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Skinny on diesel?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Bob Allen, May 23, 2006.

  1. Bob Allen

    Bob Allen Captainbaba

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    Hi: There's a post in the Prius and Hybrid Forum about mileage tests done in Germany comparing the Prius to various other cars, including TDI's, at high speeds. Among the myriad comments, mostly from Prius owners who felt the numbers were skewed in the wrong direction, were contradictory statements about diesel fuel.
    I think everyone agrees that diesel engines go further more efficiently on a given amount of diesel vs. how far a gasoline engine goes with the same quantity.

    My question, though, concerns the production of the diesel. One poster claimed that diesel costs more (in energy, I assume) to make than gasoline which should be factored into one's assesment of the two fuels. Another poster claimed that diesel is actually easier to make as it is not as highly refined and distills out sooner in the refining process. So, which is it? I've always thought that diesel took less refining than gasoline, and, with its higher energy content, beat gasoline hands down for efficiency. The reason we don't use it more here is not because it's not efficient but because it's harder to clean up. Right?
     
    #1 Bob Allen, May 23, 2006
  2. Blegate

    Blegate Prius Gen III 2013

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob Allen @ May 23 2006, 03:22 PM) [snapback]259900[/snapback]</div>
    I've heard that diesel is a by product of refining gas...???? or perhaps it's like you mentioned it takes less refining than gas. With regards to using the fuel, I don't have a clue. Apparently 50-60% of the autos in Europe are diesel. Perhaps Americans are worried thier cars will stink like BlueBird school buses????
    I work with a guy who has a Diesel bug and he seems to love the mileage it gets. What's funny is that this guy is fairly shy but every time he gets around me he starts bragging about his fuel mileage. Yesterday he told me his bug gets 700 miles to a tank- yeah right. So do they call this "prius envy" syndrome?

    b
     
    #2 Blegate, May 23, 2006
  3. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Diesel fuel is about the same as heating oil. It is less refined than gasoline, so easier and cheaper to produce. A diesel engine can run on just about anything that will burn, as long as you can find a way to squirt it into the cylinder. Early on, there was an attempt to run diesel engines with coal dust. It would work, but it's not easy to pump dust.

    Crude oil contains a very small percentage of gasoline. Demand for gasoline being high, chemists have developed a cracking process to produce more gasoline than occurs naturally. Other parts of the crude oil are cracked apart to produce petroleum fragments. These fragments are recombined to make gasoline. The process takes energy, but the demand for gasoline makes it worth while.

    Normal diesel fuel has more energy per unit than gasoline, so that helps with mileage. Also, diesel engines run without a throttle plate, so the pumping losses are less.

    Tom
     
    #3 qbee42, May 23, 2006
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