Diesel Motors

Given the ever-rising cost of gasoline, many people have turned to alternative fuels to power their vehicles, one of which is diesel. Due to this change, more and more diesel-powered vehicles are being bought and sold every day. Diesel engines are very efficient, in fact, much more efficient than gasoline engines. They are the backbone of the transportation throughout the United States, and the world. They power everything from compact cars to locomotives to massive sea barges. Diesel power figuratively makes the world turn.In order to better understand the success of today’s diesel engine, one must first look at the origin of the diesel engine. Rudolf Diesel was born in Paris, France on March 18, 1858 to German parents. He was an extremely good student in primary school, and at the age of 12 he was admitted to the Ecole Primaire Superiore, which was then regarded as the best school in Paris. After he graduated from school, he was employed for two years as a machinist and designer in Winterthur, Switzerland. He eventually returned to Paris, where he became a connoisseur of fine arts. In 1885, he set up his first shop laboratory in Paris, so that he could begin full time work on his engine.

“Rudolf Diesel developed a theory that would revolutionize the engines of the day“. He envisioned an engine in which air is compressed to such a high degree that the temperature inside the cylinder rises significantly. Then, when fuel is injected into the cylinder along with compressed air, it explodes, forcing the piston down. This design was created in response to the excessive consumption of energy and inefficiency of the steam engine. “The steam engine at that time only worked at 12% efficiency”. “His design eliminated the spark plug, which was depended on by Nikolas Otto’s gasoline internal combustion engine” (Wikipedia)
Diesel filed for a patent in February of 1892 at the Imperial Patent Office in Germany. In 1893, he test ran the first model. The new engine ran at 26%