| My friend Manuel has more to share with you about DIESEL ENGINES. Here is the email that he sent me. There are some engines that can run on a variety of fuels. However the great majority of internal combustion engines available to us break down into two categories. Otto Cycle . They will typically run on gasoline and gasoline blends like your E85, Ethanol and oh yes another alcohol Methanol ( Indy race Cars) More on the Methanol alcohol later.. Diesel Cycle Can run on straight oil from an oil well, refined diesel, Veggie oil, Bio diesel etc… This cycle is about 15 to 30% more efficient than Otto’s Otto Cycle The amount of energy produced by an Otto Cycle engine is a function of the calorific value of the fuel been used Gasoline has a higher calorific value than Ethanol or E85% but lower than methanol So it translates that the mileage of a vehicle running on straight gasoline is higher that one on E85. by about 10 to 15% Just go to a new car dealership and look at the mileage ratings by the EPA I am sorry but your example is incorrect A large SUV delivering 10mpg using gasoline will probably give you 8.5mpg using E85 And changing to a Diesel motor same weight and displacement will give you about with less acceleration will give you 13 to 15 MPG Diesel Cycle Diesel Engines since they run at much higher compression ratios more internal stresses are built to last. For a variety of reasons the USA decided long time ago to stick its head in the sand and not promote diesel vehicles except for trucks. We now are operating well within the application of the law of diminishing returns and find ourselves following mandates that put is between the rock and the hard stone. We want Big we want it Fast we want Clean we do not want to Drill anywhere for Oil or refine anywhere and by the way long live WTO and Free trade so we can buy cheap trinkets. Why is Diesel Fuel more expensive than gasoline when in fact it is the first distillate to be produced when cracking oil? Only in the US is Diesel more expensive than Gasoline. For years Europe has been producing diesel cars that are acceptably clean for all of the EU but we the exception of a few cars a year sold by VW and Mercedes diesel have been out of favor. Now we have a new push to do so but again in typical bureaucratic fashion we need to retrofit ALL the gas Station that sell diesel So a Typical Gas Station will have to have: Regular, Mid Range, Premium, E85, Old Diesel, New Diesel. The same refinery capacity now has to produce at least six different products instead of 2 or 3 and by the way let us not forget the formulation additives We put on the fuels to meet local controls they change 2 to 3 times per year. No wander we have lines and shortages. WE ARE DRAWNING IN USELESS REGULATION PROMULGATED BY LAWYERS PANDERING TO HYSTERICAL SOCCER MOM’S. THESE POLITICIANS ONLY WANT TO GET REEELECTED. AND HAVE NO CLUE OF THE SUBJECT MATTER. 1-Zero Emissions The general public is in a state of daze been duped into believing powering a car with electric is clean, zero emission’s (Whatever that means) Where is the electricity coming from? Is it Allah’s Gift? How do we produce electricity for those magnificent 0 emission cars? How do we distribute it? The general public does not want, power lines, no coal fired plants, no nuclear, no new water dams in short no new power plants? 2-The Ethanol myth. The Ethanol myth has been pushed by the ADM and all the farmer’s groups we are now taking a tack which is INSANITY!!! We have very limited production capability It takes more energy to produce it that it delivers (when producing ethanol from corn) (The only way the numbers theoretically close is if you reuse the final biomass but there is no plan in the books to do so) The main example been given Brazil is less than accurate and truthful as for years they want to sell us their ethanol Ethanol presents interesting issues in distribution, storage and use since it is a highly anhydrous substance. 3-The Hybrid Rip OFF. The way the rules are written It may have an edge in stop and go traffic here in the US. But on the highway the mileage is less for an equivalent weight and frontal cross section. (air resistance is the same for an hybrid than a straight Internal combustion engine) In an hybrid you have extra conversions from gasoline to rotational and from rational to electric from electric to Rotational again to transmit it to the pavement. How long are those batteries going to last? How much to replace them? How do the old ones are been Disposed? What about maintenability? 4-There are no free lunches We need to policies that make sense if we want to become Energy independent. http://www.oocities.org/talkinternational1/mentorsonvideo Comments by the Tutor: I hope Manuel approves of his performance. It is acceptable, very very acceptable for my students to learn the difference between a typical car engine and a diesel. If a Large SUV runs on E-85 or on biodeisel, the vehicle getting 10 miles per gallon of gasoline will get at least 50 mpg on E-85 or more if he’s using biodiesel… 50 miles per gallon of GASOLINE, which might take 7 gallons of E-85… (Ethanol 85%, 15% gasoline) |
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| Return to MENTORS on VIDEO |
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| The Pan-American Highway in Oaxaca. |
| http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:Potd/2005-12 Source of the diagram for the Otto Cycle |
| SOurce of the Diagram (DIESEL) http://rotecdesign.com/OperatingCycle/4stroke.jpg |
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| Price of Diesel in Japan |