and other
applications where overall engine weight is relatively unimportant) can have a thermal efficiency that
exceeds 50%.[1][2]

Diesel engines are manufactured in two-stroke and four-stroke versions. They were originally used as a
more efficient replacement for stationary steam engines. Since the 1910s they have been used in
submarines and ships. Use in locomotives, trucks, heavy equipment and electric generating plants
followed later. In the 1930s, they slowly began to be used in a few automobiles. Since the 1970s, the use
of diesel engines in larger on-road and off-road vehicles in the USA increased. According to the British
Society of Motor Manufacturing and Traders, the EU average for diesel cars account for 50% of the total
sold, including 70% in France and 38% in the UK.[3]

The world's largest diesel engine is currently a Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C Common Rail marine diesel of
about 84.42 MW (113,210 hp) at 102 rpm[4] output.[5]

Operating principle[edit]

p-V Diagram for the Ideal Diesel cycle. The cycle follows the numbers 1-4 in clockwise direction. In the
diesel cycle the combustion occurs at almost constant pressure and the exhaust occurs at constant
volume. On this diagram the work that is generated for each cycle corresponds to the area within the
loop.

Diesel engine model, left side

Diesel engine model, right side

See also: Diesel cycle

The diesel internal combustion engine differs from the gasoline powered Otto cycle by using highly
compressed hot air to ignite the fuel rather than using a spark plug (compression ignition rather than
spark ignition).

In the true diesel engine, only air is initially introduced into the combustion chamber. The air is then
compressed with a compression ratio typically between 15:1 and 22:1 resulting in 40-bar (4.0 MPa; 580
psi) pressure compared to 8 to 14 bars (0.80 to 1.40 MPa; 120 to 200 psi) in the petrol engine. This high
compression heats the air to 550 °C (1,022 °F). At about the top of the compression stroke, fuel is
injected directly into the compressed air in the combustion chamber. This may be into a (typically
toroidal) void in the top of the piston or a pre-chamber depending upon the design of the engine. The
fuel injector ensures that the fuel is broken down into small droplets, and that the fuel is distributed
evenly. The heat of the compressed air vaporizes fuel from the surface of the droplets. The vapour is
then ignited by the heat from the compressed air in the combustion chamber, the droplets continue to
vaporise from their surfaces and burn, getting smaller, until all the fuel in the droplets has been burnt.
The start of vaporisation causes a delay period during ignition and the characteristic diesel knocking
sound as the vapour reaches ignition temperature and causes an abrupt increase in pressure above the
piston. The rapid expansion of combustion gases then drives the piston downward, supplying power to
the crankshaft.[41]

As well as the high level of compression allowing combustion to take place without a separate ignition
system, a high compression ratio greatly increases the engine's efficiency. Increasing the compression
ratio in a spark-ignition engine where fuel and air are mixed before entry to the cylinder is limited by the
need to prevent damaging pre-ignition. Since only air is compressed in a diesel engine, and fuel is not
introduced into the cylinder until shortly before top dead centre (TDC), premature detonation is not an
issue and compression ratios are much higher.

Types[edit]

Size groups[edit]

Two Cycle Diesel engine with Roots blower, typical of Detroit Diesel and some Electro-Motive Diesel
Engines

There are three size groups of Diesel engines[59]

Small - Under 188 kW (252 hp) output

Medium

Large

Basic types[edit]

There are two basic types of Diesel Engines[59]

Four stroke cycle

Two stroke cycle

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The operation of the engine is divided into 4 parts, which are called strokes:

Stage Image(click to enlarge images)

1st stroke (Intake or suction):

The piston sucks in the fuel-air-mixture from the carburetor into the cylinder. engine1

2nd stroke (Compression):

The piston compresses the mixture. engine2

3rd stroke (Combustion or power):

The spark from the spark plug inflames the mixture. The following explosion presses the piston to the
bottom, the gas is operating on the piston. engine3

4th stroke (Exhaust):

The piston presses the exhaust out of the cylinder.